Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1902-01-31


word and lets MN die right away. His
brain, that under the tension OF hard
work Is active. now suddenly shrivels.
Men, whether they retire from secular
or religious work, generally retire TO
the grave. No well man has right TO
retire. The world was made to work.
There remaineth rest for the people
OF God. but it Is I'm a sphere beyond the
reach OF telescopes. The military
charge that decided one OF the greatest
battles of the ages-the battle of Wa
terIoo-was not made until 8 o'clock in
the evening. but some OF you propose
to go into camp ut 2 o'clock In the aft.
ernoon.
At the Harbor Mouth.
My subject next accosts those in the
seventies and beyond. My word TO
them is congratulation. You have got
nearly If not quite through. You have
safely crossed the sea OF life and are
about to enter the harbor You have
fought at Gettysburg, and the war is
over-here and there a skirmish with
the remaining sin of your own heart
and the sin OF the world. but I guess
you are about done. There may be
someswork for you yet on small or
large scale. Bismarck of Germany Wig
orous I'm the eighties The prime min
lister OF England strong at seventy-two.
Haydn composing his oratorio. "The
Creation" at seventy years OF age. ,soc-
rates. doing some of his best work at
seventy-four. Plato busy thinking for
all succeeding centuries at eighty-one.
Noah Webster, after making his world
renowned dictionary, hard at work I'M
til eighty-five years old Rev. Daniel
Waldo praying In my pulpit at one
hundred years of age. Humboldt pro-
ducing the immortal Cosmos" at sew
enty-six years. William Blake at six
ty-seven learning Italian so as to read
Dante In the original. Lord Cockburn
at eighty-seven writing his best trea-
tise. John Wesley stirring great audi
ences at eighty-five. William @. Bry-
ant, without spectacles, reading I'm my
house 'Thanatopsis'' at eighty-three
years OF age. Christian men and wo-
men In all departments serving God
after becoming septuagenarlans and
octogenarians and nonagenarians prove
that there are possibilities of work for
ed the seventies are near being through.
How do you feel about It? You ought
to be Jubilant, because life is a tremen-
dous struggle. and If you have got
Through respectfully and usefully you
ought to feel like people toward the
close OF a summer day seated on the
rocks watching the sunset Mt Bar Har-
Dor or Cape May or Lookout mountain.
am glad to say that most old Chris
tans are cheerful. Daniel Webster
visited John Adams a short time before
his death and found him in very in
firm health He said to Mr.. Adams: AZ
am glad TO see you. 1 hope you are get
ting along pretty well" The reply
was: "Ah, sir. quite the contrary. 1
md am poor tenant, occupying a
house much shattered by time. 1t
sways and trembles with every wind,
and what is worse, sir, the landlord. as
near as can make out, does not intend
TO make any repairs"
An aged woman sent to her physi-
clan and told him OF her ailments, and
the doctor said: what would you have
me do. madam? / cannot make you
young again" She replied: ST know
that. doctor. What 1 want you to do
is to help me TO grow old a little lon
ger" The young have their troubles
before them; tho old have their trou-
bles behind them. You have got about
all out OF this earth that there is in II.
Re glad that you, an aged servant OF
God, are going to try another life and
amid better surroundings. Stop look
ing back and look ahead. o We In
the seventies and the eighties and the
nineues, your best days are yet to
come, your grandest associations are
yet to be formed, your best eyesight is
yet TO be kindled. your best hearing is
yet to be awakened, your greatest
speed is yet to be travelled. your glad
dest song is yet TO be sung. The most
OF your friends have gone over the bor-
der, and you are going to join them
very soon. They are waiting for you;
they are watching the golden shore to
see you land; they are watching the
shining gate to see you come through:
they are standing by the throne 20 see
you mount. What glad hour when
you drop the staff and take the scep-
ter, when you quit the stlffened Joints
and become an immortal athleteI But
hear, hear; n remark pertinent TO all
people, whether in the twenties. the
thirties. the forties, the flfties, the six
ties, the seventies or beyond.
The Need OF All Ages.
What we all need is to take the su-
pernatural into our lives. Do not let
US depend on brain and muscle and
nerve. We want a mighty supply OF
the supernatural. We want with us a
divine force mightier than the waters
and the tempests, and when the Lord
took two steps on bestormed Galllee.
putting one foot on the winds and the
other on the waves, he proved himself
mightier than hurricane and billow.
We want with us a divine force greater
than the fires, and when the Lord cool
ed Nebuchadnezzar's furnace until
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego did
not even have to fan themselves he
proved himself mightier than the fire.
We want divine force stronger than
wild beast, and when the Lord made
Daniel lion tanner he proved himself
stronger than the wrath OF The 1ungles.
Ihere are so mapy diseases In the
world we want with us divine PhysI-
car capable of combating ailments.
and our Lord when on earth showed
what he could do with catalepsy and
paralysis and ophthalm!a and demen-
tia. oh. take this supernatural into all
your lives! How to get 1t? Just as
you get anything you want-by appli-
cation.
A man got up In New York PRAYER
meeting and said: God Is my partner.
l did business without him for twenty
years and failed every two or three
years. have been doing business
with him for twenty years and have
not failed once" oh, take the SUPER
natural into all your affairsl 1 had
such an evidence OF the goodness of
God In temporal things when 1 entered
life, ! must testify. Called to preach
at lovely Belleville, in New Jersey,
entered upon my work. But there
stood the empty parsonage, and not a
cent had I with which to furnish a.