The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-03-01

OI IL, as IN arIlydl N port ought TO De
happier than embarkation. 1t is better
to have the. cyclones behind you than be
fore you Some one viii say, David
might renew his youth, but I have been
through SO much there is no such thing
for me as reyiyiication." You are wrong.
You have not gone through as much as
David went through. Ee had all the ex-
perienees Of shepherd boy, armor bearer,
kings b~odyguard, hunter Of wild beasts,
warrior and monarch. He was 40 years
on a rocking throne. He was the oriental
hero in many a battle, made moral mis-
takes enough to destroy him, Frustrated a
giant with n stroke, was the father of
Hebrew poetry and wrote poems which
all the subsequent centuries have been
chanting, dramatized dementia to escape
assassination, ran against A~hithopher's
betrayal and Saul's jealousy and Absa-
lom's instruction, and made Jerusalem
the religious capital of the world. If
after all that he could renew his youth,
you ought to be able to do the same.
Again, / remark, going out Of this life
to the Christian is rejuvenescence. What
a holy glee it must be for those who in
this world had the aches and pains and
limitations of old age! The hating gait
"a ~ vi u 1ODt cACudukto
for wing Of celestial velocity The dim
med vision of WORKOUT optic nerve ex-
changed for a sight that takes all heaven
at a glance. The mental depression that
comes from sense of decay exchanged
for the exhilaration of faculties lustrous
n ever Strengthening! Sad reminiscence
exchanged for glowing anticipation
How CHEEKY for the aged who love and
trust the Lord to think that their last
years of taking off and decrepitude are
the molting season referred to in the
text! Shedding of all weaknesses Shed
ding of all unholy ambitions! Shedding of
all dislikesi Shedding of all hindrances!
If the eagle knew that all, that annual,
pulling down and taking off and shrivel-
ing were preparation for new wings, it
would not sit moping in its nest. But
you, 0 son and daughter Of God, ought
to be wise enough to know that all this
process you are going through is to pre-
pare you for wings. Substitution of heav-
enly speed and power for earthly leth-
argy and faltering! David felt the need
of wings when he cried out, "Oh, thai l
had the wings of a dove, that I might fly
away and be at restr"
State of Eternal Youth.
My text suggests that heaven is an
eternal youth. A cycle of years will not
leave any marx Upon the immortal nature.
Eternity will not work upon the soul in
heaven any change, unless it be more "a
dance and more wisdom and more rap
ture. A rolling on from glory to glory!
In anticipation of that some Of the hap
piest people on earth are aged Chris
tians. The mightiest testimonies have
hoo~ -1- hu H. =. 41 -1--o
army. While some of the aged have allow
ed themselves to become morose and Gym
zeal and impatient with youth and pessi-
mistic about the world and have become
possessed with the spirit of scold and
fault finding and are fearful Of being
crowded out Of their sphere many of the
aged have been glad to step aside that
others may have a chance and are hope
full about the world, expecting it's re-
demption instead of its demolition, and
they are inspiration and comfort and
h%elpfulness to the household and to the
neighborhood and to the church. The
children hail the good old man as he
comes down the road. His smile, his
words, his anner his whole life, make
the world think better of religion.
Noah Webster, the greatest Of lexicog.
raphers, departing this life at So years OF
age, exclaimed, 81 know whom I have
believed and Inn persuaded that he is able
to keep that which I have committed te
him against that day" The venerable
Daniel Webster, the greatest Of Ameri.
can lawyers and statesmen, in his last
hours said: 81 had intended to prepare a
work for the press to bear my testimony
to Christianity, but it is now too late
Still l would like to bear witness to the
| gospel before I die" Being too weak tc
hold q pen, he dictated to a scribe his
words of triumphant faith.
l congratulate all aged Christians that
the Noting season will soon be over anC
you will mount higher than eagle evel
assembled What a good thing that yor
are socn to get rid OF winters cold and
summers heat and drenching rain and
lowering clouds and live in superbest eli
mate CT the universe, whether it be this
world made over as to atmosphere and
contour or in some star which mighty
telescope halls from the observatory or il
some center around which all worlds
wheel. II is all ready and has beer
| ready. as near as 1 can calculate, since
1871 years ago. when Christ went uT
after say re. Il go TO prepare a place fol
| you. What a good thing to get rid OF
this worlds yiciSsitudes and enter upon
| glorious certaint;es. and to rave no sur
prises except those that are exhilarant as
when Milton may ring Il new canto OF
C~hrysostom may speak with a new elo
Quence or Handel may render a new sym
| phony. for | do not suppose that those
who were mighty on earth are going tc
be idlcrs in heaven.
What a good thing it is, all ye aged
Christians, that you can soon get rid OF
dulled ear and sight that requires strong
| eyeglasses and infirmities which make
you hold on to the banister, leaving you
painting at the head of the stairs, and
enter q land of eternal health, where the
most rubicund cheek Of robust life On
earth would be emaciation compared
with the vigor of the immortals! What a
good thing to get beyond being misun-
derstood and blamed for what you could
not help and picked at by a hard world
and then pass into a heavenly society
where all think we'll Of each other and
friendships are eternal, depreciation and
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