Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1896-08-13

ID CootlG IA Il WILL BULL uiAo dNA
from your sight. You sit quiet. You feel
heavy hearted. The light is fading from the
sky. The air Is chill. 1t is toward evening. .
You had a considerable estate and felt in
dependent. In five minutes on one fair bal
ance sheet you could see just how you stood
IN the world. But there came complications. +
1omething that you imagined impossible
happened. The best friend you had proved
traitor TO your interest. A sudden crash OF
National misfortunes Frustrated your credit.
You may to-day be going on in business, but
YOU feel anxious about where you are stand
ing and fear that the next turning OF the
wheel will bring you PROSTATE. You foresee
what you consider certain defalcation. You
think Of the anguish of telling your friends
YOU are not worth a dollar. You know not
how you will ever bring your children homo
from school. You wonder how you will
stand the selling Of your library or the NOV
ing into a palmer house. The misfortunes
Of life have accumulated. You wonder what
makes the sky SO dark. 1t is toward even
ing.
Listen to Paul battle shout with misfor-
tune. bark to mounting Latimer's fire song.
Look AZ the glory that has reft the dungeon
and flied the earth and heavens with the
crash Of the ia ling manacles OF despotism.
And then look at those who have tried to
cure themselves by human prescriptions, at.
tempting to heal gangrene with a patch OF
court plaster and to stop the plague OF dying
! empires with the quackery of earthly wis.
dom. Nothing can speak peace to the soul,
nothing can unstrap our crushing burdens,
nothinS can overcome our spiritual foas,
nothing can open our eyes to see the sur
rounding horses and chariots Of salvation
that fill all the mountains, but the voice and
command Of Him who stopped one night at
Emmaus.
The words Of the text are pertinent to US
All, from the fact that we are nearing the
a,-4rr mo ~ lno%h L.-D a.-l - ~ 4; %h.A
We ought 20 live as though. each moment
were to be our last. l do not believe that
theory. AS far as preparation is concerned,
we ought always to be ready; but we cannot
lways be thinking Of death, for we have
@uties in life that demand our attention.
" hen a man is selling goods. it is his bust
ness to think of the bargain he is making.
When a man is pleading in the courts, it Is
MS duty to think OF the interests 0: his
clients. When a clerk is adding up his &C.
counts. it is his duty to keep his mind upon
the coluI-a Of figures. He who dis up his
iife with thoughts Of death is far from being
the highest style Of Christian. l knew a
nan who used TO often say at night. II wish
| might die before morning!' He became an
infdel
But there are times when we can and ought
to give ourselves to the contemplation Of
that solemn moment when to the soul time
ends and eternity begins. We must 20
through that one pass. There is no round
about way, no bypath, no circuitous route.
Die we must; and it will be to Us a shameful
occurrence Or a time Of admirable behavior.
Our friends may stretch out their hands to
keep us back, but no imploration IN their
part can hinder US. They might offer largo
retainers, but death would not take the fee.
The breath will fail, and the eyes will close.
and the heart will stop. You may hang tho
couch with gorgeous tapestry. but what does
death care for beautiful curtains? You may
~. -. ~ 49, 9TH ~. a~~-A - 49,
but what does death care for pictures? You
NAV fill the house with the waillngs of
widowhood and orphanage; does death mind
weeping?
This ought not to be a depressing theme.
Who wants to live here forever? The world
has always treated me we'll, and every day I
feel less and less like scolding AMI complain
ing. But yet 1 would not want to make this
my eternal residence. l love to watch the
clouds and bathe my soul in the blue sea of
heaven, but [ expect when the armament is
rolled away as a scroll to see a new heaven,
g%rander, higher and more glorious. You
ought to be willing to exchange your body
that has headaches and sideaches and weak
ness innumerable, that limps with the stone
bruise or testers with the thorn or flames
on the funeral pyre Of fevers for an incor-
ruptible body and an eye that blinks not be-
fore the Jasper gates and the gY:,,A white
throne. But between thatand this tDel , is an
l'ttI tDodt WAtCh ~ ludh S1Ouli NO n
or foolhardy. doubt not your courage, but
: | tell you that you will want something bet
ter than a strong arm, a good aim and {
!, tr@stv sword when you come to your lag
l%Elttle. You :c-.ill need a better robe than a.,
you have in your waI1--obe to keep 700
warm in that place.
Cir umStanceS do not make 80 much diff
ference. 1t may be a bright day when yor
push off the planet, or 1t may be a DARK
night and while the owl is hooting from the
forest. 1t may be spring, and your soul MAJ
% out among the blossoms, apple orchard!
sWinging their censers in the way. 1t may
be winter and the earth in a snow shroud
Ii may be autumn and the forests set on fire
by the retreating vear-dead nature laid GU
in state. 1t may be with your wife's hand il
Your hand. or you may be in a strange hote
with "a servant faithful to the last. 1t may b.
in the rail train, shot off the switch an
tumblinS in long reverberation down
the embankment-craSh, crash! l know
not the time, I know not the mode, bu
the days of our life are being subtracte'
away and We shall come down to tn
time when we have but ten days left
!; then nine days, then eight days. the.
seven days, six days, five days, four days
three days, two days, one day. Then hour
three hours. two hours. one hour. The
only minutes left-iye minutes, four min
: ates. three minutes, two minutes. one minute
: Then only seconds left-four seconds. tire
seconds. W seconds. one second. uoue
: the chapter of life ended. The book CLOSED
The pulses at rest. The feet through wit
: the journey. The hands closed from a
work. No word on the lips. No breath i
the ~nostrils. Hair combed back to lie VI
di.heveled by any human hands. The mus
rles still. The nerves still. The lungs still
The tongue still. All still. You might DIT
: the saethoscope to the breast and hear n
sound. You might put a speaking trumps
10 tn" ear, but you could not wake the deaf
ness. No motion, no throb, no life. Still
:, sill,
F" SO death comes 10 the disciple! What
the sun of life is about to set? Jesus is II
day spring from on high. the perpetual NOR
ing OF every ransomed spirit. What If II
darkness comes? Jesus is the light of II
II world and OF heaven. What though tn
= earthly house does crumhie? Jesus has ar
+, pared a house Of many mansions. Jesus
:. the anchor that always holds. Jesus is Il
light that is never e~eiipsed. Jesus is Il
or fountain that is never exhausted. Jesus
:. the evening star, hung up amid the gloom
!, the gathering night.
:, You are almost through with the abas
n, AID backbiting OF enemies. They Will ca
- You no more Icy evil names. Your good dee
viii no longer be misinterpreted nor yo'
q honor tilched. The troubles of earth W