Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-08-07

ing in its grave trenches AS the little
band Of aged Christians marches past
us today we see that It Is mere rem
nant Of great host which once start
ed out marching side by side. The
white lips Of the dead as we'll as the
trembling lips Of the living Christian
veterans beside us are speaking en-
tirely different words from those with
which the Grecian philosopher fright
ened the trembling Athenians. The
dead lips Of the aged Christian con-
temporaries are saying to us: Most Of
you will never be old men. Most of
you will never be old women. Most
of you will die in your youth or in
middle life. Therefore, what you are
to do for Christ you must do soon or
you will never do 1t ut hill"
Perhaps this may be n chlmerical
fancy, but believe that some of our
aged Christians now living may be
lingering upon this side Of the river
of death in order to carry to heaven to
our departed loved ones the latest
news about the dear ones on earth.
You know the Bible declares that the
celestial messengers are continually
ascending and descending between
earth and heaven. jacobs dream was
not all fanciful dream. The sleeping
son of Isaac saw the angels ascending
and descending the ladder which con-
nected earth with heaven. So I believe
that the aged Christians are lingering
this side of the Jordan for awhile in
order to carry the gospel news about
ourselves to our loved ones. I remem-
Der well when dear old elder of the
Brooklyn Tabernacle was dying my
father turned to him and said We'll,
Mr.. Nichols. Poodby for n little while.
We shall soon meet again. But, as
you are going ahead of me to the celes-
tial land. will you hunt up my boy De
Witt and give him my lover And the
old dying elder said, yes, DR.. Tai
mage. I will, will" When the wild
over Bishop Haven was dying, he
turned to his mother and said; moth
err, after I have first seen the Lord
shall want to hunt up my dear wife.
I shall give to her your love. Fheu l
shall want to rest for the first thou
sand years In the green pastures by
the side Of the still waters, with my
head in the lap Of my Mary"
Messengers to the other side.
And If some of our aged Christian
friends are waiting for little while
in order to carry the latest gospel news
to the dear ones on the other side Of
the Jordan, what will they be able to
tell our fathers and mothers, our broth
ers and sisters, our wives and little
children, who have gone beyond and
are awaiting our coming? Will they
be able to tell them that you and love
the Lord Jesus? Will they be able to
tell our loved ones that they must keep
a place by their side for us in one Of
the heavenly mansions? oh, my
brother and sister. see by the tears
in your eyes that you are anxious,
awfully anxious, in reference to the
message which our aged Christian
friends shall have to bear. Shall we
plead with God that our dear aged
friends may be allowed to live Just
a little while longer so that we all
may. here and now, give our hearts to
Jesus? Then, ye aged Christian
friends, carry the news as soon as you
may to that bright and happy land.
Carry the news that, by the blood of
Christ, we have oil been cleansed from
sin. Tell them that we have all been
purged with hyssop until we are clean,
that we have been washed until we are
whittier than snow.
That was n significant experience
that Archbishop Leighton had in one
of his illnesses. 1t was thought that
he was dying, but, In answer to the
prayers of his friends, he was raised
from the threshold of the grave But
the good man did not share the glad
ness of his friends. He said II did
not want to get well. am an old man.
and most Of my friends are on the
other side. In my last sickness l felt
l was like n weary mariner sailing
over the sea. was coming near the
harbor Of peace. | could see great
host of my departed loved ones com
ing down to the shore and waving to
me, and I was waving back. l could
recognize their different faces. But
just as l was about to enter the har-
Dor of peace great storm arose and
was driven back. The storm drove
me far out of sight of the heavenly
land. Now l must sail the weary voy-
age Of life over again"
And so, my aged Christian friends,
believe that you are the favored ones.
You are the Christians who will carry
the message to our dear ones as well
as to your own. When you go, want
you personally to take to my mother
and father my love. Just as my father
sent his love to his boy. Tell them for
me that by the grace of God we all
want to meet them soon.
Thus, ye aged Christians, l want you
to realize that the words of my text
We're written for you. They shall
still bring forth fruit In their old age"
means that your work and usefulness
will not be finished until you draw
your last breath, until you take your
glorious departure. want you to
realize that your work In life Is just
the same kind of work as was that
aged farmers who was planting some
young trees one day, when a neighbor
came along and said; what are you
planting those trees for? You will
never live long enough to see them
grow up" NO" answered the old
man; II never expect to see them grow
I'D, but my grandfather planted wonder