The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1902-01-31
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
DUTIES AND TRIALS or THE DIFF
FeRENT DECADES or LIFE.
All the Years of Man Considered Work
of tho Twentie. and Thirties should
he Crowned with Splendid Reward
In tho seventies.


discourse looks at tho duties ana trials
which belong TO the different decades
OF human life: text, Psalms &C. 10.
'rhe days OF our years are threescorc
years and ten"
Tho SEVENTEEN milestone OF life Is
here planted as at the end OF the jour
ney. 4 few 80 beyond H. Multltudes
never reach Il. Whatever your age.
will to-day. directly address you. and
| shall speak 10 those who are IN the
twentics. the thirties. the forties. the
ffties. tho sixties. and 10 those who are
In the seventies and beyond.
First. then. I accost tbgss OF you
who are In the twenties. You arc full
OF expectation. You arc ambitious
that Is. II you amount 10 anything-for
some Eiud OF success. commercial or
mechanical or professional or literary
or agricultural or social or moral II
| find some ono In the twentics with
out any sort OF ambition. feel like
saying. My friend. you have got on
the wrong planet This Is not the
world Tor you. You are going to be
In the way. Have you made your
choice or poorhouses? You will never
be able 90 pay for your cradle. Who
is going 20 settle for yodr board?
There Is mistake about the fact
that you were born at all"
But supposing YOU have ambition,
let me say 60 all the twenties, expect
everything through divine manipula-
ton. and then you will get all you
want and something better. are you
looking for wealth. Well. remember
that Cod controls the money markets.
the haScsts. tho droughts, the cater
pillars. tie locusts. the sunshine. the
storm. the land. tho sea, and you Will
get wealth. Perhaps not that which
IS stored APP in the banks. in safe de-
posits. In United States securities, In
houses and lands. but your clothing
and board and shelter, and that Is
about all'you can appropriate anyhow
You cost the Lord great deal. To
feed and clothc and shelter you for a
lifetlmeucquircs big sum OF money.
and II you get nothing more than the
absolute necessities you set an enor-
nous amount OF supply. Expect as
much as you will OF any kind OF sue
cess. II YOU expect II from the Lord
you are safe. Depend on any other re-
source. and you may be badly cha
grined. but depend on God and all will
be we'll.
Some o. the mighticst things FOR God
and eternity have been done In the
twenties. 81 long as you cSn put tho
figure . before tho other figure that
helps describe your ago / have high
hopes about you. Look out for that
figure .. Watch its continuance with
rs much earnestness as you ever
watched anything that promised you
salvation or threatened you demoii-
ton. What a critical time-thc TWEEN
ties! While they continue you decide
your occupation and the principles by
which you will be guided; you make
your most abiding friendships: you ar
range your home life; you TX your
habits. Lord God Almighty for Jesus
Christ's sake. have mercy on all the
men and women In the twenties.
Next I accost those In the thirtles
You are at an age when you find what
tough thing 10 is 10 get recognized
and established I'm your occupation or
profession. In some respects the hard
est decade OF life is the thirties. be-
cause the results are generally so far
behind the anticlpations. Nlnc-tenths
OF the poetry OF life has been knocked
out OF you since you camo into the
thlrties. Men In the different profess
slons and occupations saw that you
were rising. and they must put an es-
toppel on YOU. or you might somehow
stand in the way. They think you
must DC suppressed.
From thirty 10 forty Is an especially
hard time For young doctors. yoang
lawyers. young merchants. young
farmers, young mechanics. young min
listers. The struggle Of the thirties g.
for honest and helpful and rcmuncra-
tive recognition. But few old people
know how TO treat young people with
out patronizing them on tho one hand
or gnubbing them ON the other
on. tho thirties, Joseph stood before
Pharaol. At thirty: David was thirty
years old when he began 20 reign
the height OF solomonis temple was
thirty cubits; Christ entered upon his
active ministry az thirty years OF age;
Judas sold him for thirty pieces OF
silver. oh. tho thirtics! What a
word suggestive OF triumph or d!sas-
ter!
Next I accost the foyties. Yours Is
tho decade OF discovery. DO not
mean the discovery OF the outside. but
the discovery q yourself. No nan
knows himself until he IS forty. By
that time ne has learned what he can
do or what he cannon DO. lie thought
he had commercial genius enough 90
become a millionaire. but now he is
satisfied 90 make n comfortable Nv
ing. Ito thought he had rhetorical
power that would bring him into the
tfnftod States senate. nOv he In coo-