The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-03-12
DR.. TALMAGE'S SERMON.
sv The REV. FRANK Oh WITT rALmAos. D. g

Los Angeles. Cal, March b.--The se-
eret so long sought by the ancient al
chemists ls the topic discussed by the
preacher In this sermon. In which he
shows how, though the body may grow
old, the spirit may retain Its youth and
freshness The text is Job xxx, 8,
'swhen my children were about me-"
NEisfortunes are generally gregarioua.
They are not recluses. They live not
hermits existence Like the beasts OF
the fields, or the birds Of the air or the
fish of the sea- they brouse In herds or
fly in flocks or swim IN schools, If one
appears upon the edge of our horizon
others often follow 1t with great rapidly,
as do the April showers when the
clouds return after the rain" They pile
themselves upon each other In great
drifts, as do the snowfakes. They toll
their death knells In chorus. As moth
ing succeeds success" so nothing de-
stroys like misfortune" Where there is
one emissary of destruction roaming
there are as a rule, many emissaries
! treading closely upon its heels. Even
when they are small and Insignificant
they cripple us by the persistenCy of
their attack. Naturalists tell US that the
small, insignificant humming bird some
/ times alights upon the head of mighty
eagle There he sits and pecks and peclts,
no matter how fast or how high this
huge winged carrier may fly. There he
sits and peeks and pecks until after
while he buries his small beak In the
brain Of his gigantic foe. VIII could
--ush and kill him as easily as hawk
ght kill sparrow, If the eagle could
Ilv af him Trnuhla Is like unto the
mining bird.
When trouble struck the grand old
IS triarch job it hit him again and again.
y rst came financial trouble then domes-
q trouble, then physical trouble. 1t was
lin in the head, pain in the heart, pain
the limbs, pain in the back, pain
s anywhere Then what happened?
20 tried to gain comfort from his re-
iminiscences. Job looked back upon the
scene of the happiest time of his life. He
pictured himself when HE was a young
husband planning and working for his
future. He thought of himself when his
young wife was by his side and his little
boys and girls were were playing around
IN his nursery. Then Job breaks forth In
the lamentation of my text, which has
lcome to most fathers and mothers after
they have reached their twoscore years
land ten "Oh. that l were as In months
lpast, = = when my children were
all about me-" 1t is a pathetic longing
not only that time be halted In its on
ward sweep, but be compelled to re-
trace the steps 1t has alread.' taken.
Not Sinful Desire.
Is Jobs longing a sinful desire? Is
1t wrong for us to want to become young
again or at least to stay young u I as
long as we can? I trow not. Therefore
the purpose of this sermon Is to show
DOW we can turn back the shadow on the
IL of Ahaz not only ten. fifteen, but
en- twenty and thirty years Cor some of
. There Is an old proverb which says,
a man is not as old he looks, but as
I'D as he feels. l am going to prove
at a man can always feel about thirty
or thirty-five years of age. even though
> s hair is white. his nose is bridged with
3 pair of glasses and he has 70 walk
bout woth staff.
How shall we renew the days of our
rong, young manhood? First. by as
s. eiating with young people, and espec-
lily with children; by making the inti-
ate companions of our nature years
Id of our old age those who are on the
.reshold Of life or playing In the nurs-
"; by stealing or rather continually
lorrowing from our married children
leir babies; by making our children
ielr babies by making our grandchild-
rem come home and live with us, or If we
have no married children of our own. by
borrowing the children of some neighbor-
~ grandfather and loving them as we
would our own; by firmly and deliberate
1y making a vow with ourselves and
with God, Though I may live to be
sixty, seventy. eighty ninety or a hum
dred years old, I will never allow my
self to outgrow my fondness for lit
tie children, and my sympathy for their
joys and sorrows. and my unceasng de-
sire for their daily companionship.
Daily association with young people
especially with children is essential In
many ways for a mans development
1t keeps his heart young. Yes, does
more than that. 1t teaches him what
SHOULD be his attitude toward Christ and
towards his fellow men. Some people
cannot understand what this educating
power of a child's life is upon a matured
man. Why? Like some of us, they have
not placed themselves under the tutel-
age of children. Some months ago l
hired a big wagon. I put into this wagon
not only my own children, hut ! went
around and raided the neighbors houses
and piled in some of theirs wa the