The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-10-19
EVENINGS SHADOWS
Or. IALMAGE'S COMFORTING WORDS
TO THOSE IN DECLINING YEARS
Helpful Thoughts Suggested by the
Invitation to Christ to Abide Over
night I'm an Oriental Vfllage-The
Eternal Resting Place.

A1SA
Eternal Resting Place.
In this sermon DR.. Talmage
discourses upon the invitation given
to Christ to stay over night
I'm the oriental village and makes
some consolatory suggestions. The text
is Luke XVI, 29, abide with us, for it
is toward evening""
Two villagers, having concluded their
errand in Jerusalem, have started out
at the city gate and are on their way
TO Emmaus, the place Of their resi-
dence. They go with a sad heart. Je-
sus, who had been their admiration and
their joy, had been basely massacreed
and entombed. AS with sad face and
broken heart they pass on their way a
stranger accosts them They tell him
thei ranxieties and bitterness of soul.
He in turn talks to them. nightly ex-
pounding the Scriptures. He throws
over them the fascination of intelli-
gent conversation. They forget the
time and notice not the objects they
pass and before they are aware have
come up in front of their house. They
paus before the entrance and attempt
to persuade the stranger to tarry with
them. They press upon him their hos
pitalities. Night is coming on, and he
may meet a prOwling wild beast or be
obliged to lie unsheltered from the dew.
He cannot go much farther now. Why
not stop there and continue their pleas
ant conversation? They take him by
h arm, and they insist upon his COM
ing in, addressing him in the words,
abide with us, for it is toward eve
ming" The lamps are lighted, the
table is spread, pleasant socialities are
enkindled. They rejoice in the pres
ence of the stranger guest. He asks a
blessing upon the bread they eat, and
he hands a piece of it to each. Sud
denly and with overwhelming power
the thought flashes upon the astound-
ed people-it is the Lord. And as they
sit in breathless wonder, looking upon
the resurredtedbody of Jesus, he van
ished. The interview ended. He was
gone.
With many of us it is a bright, sun
shiny day of prosperity. There is not
a cloud in the sky, not a leaf rustling
in the forest No chill in the air. But
we cannot eXpect all this to last. He
is not an Intelligent man who expects
perpetual daylight of joy. The sun will
after awhile near the horizon. The
shadows will lengthen. While l speak
many of is stand in the very hour de-
Scribed in the text, For. 3t is toward
evening in the text, For it is toward
appropriate for some in every commu-
nifty. For with them it lis toward the
evening Of old age. They have passed
the meridian of life. They are some
times startled to think how old they
are. They do not, however, like others
to remark upon it. If others suggest
their approximation toward. venerable
appearance, they say, why, I'm not
CO old often Il 81 VThou 1o iDlno1 ~
tice that they cannot lift quite as much
as once. They cannot walk quite so
fast. They cannot read quite so we'll
without spectacles. They cannot SC
easily recover from a cough or any oc-
c%asional ailment. They have lost their
taste for nlerriment. They are Surpris-
ed at the quick passage of the year.
They say that it only seems but a little
while ago that they were boys. They
are going a little down hill. There is
something in their health, something in
their vision, something in their walk,
something in their changing ~associa-
tiOnS, something above, something be-
meath, something within to remind
them hat it is toward evening.
OUR GREATEST NEED.
The great want of all such is to have
Jesus abide with them. 1t is a dismal
thing to be getting old without the re-
juvenating influence of religion. When
we stop on the down grade of life and
see tina it dips to the verge of the cold
river, we a to behold some one
nea who will help US across it. When
the sight loses it's power to glance and
gather UP, we need the faith that car
illumine. When we feel the failure
of the ear, we need the clear n OF
that voice which in olden times broke
up the silence of the e with cad
ences of mercy. When the axmen OF
death hew down whole forests OF
strength and beauty around us and
we need the dove Of divine mercy tC
sing in our branches. When the shad.
ows begin to fall and we feel that the
day is far spent We need most Of al
to Supplicate the beneficient Jesus IL
the prayer of the villagers, "Abid,
with us, for it is toward evening""
The request of the ext is an appro
pirate exclamation for all those wht
are approaching the gloomy hou o
temptation There is nothing easiel
han to be good natured when every
thing pleases or to be humble wher
there is nothing to puff us up or for
giving when we have not been aSsail
ed or honest when WI have no induce
ment to fraud. But you nave felt tn,
grapple of some temptation. Your ma
ture at some time Quaked and groan
ed under the infenal force. You fel
that the devil was after you You saw
your Christian graces re~treating. YOU
feared that you would fail in the aw
full wreStle with sin and be thrown int,
n dust. The gloom thickened. TIL,
first indications of the night wer
seen. In all the trembling of you
soul, in all the informal suggestion.
of satan, in all h surging up of tn
multuouS passions and eXcitementS
you felt with awful emphasis that i
was toward evening. In the tempted
hour you need to ask Jesus to abid,
with you. You can beat pack tn,
monster that woul devour You cal
unhorSe the sin that would ride yol
down. You can sharpen the battlea,
with which you split the head of he'll
meted abomination. Who helped
Paul shake the brazen gated hear o
Felix? Who acted like a good sailo
when all the crew howled in the Medi
terranean shipwreck? Who helped tn,
martyrs to be firm when one word o
recantation would have unfastened tn,
W1thes of the stake and put out tn,
kindling fire?