Connecticut western news., 1896-12-31

hear the rataplan of the hoofs. "Veloc- ityo is the word that describes the movement, acceleration, momentum, and what we want in getting into the kingdom of God is celerity. You see the years are so swift, and the weeks are so swift, and the days are so swift, and the hours are so swift, and the minutes are so swift, we need to be swift. For lack of this appropriate speed many do not get into heaven at all. Here we are in the last Sabbath of the year. Did you ever know twelvemonth quicker to be gone? The goldenrod of one au- tumn speaks to the goldenrod of the next autumn, and the crocus of one springtime to the crocus of another springtime, and the snow banks of ad joining years almost reach each other in unbroken curve. We are in too much hurry about most things Business men in too much hurry rush into specula- tions that ruin them and ruin others. People move from place to place in too great haste, and they wear out their nerves and weaken the hearts action. But the only thing in which they are afraid of being too nasty is the matter of the souls salvation. Yet did any one ever get damaged by too quick repent anoe or too quick pardon or too quick emancipation? The Bible recommends tardiness, deliberation and snaillike movement in some things, as when it enjoins us to be slow to speak and slow | to wrath and slow to do evil, but it | tells us, 'The king business requireth | haste, v and that our days are as the | flight of weaver's shuttle and ejacu- lates: Escape for thy life. Look not behind thee. Neither stay thou in all the plain" Other cavalry troops may | fall back, but mounted years never re- | treat. They are always going ahead, not | on an easy canter, but at full run. Other | regiments hear the command of 'HaltW | and pitch their tents for the night. The regiments of the years never hear the | command of "Haltr' and never pitch | tent for the night.
 The century leads on its troop of 100 | years. and the year leads on its troop of | 365 days, and the day leads on its troop | of 24 hours, and the hour leads on its troop of 60 minutes, and all are dashing | | years in which we are most interested -our first and our last. Held up in our mothers arms, we watched the flight of the first With wondering eyes we all watch the coming of the last The name of that advancing year we cannot call. It may be in the nineties of this century, it may be in the tens or twen- ties or thirties of the next century, but it is coming at full gallop.
 | How to Meet It.
 With what mood will we meet it? In jocosity, as did Thomas Hood in his last moment, saying, II am dying out of charity to the undertaken, who wishes to earn lively Hood" Or in fear. as did Thomas Paine, saying in his last moment, "Oh, how dread this myste- rious leap in the darkr' Or in boastful- ness, as did Vespasisn, saying in his last moment, "Ah, methinks I am be- coming a god'' Or in frivolity. as did Demonax, the infidel philosopher, say ing in his last moment, You may go home; the show is over" Or conscience stricken, as did Charles TX of France, saying in his last moment: "Nurse, nursel What murder! What bloodl" Or Fhall we meet it in gladness of Chris tian hope, like that of Julius Charles | Hare, who said in his last moment, Upward. upwardP' Or like that of Richard Baxter, in his last moment say ing, '.Almost well. Or like that of Martin of Tours, saying in his last mo- ment. 1T go to Abraham's bosom" Or like that of polished Addison, who said in hss last moment, "See with what ease Christian can die. " Or like that of George Whitefeld, who felt that he had said all that he could of Christ, declar- ing in his last moment, "I shall die si- lent" Or like that of Mrs. Schimmel- pennich, who said in her last moment Do you not hear the voices? And the children's are the loudest. Or like that of Dragonnatti, saying in his last mo- ment: "Stand asidel I see my father and my mother coming to kiss me-"
 Or as did the dying girl who, having few evenings before sat on bench in London mission, was seen to have tears of contrition rolling down her cheek, and who, departing from the room, had put in her hand by Chris tian woman @ Bible, with the passage marked. "The blood of Jesus Christ oleanseth from all sin" ;" Though having promised to be at the next meeting, she did not come. The Christian woman who gave her the Bible was visiting the hospital, and the nurse said to her: "I wish you had been here little while ago. We had young woman who had been run over by wagon. Poor thing, she was fearfully crushed and died al- most at once. She had Bible in her hand, with your name in it, and she said when she was brought in: 'Thank God, found Christ as my Saviour last nightl The blood of Jesus Christ, his son, cleanseth us from all sin |" Oh, my friends, if all right for the next world, the years cannot gallop past toe rapidly. If it were possible for the cen. turies to take the speed of the years, and the years the speed of the days, and the days the speed of the hours, they could do us no harm. The shorter our life the longer our heaven. The sooner we get out of the perils of this life, if our work be done, the better. No man is safe till he is dead. Better men than we have
 been wrecked, and at all ages. Lord and Lady Napier were on horseback on road in India Lord Napier suddenly said to Lady Napier, "Ride on and fetch assistance and do not ask me why" She
 sped on and was soon out of sight. The fact was tigers eyes glared on them from the thicket, and fe did not dare tc
 tell her, lest, affrighted, she fall in the
 danger and perhaps lose her life From
 all sides of us, on this road of life, there
 are perils glaring on us, from tigers oi
 temptation, and tigers of accident, and
 tigers of death, and the sooner we gel
 out of the perils of this life the better.
 Let 1897 take the place of 1896, and
 1898 the place of 1897, and our souls