The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1902-02-21

4 God'sloye. The night blooming 4 ssur
ances Of Christ's sympathy filed ali 81
atmosphere with Heaven. The soul 4
every. step seemed to start up from II
feet bright winged joys, warblin,
Heavenward. 1T is good that / hay
been atfiicted?" crieo David. "The Tor,
gave, and the Lord hath taken awayi,
exclaims Job. "Sorrowful, yet AWAY,
rejoicing" says St. Paul. "And Go,
shall wipe away all tears from thei
1 eyes!' exc.aims John in apocalytic vi
sion. At eventime it was light. Liph,
from the cross! Light from promises
Light from the throne! Streaming
joyous, outgushing, everlasting light!
Again the text shall find fulfillment
in the time of old age. 1t is grand
! thing to be young, to have the sigh,
clear and the hearing acute and the
step elastic and all our pulses marching
on to the drumming of stout heart
Midlife and old age will be denied many
OF us, but youth-we all know what
that is. Those wrinkles were not al
ways on your brow; that snow was not
always on your head; that brawny mus
Gle did not always bunch your arm;
you have not always worn spectacles.
Grave and dignified as you n ow are, you
once went coastingdown to the hillside
or threw off your hat for the race or
sent the ball flying sky high. But youth
will not always last. Itstays only long
enough to give US exuberant spirits and
broad shoulders for burden carrying
and an arm with which to battle our
way through difficulties. Life's path.
If you follow it long enough, will come
under frowning crag and cross trem-
bling causeway, Blessed old age, if you
let 1t come naturally! You cannot hide
it. You may try to cover the wrinkles,
but you cannot cover the wrinkles. If
the time has come for you to be old, be
not ashamed to be old. The grandest
things in all the universe are old-old
mountains, old rivers, old seas, old
stars and an old eternity. Then do not
be ashamed to be. old unless you are
older than the mountains and older
than the stars.
How men and women will lie! They
say they are 40, but they are 60. They
say they are 20, but they are 80. They
say they are 60, but they are 80.
Glorious old age if found in the way
of Righteousness. How beautiful the
old age of Jacob, leaning on the top
of his staff; Of John Quincy Adams,
falling with the harness on; of Wash
ington Irving, sitting, pen in hand,
amid the scenes himself had made
classical; of John Angel James, to
the last proclaiming the Gospel to the
masses of Birmingham; of Theodore
Frelinghuysen, down to feebleness
and emaciation devoting his illustri-
Gus faculties to the kingdom of God.
At eventide it was light!
/ want to see John Howard when |
he last prisoner is reformed; I want
% see Florence Nightingale when
he last saber wound has stopped |
lurting; want to see William
penn when the last Indian has been
iyilized; I want to see John Huss
When the last flame of persecution
las been extinguished; / want to
zee John Bunyan after the last pill
rim has come to the gate of the
CELESTIAL city-above all, want to
ee Jesus after the last saint has
lis throne and has begun to sing
lis triumph.
You have watched the calm
ess and the glory of the evening
our. The laborers have come from
he field; the heavens are glowing
nth an indescribable effulgence. as
hough the sun in departing had
orgotten to shut the gate after it.
IL the beauty of cloud and leaf
Wins in the lake. For star in the
ky, star in the water; heaven
bove and heaven beneath. Not
,af rustling or bee humming or a
rasshopper chirping. Silence in the
leadow, silence among the hills.
hus bright and beautiful shall be
he evening of the world, The heats
earthly conflict are cool; the
lory of heaven fills all the scene
18th love, joy and peace. At even
me it is ight-light!
Finally, my text shall find fulfill
ent at the end of the Christians
fe. You know how short a winters
ay is and how little work you can
}. Now, my friends, life is short
inter's day. The sun rises at eight
nd sets at four. The birth angel
nd the death angel fly only little
ay apart. Baptism and burial are F.
EAR together. With one hand the
other rocks the cradle and with the i