Milford chronicle., 1906-12-14
'Calmaoe
Sermon
BY Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmsse. D. D.

OF longevity. The text IS Exodus Xxx
-, Honor thy father and thy mother
x that thy dag : 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, If 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 Won
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
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. If Il
could flourish in a righteous old age. |
like the psalmist's palm tree; If I could
grow old with a young heart; If my in
tiuence for good over my fellow men
might be stronger when became gray
er, would like to live to be very old,
and the older the better. But If I am
to be like an old worm eaten tree
gnarled and twisted out Of shape; If 1
am to be an imblttered, whining, fault
finding, helpless old man, out of touch
with all the advancements of life, then
want to die before become pest
to everybody and a dead weight upon
my friends. In other words. if / can
live to be one Of those lovable, gentle,
helpful, kindly old men who tighten the
burdens Of all those with whom they
come in contact, then I wish to live.
But If cannot be such one then l
want to die, and perhaps the sooner I
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 a glorious old age of Chris ,
tian usefulness. No sane man should
want to live TO be a 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 j.,
Just as long as we can be Of use to
1ur fellow men. Therefore the longer =
we can be of use the longer we should =
wish to live. >,
Who Wants to Die at Fiftyf fl
Who would want to die at fifty years q
II age if he could live to do his best Il
work for Christ In his sixties and sew f
mites. as did John Wesley? SO Won e
erfully did that great mans physical e
rame retain its vigor that it grew b
AAUAAENA do II UGLdLlE OlQeEa III Ills o
biography we find that it was not until (,
Ohm Wesley reached his sixty-ninth II
ear that he could be persuaded to I,
ravel in a carriage. He always made s
is preaching tours up to that time on 81
orseback. At KingswoOd he preached 81
nder the shade OF the trees which he
imself had planted. When he was M
sventy years of age he spoke at one IL
me to over 10000 people. by all Of Il,
HON he was distinctly heard. He tells he
) himself that when he was seventy ~
70 years Of age his eyes were more nj
lwerful and his nerves were firmer NJ
ian they were when he was forty. q,
es, we should want to do Gods work n
our twenties and thirties and for n
es. But we should also wish to live hi
do a noble Christian mans work in of
IT dfties and sixties and seventies o,
i'd, IL possible. in our eighties and In
neties. No man should desire to sv
orten his earthly usefulness one day GA
one hour when he is still able to de
rye his Divine Master and King. III
Would you serve God many days? DIR
ould you serve him as an old man? bu
ell, II you thus desire, can tell you as
W you can do 1t. How? Why, read tn
e commandment Of my text. God rel
re states a simple plain gospel truth in
, comes to US today and practically TIL
rs this: ''Boys and girls, young men on
d young women, If you would serve alb
, upon earth for years and years TO wi
ne, then carefully follow the advice Of
your Christian parents" You and I 10
D never find on earth a better friend Gil
IN a noble Christian mother or a no Go
Christian father Most OF us are OBJ,
ldy to confess that God chose well toll
US when he let US be born in the boz
mes Of our Christian parents. Now adj
mes the practical question, which fri
putting to every young man and ant
cry young woman, Are you ready to wa
,nor thy father and thy mother that upC