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

passages or lie that are usually
thought TO be somewhat gloomy; text,
Zechariah xiv. I. ''At evening time il
shall be light"
While might in all languages is the
symbol for gloom and suffering. it is
often really cheerful, bright and impress
sive. speak not of such nights as come
down with no star pouring light from
above or silrered wave tossing up light
from Overwhelmingly, hurting, porten-
tous, but such as you often see when the
nomp and magnificence of heaven turn
out ON night parade. and it seems as
though the song which the morning stars
began so long ago were Ginning yet
among the considerations and the sons OF
God were shouting for joy. Such nights
the sailor blesses from the forecastle,
and the trapper on vast prairie, and the
belated traveller by the roadside, and the
soldier from the tent, earthly hosts gaz-
ing upon heavenly and shepherds guard
lug their focks aheld. while angel hands
above them set the silver bells a-ringing,
'Gl0ry to God in the highest and on
earth peace; good will toward men,.
What a solemn and glorious thing is
night in the wilderness! Night among
the mountains. Night on the ocean!
Fragrant night among tropical groves!
Flashing night amid arctic severitiesl
Calm night on Roman campagna. Aw-
full night among the cordilleras! Glori-
Gus night mid sea after a tempest! Thank
God for the night The moon and the
stars which rule it are lighthouses ON the
coast toward which | hope we are all
sailing and blind mariners are we if,
with 50 many beaming. burning, flaming
glories to guide US, we cannot find our
way into the harbor.
My text may well suggest that, as the
natural evening is often luminous, so il
shall be light in the evening of our sor-
rows, of old age, of the worlds history,
of the Christian life. SAT eyentime ii
shall be light
When the Sun Sets.
@This prophecy will be fulfilled in the
evening of Christian sorrow. For i long
time it is broad daylight. The sun rises
high. Innumerable activities go ahead
with a thousand feet and work with a
thousand arms, and the pickax struck a
mine, and the battery made a discovery,
and the investment yielded its 20 per
cent, and the book came to its twentieth
edition, and the farm quadrupled in
value, and sudden fortune hoisted to high
position. and children We're praised, and
friends without number swarmed into
the family hive, and prosperity sang in
the music and stepped in the dance and
glowed i'll the wine and a.S at the ban
quet and all the gods of music and ease
and qualification gathered around this
Jupiter holding in his hands so many
thunderbolts of power. But every sun
must set, and the brightest day must
have its twilight. Suddenly the sky was
overcast. The fountain dried up. The
song hushed. The wolf broke into the
family fold aud carried off the best lamb.
A deep howl of woe came crashing down
through the joyous symphonies. At one
rough twang of the hand of disaster the
harpstrings all broke. Down went the
strong business firm Away went long
established credit! Up flew a flock OF
calumniesl The new book would not sell
A patent could not be secured for the in
vention! Stocks sank like lead The in
surance company exploded! How much,
says the sheriff. will you bid for this pi-
ano? How much for this library: How
much for this family picture? How
much? VIII you let it go at less than
half price? Going going-gone!"
viii the grace of God mold one up in
such circumstances? What has become of
the great multitude of Gods children
who have bpen pounded of the fail and
crushed under the wheel and trampled
under the hoof? Did they lie down in
the dust, weeping, wailing and crashing
their teeth?' Did they when they were
afflicted like Job curse God and want TO
die? When the rod of fl -herly chastise-
ment struck them, did they strike back ?
Because they found one bitter cup on
the table of Gods supply, did they upset
the whole table? Did they kneel down
at their empty money vault and say, "All
my treasures are gone? Did they stand
by Nthe grave of their dead, saying,
There never viii be a resurrection
Did they bemoan their thwarted plans
and say, The stocks are down. would
God were deadT' Did the night of
their disaster come upon them moonIess,
starless, dank and bowling, smothering
and choking their life out? No, no! At
eyentide it was light. The swift promises
overlook them The eternal constella-
tons, from their circuit about God S
[,
Under their shining the pillows of trouble
took on crests and plumes of gold and
Jasper and amethyts and flame. All the
tees of life rustled in the midsummer of
Gods love The night blooming assur-
ahces of Christ's sympathy filed all the
atmosphere with heaven. The soul at
every step seemed to start up from its
feet bright winged joys. warbling heav-
onward. 1t is good that | have been
afflicted cried David. The Lord gave.
and the Lord hath taken awayr' ex-
clailns Job. "Sorrowful, yet always re-
joicing." says st. Paul. And God shall
wipe away all tears from their eyes,
exclaims John in apocalyptic vision. At
overtime it was light. Light from the
cross. Lia4t from the promises, Light
from the throne! Streaming, joyous. out
gushing. everlasting light.
The Glory of Old Age.
Again. the text shall find fultillment in
the time of old age 1t is grand thing
10 be young. to have the sight clear and
the hearing acute and the step elastic and
all our pulses marching on to the drum
ming Of a stout heart. Midlife and old
age will be denied many Of Us. but youth
we all know what that is. Those wrin-
kles were not always on your brow; that
snow was not always on your head; that
brawny muscle did not always bunch
your arm: you have not always worn
spectacles. Grave and dignifed as you
now are you once went coasting down
the hillside or threw OF your hat for the
race or sent tie ball flying shy high. But
youth VIII not always last IL stays only
lcng enough 70 give ms exuberant spirits