Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1900-10-25

ward evening.
You have lone rejoiced in the care of
mother: you have done everything to
make her last davs happy; you have run
with quick feet to wait upon her every
want Her presence has been perpetual
blessing in the household. But the fruit
gathere-s are looking wistfully at that
tree Her soul is ripe for heaven. The
gates are ready to fash open for her en-
trance. Put yorr soul sinks ut the thought
Of separation. You cannot hear to think
that soon you will be called to take the
last look at that face. which from the first
hour has hooked upon YOU with affection
Interchangeable. But YOU see that life is
ebbing. and the grave will soon hide her
from your sight. Yon sit quiet: YOU feel
heavy hearted. The lirht is fading from
the sky; the air is chill. 1t is toward
evening.
| The words Of the text are pertinent to
rs all from the fact that we are. nearing
| the evening Of death. l have heard it
said that we ought to live as though each
moment were to be our last. do not be-
lieve that theory As far as preparation
hut we cannot ALWAYS be thinking OF
DEATH for we have duties in life that de-
| mard our attention.
| When man is selling goods it is his
| business to think of the baroain he is
| making: when n man is nleadng in the
courts, u lS MS UNUy 10 tHiHk VI thc ~
| terests of his clients; when a clerk is add
| ing rp accounts it is his duty to keep his
mind upon the column of figures. He who
| fills up his life with thoughts of death is
far from being the highest style Of Chris
| tian. I knew man who used otter. to
say at picht. 81 wish I might die before
morning!" He is now an infidel
| But there are times when we can and
ought to give ourselves to the contempla-
| ton Of that solemn moment when to the
| soul time ends and eternity begins. We must
go through that one pass. There is no
| roundabout way no bypath. no circuitous
route. Die we must. and it will ne to US
able behavior Our friends NAV stretch
out their hands to keep us back. but no
| ir~ploration on their part can hinder us.
Thev might offer large 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 the couch
with gorgeous tapestry. but what does
death care for bed curtains? You may
hang the room with the finest works OF
art. but what does death care for pictures?
| You may fill the house with the walings
of widowhood and orphanage. Does death
mind weeping?
Listen to PauPs battle shout with mis-
fortune, bark to mounting Iatimer's fire
| song; look at the glory that hath reft the
dungeon and filled the earth and heavens
with the crash of the falling manacles of
| despotsm and then look at those who
have tried to cure themselves by human
prescriptions, attempting to heal gan
creme with patch of court plaster and to
stop the plague Of dying empires with the
quackery of earthly wisdom. Nothing can
| speak peace to the soul. nothing can un-
strap our crushing burdens, nothing can
| overcome our spiritual foes, nothing can
open our eyes to see the surrounding
horses and chariots of salvation that fill
| all the mountains but the voice and COM
mand of Him who stopped one night at
Emmaus.
YOU ought to be willing to exchange
your BODY that has headaches and side
| aches and weaknesses innumerable, that
lmps with the stone bruse or testers with
the thorn or flames on the funeral pyre
of fevers for an incorruptib,e body and an
| eve that blinks not before the jasper gates
and the great white throne But between
that and this there is an hour about which
no man should be reckless or foolhardy.
| I doubt not your courage. but l tell you
that you will want something better than
strong arm, a good aim and trusty
| sword when you come to your last battle.
| You will need better robe than any you
have in your wardrobe to keep you warm
in that place.
Circumstances do not make so much dlf-
ference 1t may be bright day when You
| push off from the planet, or 1T may be
! dark night and while the owl is hooting
from the forest. 1t may be spring, and
your soul may so out among the blossoms.
| apple orchards swinging their censers IN
| the way. 1t may be winter and the earth
in snow shroud. 1t may be autumn and
| the forests set on fire by the retreatng
| year-dead nature laid ont in state. 1t
may be with your wife's hand in your
hand, or you may be in strange hotel,
with servant faithful to the last. 1t
| may be in the rail train, shot oil the
switch and tumbling in long reverberation
down the embankment-crash, crash
| know not the time, l know not the
mode, but the days of Our life are being
subtracted away, and we shall come down
to the time when we have but ten days
left, then nine days, then eight days, then
seven days, six days, five days, four days,
three days, two days, one day. Then
hours-three hours, two hours, one hour.
| Then only minutes left-hve minutes, four
minutes, three minutes, two minutes, one
minute. Then only seconds left-four Sec
! onds, three seconds, two seconds, one sec
ond. Gone! The chapter of life ended! ls;
| The book cosed The pulses at rest! The
feet through with the journey! The
| hands closed from all work. No word on
| the lipsl No breath in the nostrils Hair
combed back to lie undisheveled by any
| human hands. The muscles still. The
nerves still. The lungs still. The tongue
still All still. You might put the steth-
oscope to breast and hear no sound. You
might put a speaking, trumpet to the ear,
but you could not wake the deafness. No
motion. No throb No life. Still! Still!
On earth with many of you the evening
is the happiest part of the twenty-four
hours. You gather about the stand. You
/ talk and laugh and sing. iou recount the
day. You plan Tor the morrow. You
have games and repartees. Amid all the
| toll OF the day that is the goal for which
YOU run, and as YOU take out your watch
or look at the descending sun you thrill
with the thought that it is toward even
ing. SO death comes to the disciple.
What if the sun OF life is about 70 set?
Jesus is the dayspring from on high, the
perpetual morning OF every ransomed
spirit. What if the darkness comes?
Jesus ia the light of the world and of
heaven. What though this earthly house
does erumble! Jesus has prepared house
OF many mansions. Jesus Is the anchor
that always holds. Jesus is the fountain
that is never exhausted. Jesus is the
evening star hung up amid the gloom of