The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1901-08-16

universe, and He says, All are yours-ai
height, all depth. all length. AL breadth
all eternity; all are yours. we 90 not
appreciate the promises OF the gospel.
When an aged clergyman was dying,
man very eminent in the church, young
theological student stood by his side, and
the aged man looked up and said 10 him,
Can't you give me some comfort IN my
dying hour!" NO" said the young man,
II can't talk TO you on this subject. You
know all about it and have known II SO
long" We'll" said the dying man,
lust recite 20 me some promises Ihe
young man thought moment, ana ne
came to this promise, The blood OF Jesus
Christ cleanseth from all sin, and the
old man clapped his hands and IN his dy-
ing moment said: That's just the prom.
ise have been waiting for, The blood OF
Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin" On,
the warmth, the grandeur, the magnin-
eence OF the promises
II could gather all the griefs o; all
sorts from these crowded streets and could
put them In one scroll, neither man nor
angel could endure the recitation. Well,
what do you want Would you ike 70
have your property back AGAIN. No
YOU say as a Christian man, Il was be-
coming arrogant, and / think that Is why
have nv property back" Well, would
you have your departed friends back
again! NO" you say, Il couldn't take
the responsibility OF bringing them from
couldnt do it." Well. then, what do you
want: A thousand voices in the audience
cry out: Comfort Give US comfort"
For that reason | have rolled away the
stone from the wells mouth. Come, all
We wounded of the flock, pursued OF the
wolves, come TO the fountain where the
Lords sick and bereft ones have come:
A
enough TO understand my sorrows. You
have not been in the world as long as L
have, and you can't talk TO me about my
misfortunes in the time of old age" Well,
/ may not have lived as long as you, but
have been a great deal among old people,
and / know how they feel about their fail,
ing health and about their departed
friends and about the loneliness that some
times strikes through their souls. After
two persons have lived together for forty
or fifty years, and one OF them Is taken
away, what desolation.
| shall not forget the cry of DR.. De
Witt, of New York when he stood by the
open grave of his beloved wife, and after
the obsequies had ended he looked down
into the open place and said: Farewell,
my honored, faithful and beloved wife.
The bond that bound Us is severed. Thou
art in glory, and / am here on earth. We
shall meet again. FAREWELL FAREWELL"
To lean on prop for fifty years and
then have it break under you! There were
only two years difference between the
death of my father and mother. After my
mothers decease my father used to go
around as though looking for something.
He would often get up from one room
without any seeming reason and go TO an
other room, and then he would take his
cane and start out, and some one would
say, Father, where are YOU goingV And
he would answer, Il don't know exactly
where. | am going" Always looking for
hearted man L never saw him cry but
once, and that was at the burial of my
mother. After sixty years living together
1t was hard to part. And there are aged
people to-day who are feeling just such
pang as that. | want to tell them there is
perfect enchantment in the promises OF
this gospel, and i come to them and offer
them my arm, or / take their arm and i
bring them to this gospel well. Sit down,
father or mother; sit down. See If there
is anything at the well for you. Come,
David, the psalmist, have you anything
encouraging TO offer them? Yes says
the psalmist; ''they shall still bring forth
fruit in old age they shall be fat and
hourishing to show that the Lord is up
right. He is my rock, and there IS no un.
righteousness in Him" Come, Isaiah,
have you anything TO say out OF your pro.
pheces for these aged people? Yes"
says Isaiah; down to old age | am with
thee, and to hoary hairs will | carry thee"
Well, If the Lord is going to carry you,
you ought not TO worry much about your
ailIng eyesight and failing limbs.
You get little worried for fear that
some time you will come To want, do you?
Your children and grandchildren some.
times speak little sharp to you because
OF your ailments The Lord will not
speak sharp. Do YOU think you will come
to want? What do you think the Lord
is? Are His granarles empty Will He
feed the raven and the rabbit and the lion
in the desert and forget you? Why, nat.
uralists tell us that the porpoise will not
forsake its wounded and sick mate. And
do you suppose the Lord of heaven and
earth has not as much sympathy as the
fish of the sea! But you say, Il am so
near worn out, and | am of no use to God
any more" l think the Lord knows
whether you are of any more use or not.
If YOU were OF no more use He would have
taken you before this Do you think God
has forgotten you because He has taken
care of you seventy or eighty years. He
thinks more of you to-day than He ever
did because you think more of Him. May
the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob
and Paul the aged be your God forever.
But / gather all the promises to-day in a
group, and / ask the shepherds to drive
their f1ocks of lambs and sheep up to the
sparkling supply Behold, happy is the
man who God corrccteth." Though He
cause grief, yet will He have compassion"
Many are the Affections of the righteous.
but the Lord deiivereth him out of them
all" Weeping may endure for night,
but JOY cometh in the morning" / am
determined that no one shall go out of
this house uncontrolled.
So | come to your timid and shrinking
soul to-day and compel you TO come out
in the presence of the Divine Physician.
He will not hurt you. He has been heal
ing wounds for many years, anu He will
give you gentle and omnipotent medica.
ment
But people. when they have trouble, go
anywhere rather than to God. DE Quin.
cey took opium to get rid of his troubles.
Charles Lamb took to punch, Theodore
Hook took TO something stronger. Edwin
Forrest took 10 theatrical dissipation, and
men have run all around the earth, hop.
ing IN the quick transit 20 get away from
their misfortInes. IL has been a dead
failure. There is only one well that can
slake the thirst of an afflicted spirit, and
that Is the deep and inexhaustible well OF
the gospel.
But some one in the audience saws,
Notwithstanding all you have said this
morning. find no alienation for my trou.
bles." Well. l am not through yet.
have left the most potent consideration
for the last. | am going to soothe YOU
with the thought of heaven However
laxative we may be. there will come
time when the stoutest and most en-
phatic interrogation will evoke from us
no answer. As soon as we have closed
our lips for the final silence no power on
earth can break that taciturnity. But
where. q Christian. will be your spirit?
In scene Of infinite gladness: the spring