The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-08-13

back again? 'No,' you say; 81 couldn't
take the responsibility Of bringing them
from a fearless realm to q realm OF tears.
l couldn't do It" Well, then, what do
you want? A thousand voices in the
audience cry OUT: Comfort. Give rs
lcomfortr" For that reason 1 have rolled
away the stone from the wells mouth.
Come, all ye wounded Of the flock, pur-
sued of the wolves, come to the fountain
where the Lords sick and bereft ones
have come. "Ah," says some one. you
are not old enough to understand my
sorrows. You nave not been in the
world as long as I have, and you can't
talk to me about my misfortunes in the
time Of old age" Well, I may not have
lived as long as you, but I have been a
great deal among old people, and 1 know
how they feel about their failing health
and about their departed friends and
about the loneliness that sometimes
lstrkes through their souls.
After two persons have lived togeth-
er for 40 or so years and one is tax
en- away, what d~esolation! / shall not
forget the cry Of DR.. De Witt Of New
York when he stood by the open Srave
of his beloved wife and after the obse-
lquies had ended he looked down into the
open place and said: Farewell, my hon
Iored, faithful and beloved wife. The
bond that bound us is severed. Thou art
in glory, and l am here on earth. We
shall meet again. Farewell, FAREWELL
To lean on a prop for so years and then
have it break under you! There were
only two years difference between the
death Of my father n mother. After
my mothers decease my father used to
go around as though looking for some
thing. He would often get up from one
room without any seeming reason and go
Ito another room, and then he would take
his cane and start out, and some one
would say, Father, where are you go
ling?" and he would answer, 81 don't
know exactly where I am going" AL
ways looking for something! Thoufh he
was a tender hearted man I never saw
him cry but once, and thai was at the
burial of my mother. After 60 years
living together it was hard to part. And
there are aged people today who are feel
ling just such a pang as that. I want to
tell them there is perfect enchantment in
the promises Of this gospel, and / 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
"SAi " SSos SOLASg DoFI0g tAS podlD1-
list, have you anything encouraging to
offer them? "Yes," says the psamist;
they shall still bring forth fruit in old
age; they shall be fat and fourishing, to
show that the Lord is upright. He is
my rock, and there is no unrighteousness
in him." Come, Isaiah, nave you any
thing to say out Of your prophecies for
these aged people? YES" says Isaiah;
"down to old age I am with thee, and to
Ihcary hairs will I carry thee" WELL if
the Lord is going to carry you, you ought
mot to worry much about your ailing eye
sight and failing limbs.
Trust In Gods ~Providences.
You get a little worried for fear that
some time you will come to want, do
you? Your children and grandchildren
sometimes speak a little sharp to you be-
cause 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 granaries empty? Will
The feed the raven and the rabbit and the
lion in the desert and forget you? Why,
|naturalists tell US that the porpoise will
not forsake its wounded and sick mate.
And do o suppose the Lord Of heaven
and earth has not as much sympathy as
the fish Of the sea? But you say, II am
$50 near worn out, and / am of no use to
God any more" I 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 20 or so years? He
thinks more of you today than he ever
Ibid because you think more of him. May
the God Of Abraham and Isaac and ia
Icob and Paul the aged be your God for
lever! But 1 gather all the promises to,
day in a group and 1 ask the shepherds
to drive their focks of lambs and sheep
up to the sparkling supply. Behold,
happy is the man whom God correcteth.
"Though he cause grief, yet will he have
compassion" MANY are the aflictions
of the righteous, but the Lord deliverett
him out of them ALL" Weeping may
endure for a night, but joy cometh in the
morning." I am determined that no one
. shall go out Of this house uncontrolled
Yonder is a timid and shrinking sou
who seems to hide away from the conso
~lations I am uttering as a child with
, sore hand hides away from the physician
lest he touch the wound too roughly. and
, the mother has to go and compel the Lit
tie patient to come out and see the physi
clan. So ! come to you timid ant
, shrinking soul today and compel you t.
| come out in the presence Of the DIVINE
physician. He will not hurt you. 81
/ has been healing wounds for many years
| and he will give you gentle and omnipo
:. tent medicament.
i But people when they have trouble g
t anywhere rather than to God. De Quin
E Icey took opium to get rid of his troubles
!, lCharles Lamb took to punch. Theodor
Hook took to something stronger. Ed
e win Forrest took to theatrical d.ssipa
: ltion. And men have run all around tn
t earth. hoping in the quick transit to &c
s away from their misfortunes. 1t ha
{ been a dead failure. There is only on
t well that can Stake the thirst of an al
$ ficted spirit. and that is the deep an
t inefhaustible well Of the gospel
Y But some one in the audience says
e Notwithstanding all you have said thi
morning, l find no alienation for n,
? TROUBLES" Well, 1 am not through yet
s I have left the most potent consideration
0 for the last. I am going to soothe 70
q with the thought Of heaven. Howeye