Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1902-02-12

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
bow men and women will lie! They
say they are forty. but they are sixty.
They say they are twenty but they are
thirty. They say they are sixty, but they
are eighty. Glorious old age il 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 Washington Try
ing, sitting, pen in hand. amid the scenes
himself had made classical; of John An
CELL James, to the last proclaiming the
gospel to the masses of Birmingham; of
Theodore Freinghuysen. down to feeble
ness and emaciation devoting his iliustri-
Gus faculties to the kingdom of God. Al
eventide it was light.
See that you do honor TO the aged.
Smooth the way for that mothers feet;
they have not many more steps to take.
Steady those tottering limbs; they will
soon be at rest. Plow not up that face
with any more wrinl les; trouble and care
have marked it full enough. Thrust no
thorn into that old heart; it viii soon
cease to beat. ''frhe eye that mocketh
its father and refuseth to obey its moth
er the ravens of the valley shall pick it
out, and the young eagles shall eat it"
The bright morning and hot MONDAY of
life have passed with many. 1t is
o'clock. ) o'clock. 6 O'clock! The shad-
ows fall longer and thicker and faster.
Seven o'clock. o'clock! The sun has
dipped below the horizon: the warmth
I hos oerf Of he oiY Ninn n ai0aE IN
O'clock. The heavy dews are falling;
the activities of life's day are all hushed;
it is time to 20 to bed. Eleven o'clock.
II O'clock! The patriarch sleeps the
blessed sleep. the cool sleep, the long
sleep. Heavens messengers of light have
kindled bonfires of victory all over the
heavens. At eventime it is light. Light.
The latter Day of the Church.
Again, my text shall find fulillment in
the latter day of the church. Only few
missionaries, few churches, q Few good
men, compared with the institutions lep
rous and purified. 1t is early yet in the
history of everything good. Civilization
and Christianity are just getting cut Of
the cradle. The light of martyr stakes,
flashing up and down the sky, is but the
flaming of the morning, but when the
evening of the world shall come glory
! to Gods conquering truth, 1t shall be
light Wars sword changing lack in the
scabbard; intemperance buried under ten
thousand broken decanters; the worlds
imrurity turning its brow heavenward
for the benediction, Blessed are the pure
in heart" the last vestige of selhshness
submerged in heaven descending chart
ties and China worshiping DR.. Abeel's
Saviour; all India believing in Henry
| Martyrs Bible; aboriginal superstition
| acknoN lodging David Brainerd's piety:
human bondage delivered through Thorn
as Clarksons Christianity: vagrancy com
ing back from its pollution at the call
of Elizabeth Fry's Redeemer; the noun
tains coming down; the valleys going up;
holiness" inscribed on horses bell. and
silkworm's thread, and brown thrasher's
wing, and shells tinge, and manufactur-
er's shuttle, and chemists laboratory, and
kings scepter, and nations Magma Char
ia. Not a hospital, for there are no
wounds; not an asylum, for there are no
| orphans; not a prison, for there are no
criminals; not an almshouse, for there are
no paupers; not a tear, for there are no
sorrows. The long dirge of earths la
mentation has ended in the triumphal
march of redeemed empires. the forests
harping it ON vine strung branches, the
water chanting it among the gorges, the
thunders drumming it among the hills.
the ocean giving it forth with its organs.
trade winds touching the keys and Euro
clydon's foot on the pedal.
| want to see John Howard when the
last prisoner is reformed; l want to see
Florence Nightingale when the last saber
wound has stopped hurting; / want to
see William Penn when the last Indian
has been civilized; | want to see John
Huss when the last flame of persecution
has been extinguished; | want to see
John Bunyan after the last pilgrim has
come to the gate of the celestial city
above all, | want to see Jesus after the
last saint has his throne and has begun
to sing his triumph
You have watched the calmness and
the glory of the evening hour. The la
borers have come from the field; the
heavens are glowing with an indescrba
| BILE effulgence as though the sun in de-
parting had forgotten to shut the gate
after il. All the beauty of cloud and
| leaf swims in the lake For a star in the
sky, a star in The water; heaven above
and heaven beneath. Not a leaf rustling
or a bee humming or a grasshopper chirp-
ing Sieace in the meadow, silence
among the hills Thus bright and beau
tiful shall be the evening of the world.
The heats of earthly conflict are cool; the
glory of heaven fills all, the scene with
love, joy and peace, At eventime it IS
| light-light.
FuIfiIimeut at the End.
Finally, my text shall find fulfIlment
at the end of the Christians life. You
know how short winters day is and
how little work you can do. Now, my
friends, life is short winters day. The
sun rises at and sets at 4. The birth
angel and the death angel fly only a little
way apart. Baptism and burial are near
together. With one hand the mother
rocks the cradle and with the other she
touches a grave.
| | went into the house of one of my par
| ishioners on Thanksgiving day. The lit
lie child of the household was bright a14
glad. and with it ! bounded up and down
the hall Christmas day came. and the
light of that household had persisted. We
stood, with black book, reading over the
grave. Ashes to ashes, dust To scst"
But | hurl away this darkness. ! can
not have you weep. Thanks be unto
! God. who giveth us the victory, at even
time it shall be light! / have seen many
/ Christians die | never saw any Of them
lie in darkness What IL the pillows Of
death DO rise above our girdle, who does
not love to bathe? What though other
/ lights do 90 out in the blast what DO