Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1905-03-09
CalnnaSe
Sermon
BY Rev.
Frank Ne witt Talmaee, D. D.


shows how. though the body may grow
old. tho spirit may retain its youth and
freshness. The text Is Job xxx, s,
when my children were about me-"
Misfortunes are generally grcgarious.
They are not recluscs. They live not
hermit's existence. Like the beasts Of
the fields or the birds of the air or the
fish of the sea, they browse in herds or
fly in fiocks or swim in schools. IF ono
appears upon the edge Of our horizon
others often follow it with great rapid
ity. as do the April showers when
'thc clouds return after the rain"
They pile themselves upon each other
in great drifts, as do the snowhakes.
They toll their death knclls IN chorus.
AZ nothing succeeds like success" so
nothing destroys like misfortune"
Where there Is ono clnissary Of dcstruc-
ton roaming there are, AZ y rule. many
emissnries treading closely upon its
heels. Even when they are small and
insignificant they cripple us by the per-
sistcncy Of their attack. Naturallsts
tell IFS that the small, insignificant
humnling bird sometimes aliShts upon
the head of mighty eagle. There he
sits and pecks and pecks. 10 matter
how fast or how high his huge winged
carrier may fy. There he sits and
pecks and pccks until after awhile he
bnries his small beak in the brain Of
his gigantic foe, who could crush him
as easily as 4 hawk might kill spar
row. If the eagle could only get at him.
Trouble IS like unto the Lummirg bird.
When trouble struck the grand old
patriarch job, it hit him again and
again First came financial trouble,
then domestic trouble, then physical
trouble. 1t was pain in the head, pain
in the heart. pain in the limbs. pain in
the back and pain everywhere. Then
what happened? Job tried to gain
comfort from his "reminiscences. Job
looked back upon the scene of the hap
piest time Of his life He pictured him
self when he was n young husband
planning and working for his future.
lie thought of himself when his young
wife was by his side and his little boys
and girls were playing around In his
nursery. Then Job breaks forth IN the
lamentation of my text, which has
come to most fathers and mothers aft
err they have reached their twoscore
years and ten. "Oh, that were as In
months past, when my children
were all about me-" II Is n pathetic
longing not only that time be limited in
its onward sweep, but be compelled to
retrace the steps it has already taken.
Not a sinful nexirc.
Is Jobs longing sinful desire? Is
it wrong for us to want to become
young again or at least to stay young
Just as long as we can! trow not.
Therefore the purpose OF this sermon
is to show how we can turn back the
shadow on the dial of Ahaz not only
ten, fifteen. but even twenty and thirty
years for some Of US. There is an old
proverb which says, "a man Is not as
old as he looks, but as old as he feels"
l am going to prove that n man can
always feel about thirty or thirty-five
years of age. even though his hair is
white. his nose Is bridged with a pair
Of glasses and he has to walk about
with staff.
How shall we renew the days Of our
s:rong, young manhood? First. by as
sociating with young people. and es-
pecially with children; by making the
intimate companions Of our mature
years and Of our old age those who are
on the threshold Of life or playing in
the nursery; by stealing or rather COLI
tinually borrowing from our married
children their babies; by making our
grandchildren come home and live with
US, or. il we have no married children
Of our own, by borrowing tho children
Of some neighbprly grandfather and
loving them as we would our own; by
firmly and deliberately making n vow
with ourselves and with God. Though
I may live to he sixty, seventy, eighty,
ninety or a hundred years old, 1 will
never allow myself to outgrow my
fondicss for little children. ana ms
sympathy for their joys and SORROWS,
and my unceasing desire for their daily
companionship"
Daily association with young people.
U'i'SNi"'Ay "'NH A'Sh' ~ GSSSHt"i ~
many ways for mans development.
1t keeps his heart young. Yes. it does
more than that. 1t tenches him what
should be his attitude toward Christ
and toward his fellow men. Some peo-
pie cannot understand what this edu-
eating power Of Il child's life is upon II
iuatured man. Why? Like some Of U.S.
they have not placed themselves under
the tute!age OF children. Some months
ago hired big wagon. put into this
wagon not only my own children. but
Went around and raided the neighbors'
houses and piled In some Of theirs.
was tho only grown person among
them. We took long drive of about
fifteen miles. Then, mt the head Of my
cohort Of little ones, proudly marched
into restaurant to give them ice
cream before we started back. AZ we
went in gentleman standing upon the
sidewalk said: "My. man. pity you!
What have you got there-an orphan
asylum" NO" ! answered; II have
no asylum, have lot OF teachers
here who are making me love God and
love mankind and love life and love
everything God has made upon his
beautiful earth"
How to De Young.
When we took that long ride ! was
tho greatest winner. When those little