Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1900-10-12

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. | have heard It
said that we ought to live as though eacn
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 IS
making; when a man is pleading IN the
courts, it is his duty to think OF the n
terests of his clients: when q clerk is add
ing I'D accounts it is his duty to keep his
mind upon the column of figures, He VINO
fills I'D his life with thoughts of death Is
far from being the highest style of CHRIS,
tan. knew man who used often 10
saw at night. ri wish / might die before
morninp" He is now an infidel.
But there are times when we can ana
ought to give ourselves to the contemp,a'
ton of that solemn moment when TO tne
soul time ends and eternity begins. Wemuse
GO through that one pass. There IS no
roundabout way, no bypath, no clrcultous
route. Die we must, and it Will De 70 us
shameful occurrence or time OF admir-
able behavior Our friends may stretch
out their hands to keep us back, put ~
imploration on their part can hinder us.
They might offer large. retaners, Dut
death would not take the fee; The preatn
will fail. and the eyes will close, ana tne
heart will stop. You may hang the coucn
hIIt does
death care for bed curtains! You may
hang the room with the finest works OF
art hut what does death care for pictures!
You NAV fill the house with the wailings
of widowhood and orphanage. Does death
mind weeping?
Listen to Paui's battle shout with mis-
fortune. bark TO mounting JIatimers 1lre
song; look at the glory that hath rTeft the
dungeon and filled the earth and heavens
with the crash of the falling manacles OF
desnotism 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
ouackery 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 tnaC HI
all the mountains but the voice and com,
mand of Him who stopped one nlghe a'
Emmaus. -,
vour body that has headaches and sldc.
aches and weaknesses innumerable, thai
limps with 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 when
no man should be reckless or foolhardy'
| 7 doubt not your courage, but tell you
| that Won will want something better thar
| a strong arm, good aim and trusty
| sword when you come to your last Dattle'
| You will need a better robe than any you
have in your wardrobe to keep you warm
in that place. =.
Circumstances do not make so much dit
| ference 1t may be bright day when you
push off from the planet, or 1T may De
| dark night and while the owl is hootlng
| from the forest. 1t may be spring, aho
your soul may go out among the blossoms,
apple orchards swinging their censers 10
| the way. 1t may be winter and the eartn
| in a snow shroud. 1t may be autumn ana
| the forests set on fire by the retreating
year-dead nature laid out In state IL
NAV be with your wife's hand in your
| hand. or you may be in strange hotel,
with a servant faithful to the last. Ii
NAV be in the rail train, shot OH the
| switch and tumbling in long reverberatlon
down the Northumberland, crash!
I 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. linen
| hours,-three hours, two hours, one hour
| Then only minutes left-five minutes, toul
| minutes, three minutes, two minutes, one
| minute. Then only seconds lett|four sec
| ond. Gone! The chapter OF life ende Lee
| The book closed! The pulses at rest! The
| feet through with the journey! The
hands closed from all work! No word on
| the Inns! No breath in the nostrils! Hail
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 parS OF the twenty-touI
hours. You gather about the stand. You
| talk and laugh and sing: You recount the
day. You plan for the morrow =, You
| have games and repartees. Amid all the
toll Of the day that is the goal for which
Won 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 to set
Jesus is the dayspring from on high, the
| nerpetual morning of every ransomed
shirt. What if the darkness comes
| jesrs 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
YOU no more by evil names. Your good
| deeds will not longer be misinterpreted OF
YOUR honor filched The troubles of earth
| will end in the felicities of heaven. 10
| ward evening! The bereavements of earth
will soon be lifted. You will not much
longer stand pouring your grief in the
tomb like Rachel weeping for her chill
| dren or David mourning for Absalom
| Broken hearts bound up. Wounds healed
| Tears wiped away. Sorrows terminated
| No more sounding of the dead march. To
ward evening. Death will come sweet az
| slurnber to the eyelids of the babe, as full
rations to starving soldier, as evening
hour to the exhausted workman. The sky
| will take on its sunset glow, every cloud
fire psalm, every lake glossy mirror,
the forests TRANSPORTED, delicate misti
climbing the air. Your friends will an