Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1902-09-06
TALNAGE.
SERMON
BY Rev.
FRANK DE WITT TALMAGE. DID,.
Pastor Of Jefferson Park Presby-
terian Church, Chicago

Ia this sermon by Rev II. De Witt Tai
[ Image OH the text Isaiah xxxviii, 1,
set thine house In order. for thou
} shalt die"
am going to stay aboard this planet
rs long as can. When the time comes
for me to die, believe sufficient grace
4 will be given to mn with which to die
But | have never elt less like dying
than at the prcS--t time. My home
was never 50 hai :. my friends never
more kind, my rk never more alb
sorbing. Present rarthly life is mex
pressibly sweet to me. feel In refer
cnce to 1t great deal as did Christie
! phcr North. the physical and literary
athlete, who. with his friends and chill
dren. used to race over the heather of
hold Scotland, his yellow curls a-hylng
in the winds, singing and shouting as
fhe ran, becatise he was bubbling over
with JOY and animal spirits. am In
love with the world because like the
! people who are In it.
But. though earthly life may be
| priceless boon to some people as well
as to myself, yet there must come to
I all a time when we shall have to die
Perhaps. like Hezeliiah of my text,
who besought God by prayer to in
lcrease his earthly day, we may be able
Ito prolong our existence ten, fifteen or
even twenty years by rigidly obeying
the well tested physical laws of health.
iDio Lewis. the great lecturer upon hy-
giene. once declared that every normal
healthy child born into the world
ought to live to be at least 100 years
old. lie asserted that nearly all the
members of the human race do not
live out half their earthly life be-
cause they do not eat the right kind of
food, wear the proper clothing and
take the proper amount Of exercise. i.
But though the longevity Of the hu-
man Eace might be inerea sedsto 10e or
even 200 years, though the-present gen
Grafton might be able TO reach the two
liandredth and fftieth milestone which
marks the highway OF life's journey
instead of only the twentieth or If
tieth or SEVENTEEN milestone yet for
every man and woman there must
come at last an end to earthly exist
ence. The Bible distinctly and en-
pbatically states 1t All history proves
it. Though bio Lewis himself rigidly /
praclced the laws Of health which his
Remand Tar reaching intellect framed;
Though be only ate just enough food to
reulenish tie amount Of waste tissue;
though he wore tie proper clothing |
and daily took the proper amount of /
physical exercise yet DiO Lewis him
self had to die. So the same words |
of warning which the prophet Isaiah
brought to the sick ruler in the ancient /
Jerusalem palace bring to you. They
are just as per inent for the present
generation as they were TO the Hebrew
king who lived nearly 1900 years ago.
The First steps Necessary.
In anticipating his earthly demise a
common sense man should in the first
place set his temporal house in order.
That means he should, if necessary,
get his life insured. lie should make
Oul Ills lUSl " III uuu AAO
should appoint the executors Of his es-
tate, and the future guardian of his
children. He should explain the de-
tails of his business and invest his
moneys in such Il manner as that his
executors can easily carry out his
plans. He should train up his chill
dren or his lieutenanis so that they
may carry on his work after he is
dead. He should. if desirable. buy
his family plot and make all arrange
ments for the last resting place of him.
self and his loved ones. We have con-
tempt for the man who has so little
interest in the temporal welfare Of
his wife ard children that he will not
make last will and testament.
But, Mr. Talmage." answers some
one, Il would do rs you say. but am
very supersttious about this matter of
making Il will. | intend to make will
and fix up my temporal affairs when |
feel that my life is drawing to an
earthly close, but not now. l have al
ways superstitiously felt that when a
man makes his last will and testament
Ie will certainly die before the year is
)ut. Therefore | want to postpone
making my will as long as possible"
Although am. comparatively speak
ng, young nan. yet have had
great deal of experience in sickrooms
md by dea,ii..rGS. ald. my brother. | |
want 10 warn YOU rs friend that In [
I'll prohai .lty wien YOU come TO die
rOu Will rCt haze any time to fix up
your estate and make en- intelligent J
will ard llsi testament. In all proba- '
)ility you will le in sucn physical and {
mental weakness that you will not V
lave enough strength to do anything q
Use but lie in your bed and murmur q I
ew words Of farewell until you are Il
zone. Therefore. my brother. what l
'ou want to do I'm reference~tO setting 0
our temporal house In order through l
he inauence of your last will and tes- I
ament you bad better do right away. Q
When death comes. your brain may be o
90 feeble to plan aud your fingers too L
rembling to hold pen.
Furthermore, my friend, that state v
nent of yours about being supersti- g
ieus in reference to making a will is Il
cry foolish. 1t Is as foolish as the SUI p
erstition some people have about a
itting one of thirteen at a table or y
Ooking at the new moon over the II
wrong shoulder or carrying n new II
orn babe downstairs before he is car IL
led upstairs 1t is so foolish that
m surprised II should be anywhere
ntertained among intelligent people. n,
'ou will not die because you make v
our last will and testament, but you la
ught to make your last will and tesla el
lent In reference to your temporal af- d,
lirs because your death is inevitable. m
Set thine house in order" N
A Question Answered. f.
"But, Mr.. Talmage," says some 9th I'm
:, what is the good of making a last Ii
ill and testament? | have nothing to yC