Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1902-09-22


eardrum refuse to clearly throw the
echoing sound into the brain, as it once
did. The annoyance of not being able
to run for street car or to step of
that car when it is in motion. The an
noyance of having some young fellow
in the car arise and offer you a seat,
as though you were an old MAJ. Or.
what is worse than all, the annoyance
of feeling that you cannot do as much
work and do it as quickly as you once
did few years ago. AS your brain
power seems to lose its grip you pee
vishly place your hand upon your fore
head and say: Il do not know what is
the matter with my brain. Ny memory
seems to have completely left me. I
cannot recall the simplest names or
facts. | have to make memorandum
Of everything Even my children have
to look after me now as though 1 was a
little child
When tie faculties begin to fail and
the hair to whiten, the burden of the
locusts becomes very heavy to bear I'M
less man as Christian is walking
side by side with Christ Even the
Christian will find this burden heavy
burden unless he has an extra amount
of divine grace given to him. Mr..
Beecher once said that one of the sad
dest days he ever spent was when the
realization first came upon him that
he was going down the hillside Of life
and very soon would not be as phys
ically strong or as mentally alert as
that this saddening realization came
| upon him one day when he was at
| tempting to dodge in and out of the
| carriages and stages and dray wagons
that were moving up and down Broad
| way. AS he was in the middle of that
| thoroughfare he heard a driver angrily
| call out two or three times: Get out
| Of the way, old mani Haven't you any
sense? Are you too old to think? Get
| out of the way, there, gray hairs, or
! you'll be run DOWN. Mr.. Beecher hur-
riedly looked around to find out what
old man was in danger. To his sur
! prise and chagrin, he found that the
drayman was shouting to him and that
he and no other was the "old man."
1t is not hard struggle to physically
die. Dying is just as natural an act
| for the body as is the act of being
born. But it is hard to grow old, to
feel that yos have to ride when once
it was an exhilaration to walk, to
know that the mind is failing, that the
heart has not the old vigor, that the
hand which once grasped and welded
the hilt of sword must now do the
small chores around the old homestead.
1t is hard to know that upon the trem-
bling shoulders of old age even the
weight of small grasshopper's body
can become burden, a heavy, crush
ing burden.
The Great Burden Bearer.
Yet, my friends, amid the decaying
faculties of old age the grace of the
Lord Jesus Christ is sufficient to over
come the burden of the buZzing locusts.
What was the testimony of the aged
Thomas Guthrie, the great Christian
warrior of old Scotland? Standing be-
fore a large assemblage of little chill
dren, he said: Don't call me an old
man, as some people do. Why, am as
young and happy as any child sitting
before me today. My limbs may not
be as strong as they once were. One
of my feet may be in the grave, but
the other foot is planted upon the earth
SO firmly that it's leg has sunken knee
deep in the clover tops My hearing
may not be as accurate as it once was,
but my ears are continually hearing
the sounds of sweetest music. My eye
may not be as keen to read book. but
my eyesight is continually becoming
more inspired to see the beauties of
earth as well as the beauties of heaven.
am not an old man. AS I approach
my second childhood l have begun to
live life of eternal happiness and of
never ending joys" Study the faces,
the beautiful happy faces, of the aged
Christian men and women about, and
you will learn as never before that the
grace of the Lord Jesus Christ is suffi-
cient, even amid the decaying physical
and mental faculties, to lift the burden
Of the buzzing locust. Oh, my young
brother and sister, while you are yet
physically strong will you not take into
your life this divine power that will be
such a mighty help to you, when the
keepers of the house shall tremble and
the strong men shall bow themselves
and the grinders cease because they
are few"
Thus the burden of the locust is 9
very practical theme. The text teaches
that though the gospel of Jesus Christ
is good religion to die by, yet it is
} just as good religion to live by. Il
means that we should take Christ with
us to sing the lullaby to the baby and
: to get the early breakfast. 1t means
: that we should take Christ with us tt
help harness up the horse and shucl
: the corn. 1t means we should ash
2 Christ to go into partnership with III
2 in business and not have him be 81
5 lent partner either. 1t simply means
!. we should have Christ as practica
D helpmate during the weekday as wei
: as Sabbath companion on our Wav