Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1906-12-14
Caln,ase
Sermon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt TalInase, d. d.


of longevity. The text Is Exodus XXX,
10. Honor thy father and thy mother
that thy days may be long"
Would you like to grow old? Would
you live upon this earth so long that
your hair shall become white as the
driven snow? Would you, IL you could.
live TO see your children grow up and
the family scatter and most of the
rooms of the old homestead become
empty and silent except when your
children's children come to make their
grandfather an annual visit and play
in the nursery with some OF the same
old toys which their fathers and moth
ers used when they were children
Would you be born in the latter part of
one century and live on and on until
you could stand at the cradle of a new
century and then live on until you
could see that century cast aside its
swaddling clothes and pass through the
days of its youth and young manhood
and come on toward its mission of
middle life? In other words, would you
like to live out the full allotment of a
mans life and see the sun rise and set
when you have reached your three
score and ten, or even pass your four
score, or even live on, as did Ludovico.
the famous statesman, who started to
write the memoirs of his times at the
great age of 115?
Would you like to be an old man.
like Peter Cooper or Titan or Pc
trarch or Cato or Jacob or Isaac or
Abraham? WELL" you say, chat all
depends upon circumstances IL I
could flourish in n righteous old age.
like the psalmist's palm tree; il could
grow old with young heart; IL my in
huence for good over my fellow men
might be stronger when became gray
err, would like to live to be very old,
and the older the better. But IL am
to be like an old worm eaten tree,
gnarled and twisted out OF shape: IL 1
am to be an imbittered, whining, fault
finding. helpless old man. out Of touch
with all the Announcements of life. then
1 want to die before become a pest
TO everybody and dead weight upon
my friends. In other words. if I can
live TO be one of those lovable, gentle.
helpful. kindly old men who tighten the
burdens Of all those with whom they
come i'm contact, then 1 wish to live.
But IT | cannot be such a one then I
want to die, and perhaps the sooner 1
die the better it will be for the hap-
pineSs Of those about me-" Well said.
my brother. We are here. of course
speaking of Il glorious old age of Chris
tan usefulness. No sane man should
want TO live to be n bad old man any
more than he should wish to be a bad
young man or bad middle aged man.
but most OF us want TO live upon earth
just as long ms we can be of use TO
our fellow men. Therefore the longer
we can be of use the longer we should
wish to live.
Who Wants to Die Mt Fiftyf
Who would want to die at fifty years
OF age IL he could live to do his best
work for Christ I'm his sixties and sew
enties, as did John Wesley? So won
derfully did that great mans physical
frame retain its vigor that it grew
stronger as it became older. In his
biography we find that it was not until
John Wesley reached his sixty-ninth
year that he could be persuaded TO
travel in carriage. He always made
his preaching tours up to that time on
horseback. At Kingswood he preached
under the shade OF the trees which he
himself had planted. When he was
seventy years of age he spoke at one
time TO over 10000 people, by all of
whom he was distinctly heard. He tells
limSnIf thof xx.ho Hn
two years OF age his eyes were more
powerful and his nerves were firmer
than they We're when he was forty.
Yes, we should want to do Gods work
In our twenties and thirties and for
ties. But we should also wish to live
TO do n noble Christian mans work In
our fifties and sixties and seventies
and, If possible. in our eighties and
nineties. No man should desire TO
shorten his earthly usefulness one day
or one hour when he Is still able TO
serve his Divine Master and King.
Would you serve God many days?
Would you serve him as an old man?
Well, if you thus desire, 1 can tell you
how you can do it. How? Why, read
the commandment OF my text. God
here states simple plain gospel truth.
lie comes TO us today and practically
says this: Boys and girls, young men
and young women, if you would serve
me upon earth for years and years TO
come, then carefully follow the advice
or your Christian parents" You and
can never find on earth a better friend
than noble Christian mother or no
HE Christian fathnr Of
ready to confess that God chose well
for MS when he let us be born in the
homes OF our Christian parents. Now
comes the practical question, which /
am putting TO every young man and
every young woman, Are you ready to
honor thy father and thy mother that
thy days may be long upon the land
which the Lord thy God giveth thee?"
The Honoring of Parents.
This divine commandent. in the first
place. is emphatically true In refer
ence to our young peoples physical
equipment Tor lung future life. 1t Is
very important IL talk about ''the
beauty OF holiness" and the necessity
OF developing our moral characters
Alright 1t is well enough to plan for
the higher attainments of the intel
lectual life. No one should want To
grow up TO be mere healthy physical
animal, but we must remember that.
no matter how great the brains power
and the spiritual opportunities which
are opening up before us, they are all
TO a more or less extent dependent
upon the strength of our lungs and
Hearts and stomachs and muscles to
profit by them. 1t is very important
that the ship have the right kind of
maStS and sails and steering gear and