Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1897-05-22
N UNlBER 46

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liver. Perhaps lie spectacle night stop
some yoang ia;,n Le:a.c lie cones to the
catastrophe and the dart strikes through
his liver.
EpitapIs.
My nearer, this is the first sermon
you have heard on the gospel health,
and it may be the last you will ever
hear on that subject. and Icharge you
In the name of God and Christ and use
fulness and eternal destiny take better
care of your health. When some of you
die, if your friends put on your tomb
stone truthful epitaph, it will read,
"Hcre lies the victim of late suppers,"
or it will be, Behold what lobster sal
ad at midnight will do for man, or
it will be, "Ten cigars day closed my
earthly existence" or it will be,
Thought could do at 70 what I did
at 20, aud l am here, " or it will be,
"Here is the consequence of sitting
half day with wet feet or it will be,
''This is where have stacked my har-
vest Of wild ,sts," or instead Of words
the stone cutter will chisel for an cpl
taph on the tombstone two figures
namely, dart and liver.
There is a kind Of sickness that is
beautiful when it comes from overwork
for God, or one's country, or one's own
family. 1 have seen wounds that were
glorious 1 have seen an empty sleeve
that W more beautiful than the most
muscular forearm. have seen green
shade over the eye, shot out in battle,
that was more beautiful than any two
eyes that had passed without injury.
have seen All old missionary, worn out
with the malaria of African jungles,
who looked to me more radiant than
rubicund gymnast. have seen moth
er, after six weeks watching over o
family of children down with scarlet
fever, with glory around her pale and
wan face that surpassed the angelic. 1t
all depends on how you got your sick
ness and in what battle your wounds.
If we must get sick and worn out, let
it be in Gods service and in the effort
to make the world good. Not in the
service of sin. No, no! One of the most
pathetic scenes that ever witness, and
1 often see it, is that of men or women
converted in the fifties or sixties or sew
enties wanting to be useful, but they so
served the world and satan in the ear
lier part of their life that they have no
physical energy left for the service OF
God. They sacrificed nerves, muscles,
lungs, heart and liver Oh the wrong al
tar. They fought on the wrong side,
and now, when their sword is all hack
ed up and their ammunition all gone,
they enlist for Emmanuel. When the
high melted cavalry horse, which that
man spurred into many cavalry charge
with champing bit and flaming eye and
neck clothed with thunder, is worn out
and spawned and ringboned and spring.
halt, he rides up to the great Captain
of our salvation on the white horse and
offers his services. When such persons
might have been, through the good hab-
its of lifetime, crashing their battle
ak through the helmeted iniquities,
they are spending their days and mig hts
in discussing the best way of curing
their indigestion, and quieting their
jangling nerves, and rousing their lag
gard appetite, and trying to extract the
dart from their outraged liver. Better
converted late than never. Oh, yes, for
they. will get to heaven! But they will
go afoot when they might have wheeled
mp the.steep. hills of4the- sky in Elijah's
chariot. There is an old hymn that we
used to sing in the country meeting
house when l was boy, and 1 remem-
Der how the old folks voices trembled
with emotion while they sang it. Ihave
forgotten all but two lines, but those
lines are the peroration Of my sermon:
Twill save us from thousand snares
To mind religion young.