The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1897-11-05

1t Is OFTEN a Galn TO DE hOung.
copyright, 1897, by American Press Asso-
ciation.l
WASHINGTON, Oct. 81. From an I'M
usual standpoint DR.. Talmage offers
comfort at the loss of children, and this
sermon must be balsam for many
wounds. His text is Isaiah lvii, /, 1.-THE
righteous is taken away from the evil to
come.
We all spend much time in panegyric
of longevity. We consider it great
thing to live to be an octogenarian. II
any one dies in youth, we say, "What a
pity!" DIR. Muhlenberg, in old age,
said that the hymn written in early life
by his own hand, no more expressed his
sentiment when it said:
would not live Away
If one be pleasantly circumstanced,
he never wants to 60 William Cullen
Bryant, the great poet, at 80 years of
age standing in my house in festal
group, reading "Thanatopsis" without
spectaoles was just as anxious to live
as when at Is years of age he wrote
that immortal threnody. Cato feared at
80 years of age that he would not live
to learn Greek. Monaldesco, at 115
years, writing the history of his time,
feared a collapse. Theophrastus, writ
ing book at 80 years of age, was anx-
ious to live to complete it. Thurlow
Weed at about sc years of age found life
as great desirability as when he snutfed
out his first politician. Albert Barnes,
SO we'll prepared for the next world at
70, said he would rather stay here. So
it is all the way down. | suppose that
the last time that Methuselah was out
of doors in storm he was afraid of get
ting his feet wet lest it shorten his
days
Indeed I some time ago preached a
sermon on the blessings of longevity,
but | now propose to preach to you
about the blessings of an abbreviated
earthly existence. If were an agnostic,
4 would say a man is blessed in proper
ton to the number of years he can stay
ON terra tirma, because after that he
falls off the docks, and if he is ever
picked out of the depths it is only to
be set up in some morgue of the uni
verse to see if anybody will claim him.
40 or so or 100 years and then he was
to 60 into humiliation, would say his
chief business ought to be to keep alive !
and even in good weather to be very
cautious aud to carry an umbrella and |
take overshoes and life preservers and |
bronze armor and weapons of defense
lest he fall off into nothingness and
obliteration.
But, my friends, you are not agnos-
tics. You believe in immortality and
the eternal residence of the righteous in
heaven, and therefore l first remark
that an abbreviated earthly existence is
TO be desired and is blessing because
it makes ones life work very compact.
Some men go to business at O'Clock
In the morning and return at in the
evening. Others go at O'Clock and re-
turn at 10. Others go at 10 and return
at 4. | have friends who are ten hours
a day in business, others who are five
hours, others who are one hour They
all do their work well. They do their
entire work and then they return
Which position do you think the most
desirable? You say, other things being
detained in business and who can re-
turn home the quickest is the most
blessed.
The Quicker the Better.
Now, my friends, why not carry that
good sense into the subject of transfer
ence from this world? If person die in
childhood, he gets through his work at
8 O'Clock in the morning. If he die at
As years of age, he gets through his
work at ~ o'clock noon. If he die at 70
years of age, he gets through his work
at 5 o'clock i'll the afternoon. If he die
at 80, he has to toll all the way on up
to l O'Clock at night. The sooner we
get through our work the better. The
harvest all in balracll or barn. the farm
er does not sit down in the stubhle field;
but shoulderiug his scythe and taking
his pitcher from under the tree, he
makes Straight line for the old homo
stead. All we want to be anxious about
is TO get oar work done and we'll done,
and the quicker the better
Again, tl.re Is q blessing in an alb
heviatel cIJaly existence in the fact
that moral disaster ,rnI t come. upon
the man fine tawIad longer BualJy
a man who had baou prominent in
churches and who bad been admir- 4 for
his generosity and kindness everywhere
for forgery was u5 to state prison for
Is years. Twenty years ago there was ,
no more probability OF that mans COM
hitting Commercial Gl honesty TRAN ]
that you VIII commit commercial dis +
h0r1a.Hy Frl r.srIrprs Of r-s-rs. -.-I.. E..I q