The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1900-11-10

more romping for that one through hal
and parlor. The nursery is darkened b,
an approaching calamity. The heart feel
with mournful anticipation that the SUI
is going down. Night speeds on. 1t IS to
ward evening.
You have long rejoiced in the care OF I
mother: YOU have done everything t.
make her last DAYS happy; you have rur
with quick feet to wait upon her ever,
want. Her presence has been perpetra
blessing in the household. But the fruit
gatherers are looking wistfully at thai
tree. Her soul is ripe for heaven. The
gates are ready to fash open for her en-
trance. But your soul sinks at the thought
| If separation. You cannot bear to think
| that soon yo;. will be called to take the
last look at that face. which from the first
| hour has looked upon you with affection
| interchangeable. But you see that life. IL
ebbing. and the grave will soon hide her
| from your sight You sit Quiet You feel
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 It
said that we ought to live MS 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-
mand our attention.
When a man is selling goods it is his
business to think of the bargain ne \
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. He who
fills up his life with thoughts OF death is
far from being the highest style of Chris
tian. l knew a man who used often TO
saw at night. II wish might die before
mornng."' He is now an infdel. !.
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. Wemust
60 through that one pass. There is no
roundabout way, no bypath. no circuitous
route. Die we must and it will be to lis
a shameful occurrence or a time of admir-
able behavior. Our friends may stretch
out their hands t. keep us back. but no
imploration on their part can hinder US.
They 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 Paul's battle shout with mis-
fortune, bark to mounting Latimer'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
nd ~ -ha
have tried to cure themselves by human
prescriptions, attempting to heal gam
creme with patch of court plaster and to
stop the plague OF dying empires with -
quackery of earthly wisdom. Nothing can
speak peace to the soul. nothing can I'm.
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
limps with the stone bruise or testers with
the thorn or flames on the funeral pyre
of fevers. for an incorruptible body and an
eye 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.
that you will want something better than
a strong arm, 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 diff.
ference. 1t may be bright day when you
push off from the planet, or it may be
dark night and while the owl is hooting
from the forest. 1t NAV be spring. and
sOpe 'o orcba ag go Tier
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. It |
may be with your wife's hand in your |
hand, or you may be in a strange hotel, |
with servant faithful to the last. 1t |
may be in the rail train, shot off 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, lie hour.
Then only minutes left-tive mint ties, four
minutes, three minutes, two minutes, one
minute. Then only seconds left-four Sec
Dnds, 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
hands closed from all work! No word on
The lips! No breath in the nostrils! Hair
:ombed back to lie undisheveled by any
human hands. The muscles still. The
nerves still. The lungs still. The tongue
till. All still. You might put the steth-
>scope to breast and hear no sound. You |
night put speaking trumpet to the ear,
out you could not wake the deafness. No
notion. No throb. No life. Still! Still!
On earth with many of you the evening
8 the happiest part of the twentyfour
lours. You gather about the stand. You
ak and laugh and sing. You recount the
lay. You plan for the morrow You
ave games and repartees. Amid all the
oil OF the day that ia the goal for which
'ou run, and as you take out your watch
y look at the descending sun you thrill
With the thought that it is toward even
ng. So death comes to the disciple.
What if the sun Of life is about to set?
esus h, tie dayspring from on high, the
erpetual morning of every ransomed
pirit. What if the darkness comes?
esus is the light of the world and of
eaven. What though this earthly house
oes crumbie? Jesus has prepared house
+ many mansions. Jesus is the anchor
hat always holds. Jesus is the fountain |
hat is never exhausted. Jesus is the