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

the uldHy TequeStS tHdt lie Huu Indue
nearly quarter of century before,
he found out that God had answered
every one of his prayers God had an
swered them with better results than
even his faith ut that time had dared
to hope. So the aged Christian opens
the book Of memory. AS he fingers
the many soiled leaves of that book he
| tcstlfics how God cared for him when
he was young man. He testifies how
God cared for him when he was mid
die aged, and he testihes how the
| love of God Is protecting and caring
for him now that he is an old man.
lie tcst!Nes Just as the aged psalmist
| testified of Gods goodness when he
wrote, II have been young and now
am old. yet have not seen the right
eous forsaken nor his seed begging
bread"
Never let any man tell you that the
aged Christians influence is useless
| influence. The Bible distinctly says,
They shall still bear fruit in their old
age" No better fruit can it bring than
the personal testimony of Gods fifth
| fulncss, which your children will never
| forget. When skcptics assail them
with doubts. they will be able to say,
MY father put Gods promises to the
proof, and he declared that he had
/ found them true"
Sustained by the Gospel.
| One night in large intidel meeting
m old gray haired Christian woman
arose and addressed the speaker in
these words: IL would like to ask
the speaker what his intidel beliefs
have ever done for him? My gospel
religion sustained me when l was left
| a poor widow with six fatherless chill
dren to support. My religion has given
me hope and courage when l have had
to stand by the brink of an open grave.
! My religion has made me q purer.
truer, drawer woman to face the strug-
giles of life. That, sir, IS what my
faith in Jesus Christ has done for me.
| What have your infidol beliefs done
for you" The infidel could not an
swcr. The whole audience realized
/ that the Christian woman was speak
ing out of her own life's experience.
So the mightiest witnesses for God
are those whose Christian testimonies
are the outgrowths Of the many, many
years that are gone.
The aged Christian influences for
good those who are near to him be-
cause he is able TO lavish upon them q
wealth OF boundless, fervent, tender
Christian affection. While we are
young and even middle aged we spend
| most of our time in doing for others
rather than in showing the sweet man.
Hesitation Of our affections. We are
like Martha, who went into the kitch-
Ell to cook Jesus a dinner, rather than
! like Mary. who sat at the feet of
Christ.
When Jesus. sad and weary. longing sore
/ For loves sweet service sought the sis
ters door,
One saw tho heavenly, ono the human
guest,
But who can say which loved the Master
best?
While we are young or middle aged
we are like the busy merchant, who
spends most Of his time in the store
and the office in order to earn money
enough to support his children, rather
than like the old grandfather and the
grandmother. who spend most of their
time in spelling their grandchildren
until at last the married daughter turns
and says: Father and mother, I be-
lieve you love my children better than
you ever loved me when l was young.
Anyway, you pet them far more than
you ever petted me-" Many a mechanic
has but little time to fondlc or caress
his own children. He has to leave
home for work before the children are
out Of bed. He does not return until
late at night, when the babies have
been again tucked away In their cribs.
Mighty influence.
Editor Brown said that 1t took him
nearly q fifth Of century to find out
how much his father loved him. When
he was boy at home, his father was
always busy earning money to support
the family. Sometimes he was self
absorbed, gruff and stern and seem.
ingly harsh. But after awhile his IA
Tiers health broke down. Then the
boy felt he ought to leave home, as
there were too many mouths to fill
from his fathers scanty savings. The
morning he left the old man walked
down the road with him. Then the
feeble old father put his hand upon
the young mans shoulder, and tears
came into his eyes and his lip culver
ed as he said my boy, l don't want
you to leave homo. AS long as have
a crust Of bread, my child. ! am ready
to share it with you. You had better
come back" "Then." said Editor
Brown, "for the first time in my life
realized the immensely of my ia
TIERS love. All that day a sweet
throated songster kept singing In my
heart: He loves me. He loves me.
Father loves me. Yes, he loves me-
And when, some years later, an evan
gelist compared Gods love to IA
theirs love l arose in that meeting and
gave my heart to God. I knew that
my earthly father loved me. Yes,
knew that he loved me-" So the Chris
tian's old age Is the time when he can
best demonstrate the wealth Of his
affection for those who are near and
dear to him and when ne can best in
fluence them for good.
The statement that the aged Chris
tlan can exercise mighty Influence
for good over the lives OF those who
ere nearest and dearest to him Is espe
cially true II those dear ones in turn
| have children of their own. | do not