Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1900-10-17
NO. As

blessing in the household. But the fruit
gatherers are looking wistfully at that
tree. Her soul is ripe for heaven. The
gates are ready to flash open for her en-
trance. But your soul sinks at the thought
of separation. You cannot bear to think
that soon you will be called to take the
last look at that face, which from the first
hour has looked upon you with affection
unchangeable. But you see that life IS
ebbing, and the grave will soon hide her
heavy hearted. The light is fading from
the sky; the air is chill. 1t is toward
evening.
The words of the text are pertinent to
us all from the fact that we are nearing
the evening of death. l have heard 1t
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
is concerned we ought always to be ready,
but we cannot always be thinking OF
death, for we have duties in life that de-
Jrand our attention
when a man Is seiiing goods 1t Is ms
business to think of the bargain he Is
making; when a man is pleading IN the
courts, it is his duty to think OF the m
terests of his clients; when clerk Is add-
ing up accounts it is his duty TO keep his
mind upon the column of figures; lie VINO
fills up his life with thoughts of death Is
far from being the highest style OF Chris
tian. l knew man who used often to
say at night, g! wish l might die before
morning." He is now an inhdel.
But there are times when we can ana
ought to give ourselves to the contempia-
ton of that solemn moment when to the
soul time ends and eternity begins Wemust
go through that one pass. There is no
roundabout way, no bypath, no circuitous
route Die we must, and it will be to us
a shameful occurrence or time OF admir-
able behavior. Our friends may stretch
out their hands to keep us back, but no
imploration on their part can hinder us.
They might offer large retalners, but
/ death would not take the fee: The breath
will fail, and the eyes will close and 1.-THE 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 wailings
of widowhood and orphanage. Does death
mind weeping?
Listen to PauPs battle shout with mis-
fortune, hark to mounting Latimer's fire
| song; look at the glory that hath reft the
| dungeon and filed the earth and heavens
with the crash of the falling manacles OF
| despotism and then look at those VINO
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
uuackery of earthly wisdom. Nothing can
speak peace to the soul, nothing can an
| 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 NIL
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
| i hla hat
limps W. Il the stone bruise or testers with
the thorn or flames on the funeral pyre
Of fevers, for an incorruptible 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 tooihardy.
| doubt not your courage, but l tell yoi
that YOU will want something better thal
a 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 wan
in that place.
Circumstances do not make so much dif'
ference 1t may be bright day when you
push off from the planet, OF 1t may be
|, dark night and while the owl is hooting
from the forest. 1t may be spring, and
your soul may go out among the blossoms,
! apple orchards swinging their censers IN
!, the way. 1t may be winter and the earth
in a snow shroud. 1t may be autumn and
the forests set on fire by the retreating
year-dead nature laid out in state. 1t
+ may be with your wife's hand IN your
, hand, or you may be in a strange hotel,
with a servant faithful to the last. 1t
may be in the rail train, shot off the
switch and tumbhng in long reverberation
down the embankment-crash, crash!
l 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,
The book closed! The pulses at rest The
feet through with the, journey! The
, the lips! No breath in the nostris, 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
5 might put 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. You recount the
day. You plan for the morrow. You
i have games and repartees. Amid all the
. toll Of the day that is the goal for which
i 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 of life is about to set
e Jesus is the dayspring. from on high, the
perpetual morning of every ransomed
spirit. What if the darkness comes;
Jesus is the light of the world and OF
heaven. What though this earthly house
: does crumble? 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
! the gathering night.
You are almost through with the abuse
: and backbiting of enemies. They will cal
q you no more by evil names. Your goOc
I deeds will not longer be misinterpreted oil
+ your honor filched. The troubles of eartl
J. will end in the felicities of heaven, To
ward evening! The bereavements of eartf
\ will soon be lifted. You will not muci
' longer stand pouring your grief in tn.
y tomb like Rachel weeping for her chill
/ dren or David mourning for Absalom
i Broken hearts bound up. Wounds healed
Tears wiped away. Sorrows terminated
: No more sounding of the dead march. To
e ward evening. Death will come sweet a,
slumber to the eyelids of the babe, as full
rations to a starving soldier, as evening
. hour to the exhausted workman. The sky
a will take on its sunset glow, every clouc
!, fire psalm, every lake a glossy mirror
2 the forests transfgured, delicate mist
e climbing the air. Your friends will an
l. nounce it, your pulses will beat it, you
:, joys will ring it, your lips will whisper it
A Toward evening
t Africa is the most elevated of a
e the continents. 1t is the contineI