Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1902-08-08

eOuS IoiSakeu nor MS Seeu begging
b'ead"
Never let any man tell you that the
aled Christians influence is a useless
influence. The Bible distinctly says,
eFhey shall stil bear fruit in their old
a,Ie.' No better fruit can it bring than
tile personal testimony Of Gods faith
fitness, which your children Will never
forget When skeptics assail them
with doubts, they will be able to say.
oily father put Gods promises to the
proof, and he declared that he had
found them true.
sustnfaed by the Gospel.
One night III large infdel meeting
ar old gray haired Christian woman
arose and addressed the speaker in
these words: Fl would like to ask
the speaker what his infdel beliefs
have ever done for him? My gospel
religion sustained me when | was left
9oor widow with six fathcrlcss chill
dran to support. My religion has given
me hope and courage when have had
to stand by the brink of an open grave.
NY religion has made me a purer,
trJer, Drawer woman to face the strug-
giles Of life. That, sir, is what my
faith In Jesus Christ has done for me-
What have your infidel beliefs done
for your" The infidel could not an
swer. The whole audience realized
this the Christian woman was speak
ing out Of her own life's experience.
So the mightiest witnesses for God
arc those whose Christian testimonies
are the outgrowths Of the many, many
years that are gone.
The aged Christian influences for
good those who are near TO him be-
cause he is able to lavish upon them a
wealth Of bOundless, fervent, tender
Christian affection. While we are
young and even middle aged we spend
most Of our time in doing for others
rather than IN showing the sweet man.
Hesitation Of our affections. We are
like Martha who went into the kitch-
on 10 cook Jesus a dinner, rather than
like Mary, who sat at the feet Of
Christ.
When Jesus. sad and weary. longing sore
For loves sweet service, sought the sis
ters' door,
One saw the heavenly. one the human
guest,
But who can say which loved the Master
bost2
While we are young or middle aged
we are like the busy merchant, who
speids most of his time in the store
and the office in order to earn money
enough to support his children, rather
thar like the old grandfather and the
! graz dInother, who spend most of their
/ time in spelling their grandchildren
unit at last the married daughter turns
and says: Father and mother, l be.
lieve you love my children better than
you ever loved me when was young
Any way, you pet them far more than
you ever petted me-" Many a mechanic
has but little time to fondle or caress
his own children. He has to leave
home for work before the children arc
out IT bed He does not return until
late al night, when the babies have
been again tucked away in their cribs
A Mighty influence.
Editor Brown said that It took hin
nearly a fifth of a century to find out
how much his father loved him. Whe1
he was a boy at home, his father was
always busy earning money to support
the family. Sometimes he was sell
absorbed, gruff and stern and seem
lngl5 harsh. But after awhile his ia
Their health broke down. Then the
boy felt he ought to leave home, as
thor, xuopa TOO manu- poorthg 70 81
from his fathers scanty savings TIL,
morning he left the old man walked
down the road with him. Then tn,
feeble old father put his hand upol
the .Ioung mans shoulder and tear
came into his eyes and his lip culver
ed as he said: My boy, don't wan
you 10 leave home AS long as l hav
crust Of bread, my child. ] am read
) to share 1t with you. You had bette
come back" "Then," said Edito
, Brown. "for the first time in my lif
, res LIKED the immensely Of my IA
3 theirs love. All that day q sweC
e throated songster kept singing in m
t heart: He loves me. He loves mI
3 Father loves me. Yes, he loves me
5 And when, some years later. an evaI
D gelist compared Gods love to IA
r TIERS love arose IN that meeting an
: gave my heart to God. I knew tina
: my earthly father loved me. Yes,
e knew that he loved me-" So the Chri
+ tian's OLD age is the time when he ca
e best demonstrate the wealth of h
e RIectol for those who are near an
o dear to him and when he can best il
e fluence them for good.
n The statement that the aged Chri
@ tian can exercise a mighty in1uen,
e for coed over the lives Of those wi
IS are nearest and dearest to him is esp
e clalIy true II those dear ones IN tul
n have children of their own. I do d
d believe a man ever fully appreciate
v the love of parent until he himsC
e is married and has babies about h
IS own family table. 1t is only after
- man has had the worries and the an
D. ieties of his own home troubling /
10 heart, it is only after he has stood
ip the side of the cradle and nursed
re baby boy through the awful sickne
ar of diphtheria, it is only after he
Is got his own family burial plot and h
ID dug therein little grave for one
.h his own babies, that he begins to fu
ed appreciate what his father and moth
IN in their time have done for him.
III The Spirit of Reverence.
We The aged Christian is able to insp
or the spirit of reverence in the heal
a of many with whom he comes in C
l. tact. This spirit is a growth, and !
an act 1t is a germ seed which Oft
ny takes years and years to develop, a
RS. not an entity which springs into bel
as at a jump or a bound. 1t genera
nd starts away back in the nursery. If {
an child laarn to respect his mother, IL
ro- it is very easy for him to learn as
as to resi- ect his teachers If the boy lie,
uIy to resi- ect his teachers. then it is VI
The easy for him as young man TO lei
life to respect his Christian employers.
You a young man respects his Christ
God employers, then it is very easy for
ia. as a middle aged man to learn to
fore spect the aged Christian servants v
ark. for years have been living at the
une vine Masters feet. If the middle a
in man respect Gods aged Christian 81
re ants, then it is very easy for him
ling learn 10 respect the God whom IL
up. Christians serve and to commune
lost that respect to others.
nose Thus God uses your physical W,
,nty nesses and your mental helplessl
that for a purpose. When he sees you
.ead aged Christian parent, being tend
lade cared Tor in your old age by a. To-
ore son; when he sees that son givin
cred you the best room in the house