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 OF 
 
 PRINCETON THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY 
 
 Professor H^'^i'y van Dyke, D.D., IiLi.D. 
 
 BX 9178 .B66 S8 1888 
 Booth, Henry M. 
 The sunrise, noonday, and 
 sunset of the day of grace 
 
THE 
 
 SUNRISE, NOONDAY, AND SUNSET 
 
 OF 
 
 THE DAY OF GRACE. 
 
THE 
 
 SUNRISE. NOONDAY. AND SUNSET 
 
 OF 
 
 THE DAY OF GRACE. 
 
 BY 
 
 HENRY M. BOOTH, D.D., 
 
 PASTOR OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF ENGLEWOOD, N. J. 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 
 ANSON D. F. RANDOLPH AND COMPANY, 
 
 38 West Twenty-Third Street. 
 
Copyright, 1888, 
 By Anson D. F. Randolph and Company. 
 
 ©nibfrgt'tg 39re8S: 
 John Wilson and Son, Cambridge. 
 
Ko ms JFatljer, 
 
 WHOSE NOONDAY IS PROLONGED BEYOND THE 
 APPOINTED HOUR OF SUNSET. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 • 
 
 Page 
 
 Sunrise ii 
 
 Noonday . . - 37 
 
 Sunset 6;^ 
 
SUNRISE. 
 
And Eli perceived that the Lo7'd had called the 
 child. — I Samuel iii. 8. 
 
SUNRISE. 
 
 THE child was Samuel. His parents 
 had placed him in the tabernacle at 
 Shiloh. From his birth he had been set 
 apart to the service of the Lord. When 
 he began his sacred duties he was a little 
 boy. Girded with a linen ephod, he was 
 permitted to assist the priests in their daily- 
 ministrations. His was the light work of 
 the sanctuary. There was a recognition 
 of his ability to do something in the sacred 
 tent. He was not turned away because he 
 was a child. The high-priest became in- 
 terested in his growth and education; he 
 " was in favor both with the Lord, and also 
 with men." With conscientious fidelity 
 and with a cheerful zeal he won his way 
 to general popularity. Religion is not re- 
 pulsive. When the Sun of Righteousness 
 
12 The Sunrise 
 
 lights up the soul, there should be evi- 
 dences of that gracious Presence in the 
 beauty of the countenance as well as in 
 the activity of the hands and feet. A 
 God-fearing child is not expected to have 
 the manners of a sedate man. Genial, 
 honest play is just as commendable in its 
 season as self-sacrificing work is in its own 
 time. The Divine Eyes look for that which 
 is natural and spontaneous, rather than for 
 that which is forced and constrained. When 
 the compassionate Saviour invited the little 
 children to come unto him, he had no 
 thought of robbing them of their childhood 
 with its happiness ; he wished only to add 
 his blessing to the many blessings which 
 were already theirs. 
 
 While Samuel was still a learner in the 
 service of the Lord he was conscious of a 
 strange call which reached him as the night 
 was closing and the day was about to break. 
 It aroused him from his sleep : his own 
 name was audible. Instantly suspecting 
 that the aged Eli was requiring his pres- 
 ence, he arose and reported himself But 
 the high-priest had not spoken ; he knew 
 
of the Day of Grace, 13 
 
 nothing of the nature or quality of the 
 voice which had been heard. By his ad- 
 vice the boy went back to his bed. There 
 he must have waited eagerly for a repe- 
 tition of the unearthly sound. Children 
 must not be expected to recognize the first 
 intimation of a divine influence in their 
 souls. Yet when that influence is felt, it 
 is impossible that the soul should be dull 
 and listless and indifl"erent. A second time 
 the name of Samuel was audible, and a 
 second time the high-priest was aroused 
 by his faithful assistant. But still his mind 
 did not grasp the situation. He referred 
 the calls to the fancy, or the dream of 
 childhood. He was not quick to detect 
 the interest of God. But when for the 
 third time he found Samuel at his side, 
 and when he heard the urgent appeal of 
 the boy, Eli, somewhat experienced in the 
 methods of Providence, recognized the pro- 
 found significance of the voice. He *' per- 
 ceived that the Lord had called the child." 
 A revelation was evidently about to be 
 made, and Samuel was to be its recipient. 
 Quietly and reverently he told him just 
 
14 The Sunrise 
 
 what he should do, and then waited anx- 
 iously to learn the meaning of the 
 communication. 
 
 The familiar story, as we are to use it, 
 opens a subject which every friend of chil- 
 dren must love to consider. An old man 
 believes that a child has been called of 
 God. An ordained minister of religion — 
 the high-priest of the Hebrews — welcomes 
 a little boy as the messenger of the Lord. 
 That is all. But is not that enough to 
 start very earnest and serious thought? 
 The child whom God calls is not to be 
 neglected ; is not to be kept at a distance ; 
 is not to be disparaged. In his visible 
 kingdom there should be a prompt and 
 cordial welcome for every such child ; and 
 the nurture of the household of faith should 
 be directed towards the maintenance and 
 the development of the responsive faith of 
 children. Let us surrender ourselves to the 
 leadership of this thought, as we propose, 
 and consider the three practical questions : 
 Does the Lord still call children ; unto 
 what does he call them ; and how shall it 
 be known that they have been called ? 
 
of the Day of Grace. 1 5 
 
 Does the Lord still call children? There 
 are many instances of the divine call in the 
 records of the Bible. The Lord's interest 
 in and welcome to children is frequently 
 mentioned by the writers of the Old and 
 the New Testaments. Several notable char- 
 acters, like David and Josiah, like John 
 the Baptist and Timothy, were selected in 
 childhood for a great and important life- 
 work, and were then trained under espe- 
 cial and providential influences. Even 
 where a distinct call to service was not 
 given in early life, there are most satisfac- 
 tory evidences in many cases that the 
 hand of the Lord was shaping the disci- 
 pline of home and school to prepare a use- 
 ful career. Saul of Tarsus was called into 
 the apostleship of the Christian Church 
 when as yet the Church had not been or- 
 ganized. But the training of the young 
 Pharisee by Gamaliel was the most com- 
 plete equipment that could have been 
 given for the service which after years 
 were to witness in the labors of Paul. 
 
 Such divine watchfulness is not to be 
 limited, however, to Bible times. He who 
 
1 6 The Sunrise 
 
 is '^ the same yesterday and to-day and 
 forever " has not lost his interest in child- 
 hood. His voice has been heard, and has 
 been heard constantly, in every century. 
 He has told us that the early years of life 
 are the hopeful years; that character is 
 formed in youth; that there is danger 
 of losing all concern for sacred things if 
 first impressions are disregarded ; that it 
 is possible to grow tip into a knowledge 
 of holiness under gracious influences ; that 
 the divine attitude is represented by the 
 Redeemer when he extends his arms and 
 clasps little children to his bosom. The 
 invitation is to children, the promise is 
 to children. The Church of our Lord 
 Jesus Christ is not behind the Church of 
 the older dispensation in providing a wel- 
 come for children. Their piety is ap- 
 preciated, their service is approved, their 
 happy, hopeful lives are the joy of many 
 devout souls. Unnumbered multitudes of 
 children have responded to the call of the 
 Lord, have witnessed a good confession, 
 have reached Christian maturity, have 
 died in a ripe old age, with a comfortable 
 
of the Day of Grace. 17 
 
 hope of enjoying the fehcity of heaven. 
 If you should strike from the roll of the 
 Christian Church every name that was en- 
 tered in childhood, you would leave for 
 recognition the merest fragment of the 
 Lord's host. Some years ago the inquiry 
 as to the age at conversion was made in a 
 conference of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church ; and it appeared that of one hun- 
 dred and forty-nine ministers who reported, 
 the average age at conversion was fifteen 
 and three fifths years, and about one sixth 
 of the number were converted when less 
 than twelve years of age. In a revival 
 which occurred in the State of Virginia it 
 was found that there were seventy-nine 
 converts from ten to twenty years old; 
 forty-eight from twenty to thirty ; sixteen 
 from thirty to forty ; fifteen from forty to 
 fifty; seven from fifty to sixty; four from 
 sixty to seventy ; and one from seventy to 
 eighty. And every pastor of experience 
 who has been permitted to welcome chil- 
 dren to the table of our Lord will bear 
 witness to the fidelity of these youthful 
 converts. With few exceptions, they do 
 
1 8 The Sunrise 
 
 better, they give less anxiety, than older 
 converts do. At this very hour, in homes, 
 in Sabbath-schools, in sanctuaries, and in 
 mission-stations, the call of the Lord is 
 heard by children. They are taught that 
 the Lord wants them. They are urged to 
 give themselves up to him. Religion is 
 made attractive. God's service is pre- 
 sented as the grandest pursuit of life. The 
 belief is influential that it is better to sow 
 and to reap wheat and corn than it is to 
 leave the fields to be covered with " wild 
 oats." If Christ does not fill the youthful 
 heart, the devil will surely find room 
 there. Pre-occupancy is the best moral 
 safeguard. Send a young life out into 
 the world with a positive love of virtue, 
 and vice will make few conquests ; send a 
 young life out into the world with a posi- 
 tive love of grace, and there will be little 
 opportunity for sin to make its appeals. 
 This is the wisdom of experience. Men 
 have learned this truth after much hard- 
 ship and after many disappointments. 
 Education has this reference. The en- 
 deavor is constant to provide against the 
 
of the Day of Grace, 19 
 
 evil day. Is it to be supposed that the 
 Lord God is less wise than man? Is it to 
 be supposed that he who watches the spar- 
 row's flight, that he who hears the young 
 raven's cry, that he who clothes the grass 
 of the field, that he who even numbers 
 the hairs of the head, that he fails to call 
 children into the kingdom of his own dear 
 Son? No. When we have his character 
 to assure us, when we have his word to 
 inform us, when we have the history of 
 his Church to confirm our belief, we can- 
 not hesitate to recognize the call of the 
 Lord as addressed to little children. 
 
 In the standards of the Presbyterian 
 Church this precious truth has great 
 prominence. '* All children born within 
 the pale of the visible Church," says the 
 Book of Discipline, '^ are members of the 
 Church, are to be baptized, are under 
 the care of the Church, and subject to its 
 government and discipline ; and when they 
 have arrived at years of discretion they 
 are bound to perform all the duties of 
 Church members" (chapter i. sec. 5). The 
 Directory for Worship (chapter ix. sec. 21) 
 
20 The Sunrise 
 
 repeats and amplifies these plain statements, 
 and then adds that ** the years of discre- 
 tion in young Christians cannot be pre- 
 cisely fixed. This must be left to the 
 prudence of the eldership. The officers 
 of the Church are the judges of the quali- 
 fications of those to be admitted to seal- 
 ing ordinances, and of the time when it 
 is proper to admit young Christians to 
 them." 
 
 Ujito what does the Lord call children? 
 The life of the Earl of Shaftesbury touched 
 most of the reformatory, philanthropic, 
 and Christian endeavors of the present 
 century. He was certainly a great and a 
 good man. His ancestors were illustrious 
 noblemen, but no one of them was remark- 
 able for godliness. They were men of 
 the world, who found their portion in this 
 life. The Earl, however, — whose recent 
 death has made his life a subject of re- 
 view, — was called in childhood to the 
 usefulness which gave to him such dis- 
 tinguished pre-eminence. Somewhat ne- 
 glected by his parents, he became the 
 especial charge of a godly nurse, whose 
 
of the Day of Grace. 21 
 
 devotion to her Saviour secured its fruit- 
 age in the accomplishments of the Earl. 
 Thus she became God's messenger, through 
 whom his call reached this young soul. 
 Then, while still a youth, this sensitive na- 
 ture was brought into sharp and decisive 
 contact with a spectacle of unusual degra- 
 dation when he witnessed the drunkenness 
 of certain base fellows who were carry- 
 ing the lifeless body of a comrade to the 
 grave. Again — and now clearly and em- 
 phatically — God's call reached him. His 
 entire life was outlined. He surrendered 
 himself in holy consecration, not simply to 
 God, but also to the service of his fellow- 
 men in God. From that hour his reso- 
 lution dated. The call was heard. His 
 response was announced. Christian duty 
 became the rule of life, and an unequalled 
 career began to open, with its splendid 
 possibilities of grand and loving service. 
 
 Can it be questioned that God's call an- 
 nounced the service? Did it not face the 
 child towards the events which were await- 
 ing manly conviction and courage? Yet 
 just what is evident in that notable life is 
 
22 The Sunrise 
 
 evident to a degree in every other life. 
 God calls children to himself in order that 
 he may use them in his service. '* We are 
 his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus 
 ti7ito good works, which God hath before 
 ordained that we should walk in them." 
 The "■ good works " are always the ulti- 
 mate reference. Childhood is prized by 
 God not only for its own sake and for the 
 sake of its personal salvation, but also for 
 the sake of its usefulness. The children 
 of the Church are the hope of the future. 
 Trained in the fear of God, they may be 
 expected to meet the demands of duty, 
 and to lead the large and generous move- 
 ments which are God's thought for the 
 race. Looking back, we can see how this 
 has been; and looking forward, we can 
 believe that such leadership will have sim- 
 ilar importance in the years to come. The 
 youth of the past have been charged with 
 the responsibility of suggesting and of 
 forwarding our principal organizations, 
 which seek the elevation and evangeliza- 
 tion of mankind. God has called them to 
 this service. They have been wiser than 
 
of the Day of Grace, 23 
 
 they supposed themselves to be. What 
 stirring events have waited upon the pray- 
 ers of the young men who knelt beside 
 the haystack at Williamstown, and there 
 made the consecration which directed our 
 country's interest in Foreign Missions ! 
 What a splendid career was wrapped up 
 in the call which made our friend Mr. 
 William E. Dodge a child Christian ! 
 How many of us enjoy the grateful con- 
 sciousness of knowing that our lives were 
 shaped by God's regard for us when we 
 were quite young? He might say to 
 us, as he said of old to King Cyrus : " I 
 girded thee, though thou hast not known 
 me." Thus every life is providential, just 
 as every plant is dependent upon the 
 heat and light of the sun. The life may 
 be inconspicuous and humble; or it may 
 be prominent and influential. The plant 
 may become an oak, or its nature may 
 be that of the violet. " God is girding 
 every man for a place and a calling, in 
 which, taking it from him, he may be as 
 consciously exalted as if he held the rule 
 of a kingdom." 
 
24 The Sunrise 
 
 The call of God, at whatever age it is 
 heard, contemplates the rectification of 
 character and life. Character and life re- 
 quire such a rectification. Explain the 
 matter as we may, it is nevertheless true 
 that there is disorder in human nature. 
 The nice balance of the mechanism has 
 been disturbed. The melody is inharmo- 
 nious. There is evidence of the presence 
 of disease. Just so soon as the so-called 
 innocence of infancy has passed away, 
 selfish and ungovernable traits begin to 
 appear. A child need not be very far ad- 
 vanced to manifest the fact that he is a 
 little sinner. The actions are not those of 
 a saint. Nothing but the reality of sin can 
 explain the peevishness, the disobedience, 
 and the fondness for naughty ways. Then, 
 by and by, this mother's darling may 
 exhibit a degree of violence which is start- 
 ling, and the so-called innocence of in- 
 fancy may be succeeded by the life of an 
 Aaron Burr. There is no need that we 
 should enter upon a discussion of the 
 vexed questions of original sin and total 
 depravity. Proof is not wanting of actual 
 
of the Day of Grace, 25 
 
 transgressions, and the proof is furnished 
 by the experiences of our common hu- 
 manity. '' There is none that doeth good, 
 no, not one." In this particular there can 
 be no exemption. The demand, ^' Ye 
 must be born again," is of universal appli- 
 cation. The innocence of infancy is a mis- 
 nomer. There is no innocence. There 
 never has been any innocence since the 
 Fall. Our race can never hope to attain 
 unto innocence. A superior opportunity 
 is ours in the privileges of tried virtue 
 which are presented by our Lord. 
 
 This is the significance of the call. It 
 is to rectify the disorder; it is to afford 
 the true centre of crystallization; it is to 
 present the proper standard; it is to be- 
 stow needful grace, — that the Lord calls 
 children. He wishes to mould and to 
 fashion them properly. We speak of a 
 state of nature, of the naturalness of sin, 
 of wrong-doing, as an inevitable evil. In 
 a certain sense we are right. Yet in the 
 highest sense we cannot say that the nat- 
 ural is the deformed, the diseased, the 
 decrepit. Nature works towards an ideal 
 
26 The Sunrise 
 
 perfection. A truly natural life would be 
 an absolutely perfect life, like the life of 
 Jesus. Now, this is what the call of the 
 Lord contemplates. He wishes to take 
 each one of us as we are, — sinful, disor- 
 dered, diseased, — and to make us what 
 we ought to be, — holy, disciplined, and 
 useful. He plans to organize character 
 anew, to direct its activities, to bring up 
 its weaknesses and to enlarge its outlook, 
 to enrich its estimates and to develop its 
 energies, to make childhood a true and 
 happy and beautiful childhood. Then let 
 the child grow. His growth will be con- 
 ditioned by his consciousness of God. 
 Grace in his heart will become graces in 
 his life. We shall want him to be natural, 
 just as his Lord does. Samuel was not 
 Eli, and he was not required to be. Eli 
 was an old man, and Samuel was only 
 a boy ; yet the boy had in him the mak- 
 ing of a better man than Eli was. 
 
 Our criticism of the religion of children 
 must never make use of the estimates 
 which may be appropriate to the religion 
 of their parents. Children are unconven- 
 
of the Day of Grace. 27 
 
 tional, outspoken, frank, and impulsive. 
 They cannot restrain their feelings as older 
 persons can. Their thoughts are very apt 
 to be their actions. Yet how often we 
 chide them for actions which are a hun- 
 dred-fold better than our thoughts ! In- 
 stead of treating them as children, instead 
 of encouraging them to be sweet, lovely 
 children, we lead them to believe that 
 they must be as we do, not as we are. We 
 can be quiet and demure and reverent, 
 even if our minds are occupied with 
 thoughts which make the Father's house 
 a house of merchandise. Those were 
 happy children who saluted Jesus in the 
 courts of the temple at Jerusalem; and 
 yet the chief-priests and the scribes, who 
 had tolerated the money-changers and the 
 dealers in small wares, rebuked them for 
 their disregard of the sanctity of the place. 
 Alas! we are mistakenly zealous for our 
 Lord's honor. He will care for it himself. 
 We need not fear. Most welcome to him 
 is the joyous naturalness of youthful na- 
 tures which have responded to the gentle 
 call of his love. 
 
28 77;^ Sunrise 
 
 Little Majorie Fleming — Walter Scott's 
 friend — went to heaven before she was 
 nine years old. Yet she had heard and 
 had answered the call of our Lord, and 
 the charm of her life was the sweet music 
 of the tuneful harp. Scott's friendship, it 
 is true, has immortalized her name; and 
 yet her simple Christian life has long time 
 proved a beautiful witness to the reality 
 of the reHgion of childhood. She was 
 young, very young, when she learned the 
 lesson, which older people are very slow 
 in learning, that we are dependent upon 
 God for the grace of each day. " I will 
 never again trust to my own power," she 
 wrote in her Journal ; '' for I see that I 
 cannot be good without God's assistance. 
 I will not trust in my own self" Could 
 you ask for more? Can mature piety 
 write a better sentence? Then let us un- 
 derstand the call of the Lord, and let us 
 always be considerate of the faith of little 
 children. For the Master once said, — 
 and how impressive are his words ! — 
 '* Take heed that ye despise not one of 
 these little ones ; for I say unto you, that 
 
of the Day of Grace. 29 
 
 in heaven their angels do always behold 
 the face of my Father which is in 
 heaven." 
 
 But how shall it be known that children 
 have been called by the Lord? We are 
 not told how Eli was led to perceive that 
 the Lord had called Samuel. I think, 
 however, that we need not be at a loss 
 to discriminate this divine call. The 
 evidences of the religion of childhood are 
 within our reach. We may appreciate, 
 and may use them. 
 
 They are not associated with a marked 
 crisis. Childhood seldom dates its ex- 
 periences from a vision on the Damascus 
 Road. The youthful life has not been 
 engaged in persecuting the saints. There 
 has been no debauchery, no shame. The 
 materials for a crisis are not present. The 
 unfolding of a germ, slowly, gently, un- 
 obtrusively, is the order. That germ is 
 the call of the Lord, which has resulted 
 in the genuine conversion of the child. 
 At some time the Holy Spirit has renewed 
 the nature, — when, you may never learn, 
 unless the angels tell you, by and by, 
 
30 The Sunrise 
 
 when they sang the song of this new birth 
 in Christ. 
 
 But if the date of the new birth is not 
 recorded with pen and ink, the evidences 
 of that supreme event will surely appear. 
 What are they? I reply that it would not 
 be possible to enumerate them. We may, 
 however, speak of three principal, dis- 
 tinctive characteristics, which seldom fail 
 to be noticed. 
 
 An increasing conscientiousness. Some 
 one has said that conscience is God's 
 voice in the soul. We are certain that 
 a sensitive, intelligent conscience is proof 
 of godliness. The godly man distin- 
 guishes bet\veen right and wrong, and he 
 always aims to do what is right. Con- 
 science is an old-time judge on the Bench, 
 to whom questions are submitted for de- 
 cision. The judge must be wise and 
 honest if his decisions are to prove help- 
 ful. An ignorant judge is useless, even if 
 he is honest; and a wise judge is danger- 
 ous if he is not honest. It is so with con- 
 science. As a guide, it must be educated. 
 Men may be perfectly conscientious in 
 
of the Day of Grace. 3 1 
 
 believing a lie, and entirely conscientious, 
 as Saul of Tarsus felt himself to be, in com- 
 mitting very great crimes. Religion edu- 
 cates conscience. When, therefore, you 
 discover that a child is increasingly and 
 wisely and honestly conscientious, you may 
 look for stronger evidences of the call of 
 the Lord ; but you must look in hope. 
 
 Repentance towards God. A Christian 
 child will do wrong just as a Christian 
 man will. He will get angry, and be sel- 
 fish, and will strike his playmate, and 
 will use many '' words better left unsaid." 
 Then he will be sorry; but his sorrow 
 will quickly have an upward as well as 
 an outward look. He will turn to God, 
 as David did when he had wronged Uriah 
 and his household, and he will say with 
 David : *' Against thee, thee only, have I 
 sinned, and done this evil in thy sight." Re- 
 pentance is the instinct of religion. When 
 you observe repentance, then may you be- 
 lieve that the Lord has called the child. 
 
 Interest in sacred things, — the Bible, 
 prayer, the services of the sanctuary, 
 Christian society, benevolent work. This 
 
32 The Sunrise 
 
 interest must develop. Gradually the 
 Bible will exhibit its treasures, and they 
 will be found to be personal. Prayer, 
 too, will come to mean much more than 
 saying a morning or an evening prayer. 
 The services of God's house will ere long 
 discover their profit and enjoyment. The 
 friendship of good men and women will be 
 especially prized. The question, '' Lord, 
 what wilt thou have me to do?" will find 
 its way from the heart to the lips. 
 
 We can well afford to wait, if we only 
 wait with a welcome, and not with a frown. 
 Our holy religion, the religion of Jesus 
 Christ, is the sweetest, brightest, most en- 
 joyable thing in the world. Old people 
 cannot monopolize it; and they do not 
 wish to do so. It is for children. It meets 
 their wants ; it is essential to their happi- 
 ness. To them it has the promise of the 
 life that now is, as well as of the life which 
 is to come. Little children, young men 
 and maidens, our blessed Lord wants to be 
 your friend. He asks you to receive his 
 friendship. Do not reject him, do not live 
 without him. 
 
of the Day of Grace, 33 
 
 CHILDREN CALLED TO CHRIST. 
 
 Like mist on the mountain, 
 Like ships on the sea, 
 So swiftly the years 
 Of our pilgrimage flee. 
 In the grave of our fathers 
 How soon we shall lie ! 
 Dear children, to-day 
 To a Saviour fly ! 
 
 How sweet are the flowerets 
 
 In April and May ! 
 
 But often the frost makes 
 
 Them wither away. 
 
 Like flowers you may fade : 
 
 Are you ready to die ? 
 
 While yet " there is room," 
 
 To a Saviour fly. 
 
 When Samuel was young, 
 He first knew the Lord ; 
 He slept in his smile, 
 And rejoiced in his word. 
 So most of God's children 
 Are early brought nigh. 
 Oh ! seek him in youth, 
 To a Saviour fly. 
 3 
 
34 The Sunrise of the Day of Grace, 
 
 Do you ask me for pleasure ? 
 Then lean on his breast ; 
 For there the sin-laden 
 And weary find rest. 
 In the valley of death 
 You will triumphing cry : 
 " If this be called dying, 
 'T is pleasant to die." 
 
 Rev. Robert Murray McCheyne. 
 
NOONDAY. 
 
And he said unto them, The kings of the Gen- 
 tiles exercise lordship over them; and they that 
 exercise authority upon them are called be7ief actors. 
 But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest 
 a?nong you, let hitn be as the younger ; and he that 
 is chief, as he that doth serve. For whether is 
 greater, he that sitteth at 7?teat, or he that serveth f 
 is not he that sitteth at 7neat ? but I am a7nong 
 you as he that serveth. — Luke xxii. 25-27. 
 
NOONDAY. 
 
 STRENGTH means authority. The 
 strong man will always be superior 
 to the weak man. God has not made an 
 equal distribution of the talents which are 
 influential. *^ The rich and the poor meet 
 together." Wealth is often an inheritance ; 
 and again, poverty is transmitted from gen- 
 eration to generation. There are names 
 which are written upon every page of a 
 nation's history; and there are other names 
 which have never been associated with a 
 conspicuous action. Physical beauty is 
 the equipment of only a few lives; and 
 unusual moral force is a limited character- 
 istic. The diversity of gifts which is ap- 
 parent in every social organization affords 
 no encouragement to the Communist, who 
 expects to introduce the new heavens and 
 
38 The Noonday 
 
 the new earth by his theories of equality. 
 Men are not created equal, although the 
 Declaration of Independence says that 
 they are. The statement is an error. The 
 start in life is never even. The advan- 
 tages and the disadvantages are evident 
 at a glance. What equality is there be- 
 tween a little street-arab, whose parentage 
 is unknown, and the child of a Christian 
 home, whose sturdy ancestors for many 
 years have felt the strong current of pure, 
 honest blood in their veins? 
 
 Strength has always asserted itself. It 
 is natural to use it; God gives it for use. 
 The command of armies and the ability to 
 rule nations are a testimony to the su- 
 perior qualities of men who have gained 
 prominence. They have yoked their 
 strength with their patriotism or their am- 
 bition, and thus have driven themselves 
 to the heights of fame. Born to lead, they 
 have quickly accepted their birthright; 
 and the world has been blessed or cursed 
 by the exercise of their authority. Thus 
 Alexander the Great spread the Greek 
 culture over the Orient; and Julius Caesar 
 
of the Day of Grace. 39 
 
 placed himself at the head of the Roman 
 legions and made the City of the Seven 
 Hills the capital of the world; and Con- 
 stantine gave Christianity an imperial re- 
 cognition; and Charlemagne held back 
 the barbaric influences which threatened 
 to destroy the science, the art, and the 
 religion of western Europe ; and Martin 
 Luther struck the blow which shattered 
 the despotism of the Papacy; and Napo- 
 leon Bonaparte aroused France, and Eng- 
 land too, from a lethargy which was the 
 unthoughtful retention of a worn-out feu- 
 dal system; and Bismarck compacted 
 the German empire; and Lincoln made 
 the freedom of America a grand reality; 
 and Gladstone is braving the hatred of 
 '' the classes against the masses," that he 
 may see justice done to Ireland before he 
 closes his splendid career. 
 
 But if strength means authority, — as it 
 certainly does, — it is essential that the na- 
 ture of the authority should be intelligently 
 understood. What is it? ''The kings of 
 the Gentiles," said the Master, '* exercise 
 lordship over them ; and they that exercise 
 
40 The Noonday 
 
 authority upon them are called benefac- 
 tors." Theirs is the authority of despot- 
 ism, or, at best, of condescension. They 
 are acquainted only with the heathen idea. 
 Might makes right in their estimate. They 
 have won authority, and so they will use 
 it as they please. If they are considerate, 
 then they are benefactors, rather than just 
 rulers. Self is enthroned, even deified, 
 and the worship of self goes on unceas- 
 ingly. But it is very easy to burn a can- 
 dle, or to scatter a little incense, or to 
 offer a brief adoration to self, when strength 
 has given authority. 
 
 The Master, however, says : *' No ; the 
 heathen idea is a mistake. The authority 
 of service is alone commendable. He that 
 is greatest among you, let him be as the 
 younger; and he that is chief, as he that 
 doth serve." His is the Christian law. 
 Strength has always a ministry to fulfil. 
 The truest dignity is found in the most 
 abundant helpfulness. Let it be our aim 
 to consider this law of the new kingdom in 
 its statement, its principle, and its rewards 
 and penalties. 
 
of the Day of Grace, 41 
 
 The statement of the Christian law of 
 authority. " I am debtor," writes Paul, 
 "■ both to the Greeks and to the barbarians, 
 both to the wise and to the unwise." The 
 Apostle might have asserted himself. He 
 was a recognized leader in the Church, yet 
 he had ** not so learned Christ." His 
 opportunity increased his responsibility. 
 " Not for that we have dominion over your 
 faith, but are helpers of your joy," is his 
 conception of the work to which he has 
 been called. "We then that are strong 
 ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, 
 and not to please ourselves." Again he 
 states his mind concerning the duties which 
 engage him. As Peter has said in his 
 epistle, no one is to be a lord over God's 
 heritage, but we are to be ensamples to 
 the flock, constantly ministering, and that 
 is always serving. The immediate dis- 
 ciples of Christ tried to use every advan- 
 tage of wealth, of knowledge, and of 
 influence to make all men know how 
 great is God's love, and how complete is 
 the salvation of our Redeemer. There 
 was very little selfishness among the early 
 
42 The Noonday 
 
 Christians. They left home and kindred, 
 they rehnquished fortunes and life's com- 
 forts, and then they went everywhere, 
 preaching the word. '* None of us liveth 
 to himself," was their motto. The world 
 was in ignorance and despair, and they 
 were glad to bring the relief which their 
 Lord had promised. Beautiful was their 
 life, adorned by the self-denying virtues 
 of a Barnabas, a Timothy, a Luke, and a 
 Dorcas. 
 
 They, however, were simply following 
 in the footsteps of the Master, who always 
 went about doing good. He might have 
 excused himself. He was rich, and yet 
 for our sakes he became poor, that we 
 through his poverty might be rich. In- 
 finite resources of power and glory were 
 his when he took upon him the form of a 
 servant, and was made in the likeness of 
 men. From his throne he could look over 
 the entire universe as his domain, he 
 could call upon every force as his obedient 
 servant, he could command the service of 
 all finite intelligences as his right. "All 
 power is given unto me," is his conscious 
 
of the Day of Grace. 43 
 
 announcement, ** in heaven and in earth." 
 We cannot estimate his wealth ; it is far, 
 far above our finite understanding. Yet 
 when he appeared among his subjects, 
 what was his attitude? Did he bestow his 
 blessings in a patronizing manner? Did 
 he ever fail to convey the impression that 
 he was here, " not to be ministered unto, 
 but to minister"? ''I am among you as 
 he that serveth ; " and that not in any 
 patronizing spirit, but cordially, grandly, 
 intelligently. He had no desire to apolo- 
 gize for his work; the work, such as it 
 was, was in harmony with his nature. He 
 was living a splendid truth, consequently 
 he never held back from distress, never 
 refused to comfort sorrow, never kept 
 himself aloof or in reserve. *' The ex- 
 ample of Christ," says Canon Westcott in 
 a recent essay, " so far as it is proposed for 
 our imitation, is always the example of 
 patience, of self-surrender, of serving, of 
 suffering. The voice which calms and 
 strengthens us is that voice of prevailing 
 love which establishes its power on tender- 
 ness, and its right to teach on humility. 
 
44 The Noonday 
 
 'Take my yoke upon you and learn of me,' 
 Christ said, not because I am irresistible 
 with the plenitude of divine might, not 
 because I am omniscient with the fulness 
 of divine vision, but ' because I am meek 
 and lowly in heart.' " This is the key to 
 the matchless life; only as we appreciate 
 the naturalness, the sweetness, the benig- 
 nity of the condescension, can we realize 
 that '' the Lord's words make clear beyond 
 doubt that the blessing of power * is the 
 blessing of great cares,' that the sign of 
 authority is the readiness to serve." 
 
 The principle of Ihe Christian law of 
 authority. Every substantial law must be 
 the expression of a principle. Laws are 
 often enacted by human legislation which 
 are simply the arbitrary announcements 
 of majorities. No true principle underlies 
 them. They quickly exhibit their weak- 
 ness and folly, and then they are repealed, 
 or else disregarded entirely. No law can 
 expect to secure permanent recognition if 
 its principle is false. Sooner or later its 
 real character will be discovered. It is 
 important, therefore, in every instance that 
 
of the Day of Grace, 45 
 
 diligent inquiry should be made for the 
 principle of a law; and if that principle 
 stands out as a distinct truth of God, it is 
 certain that the law announcing it will 
 ultimately prevail. Principles are to laws 
 what wheat is to bread. Laws may be 
 modified ; their statements need adaptation 
 to circumstances, just as bread will become 
 stale, and as bread of one kind may not be 
 equally palatable to all men. But prin- 
 ciples may be utilized in many different 
 ways, even as wheat may be carried to dis- 
 tant continents and to islands of the seas 
 for the bread-making of diverse nations 
 and tribes. 
 
 It is well, too, to realize that the great 
 principles of the divine administration are 
 the same in all the many departments of 
 the government of God. In other words, 
 God does not employ one set of principles 
 in framing the laws of Nature, and another 
 distinct set in forming the laws of grace. 
 We in our limited range of observation 
 have been inclined to separate the depart- 
 ments of Nature and of grace : whereas, as 
 we may learn from Psalm xix., they are 
 
46 The Noonday 
 
 most intimately related. The same God 
 rules over both, and the same principles 
 obtain in both. ** The heavens declare the 
 glory of God ; and the firmament sheweth 
 his handy\vork," — that is Nature. "The 
 law of the Lord is perfect, converting the 
 soul," — that is grace. The cross of the Re- 
 deemer is the grandest known expression 
 of the principle of mediation; and yet 
 every student of vegetable and animal life 
 knows that mediation is the basis of many 
 an interesting law. Says Hugh Macmillan 
 of Scotland : '^ The first animal that gave 
 up its life to nourish the life of another was 
 an unconscious type, like the murdered in- 
 nocents of Bethlehem, of the Lamb slain 
 from the foundation of the world. There 
 is thus a sufficient family likeness between 
 the types of God's word and the types in 
 his works to warrant us in ascribing them 
 to the same divine origin, and in believing 
 that they refer to the same great object, 
 which consecrates and ennobles them 
 both." Such a recognition certainly does 
 give us a firmer grasp upon eternal prin- 
 ciples, and a renewed consideration for 
 
of the Day of Grace, 47 
 
 their statements in forms of law. Chris- 
 tianity is no longer to be looked upon as 
 a surprise or an after-thought; it is a 
 part of the economy of God, — an essen- 
 tial part, towards whose glorious consum- 
 mation "■ the whole creation groaneth and 
 travaileth in pain together until now." 
 
 What then is the principle of this pro- 
 phetic Christian law of authority? The law 
 is clearly written on the pages of the Bible, 
 our statute-book ; and the records of Chris- 
 tian living and of the life of the Master 
 himself afford beautiful illustrations of the 
 law as it stands for our obedience. Now, 
 what is its principle? Shall we err if we 
 state it in these terms? ^' Strejtgth is for 
 service ;" and that is true of all strength, 
 as to quantity and as to quality. Strength 
 means authority; and therefore the Chris- 
 tian law of authority has beneath it this 
 noble principle. When you were a child 
 you had only a little strength ; a few pen- 
 nies made up your income. You did not 
 know much ; you had few opportunities ; 
 and yet from the first you had some 
 strength and some authority. How did 
 
48 The Noonday 
 
 you behave? Were you ever taught that 
 your childish strength was for usefulness, 
 that such as it was, it was called to service ; 
 or did you not get the impression that if 
 you denied yourself a few candies, and 
 gave your money to some poor person, 
 you were doing a very admirable deed, 
 and were, in truth, a benefactor? Were 
 you trained to realize that every increase 
 of strength means an increase of respon- 
 sibility in its use, and that when we use 
 our strength in service, we are simply 
 doing our duty, nothing more? But a 
 man's attitude is not that of a child. Man- 
 strength is not child-strength. As we 
 grow in years and stature, we accumulate 
 resources of one kind or another, — knowl- 
 edge, money, personal influence. Now, 
 what of these? They must be used; and 
 how? The heathen law and principle 
 would counsel self-gratification. " Rise 
 above your fellows," says heathenism, 
 *' and exercise lordship over them ; and if 
 you consider them in any way, let it be 
 understood that you are a benefactor." 
 That is heathenism pure and simple^ 
 
of the Day of Grace, 49 
 
 whether you meet it in New York to-day, 
 or read about it in Antioch as it appeared 
 hundreds of years ago. Heathenism is for 
 self, while Christianity is for others; for 
 Christianity always commends the good 
 Samaritan. It has no approval of self- 
 love or of self-interest. It always urges 
 us to consider the other man, and that 
 not as a matter of favor, but of right. I 
 do not think that Christianity wishes us 
 to pose as benefactors or eminent philan- 
 thropists, or anything of that sort. There 
 is a great deal of selfish human nature in 
 such posing. Christianity asks us all " to 
 do justly," — that is the first thing; and 
 then '*to love mercy; " and finally, **to walk 
 humbly with thy God." Ruskin has a fine 
 remark in harmony with this thought. 
 He says : " The one divine work, the one 
 ordered sacrifice, is to do justice; and it is 
 the last we are ever inclined to do. Any- 
 thing rather than that ! As much charity 
 as you choose, but no justice. * Nay,' you 
 will say, ' charity is greater than justice.' 
 Yes, it is greater; it is the summit of jus- 
 tice; it is the temple of which justice is 
 4 ■ 
 
50 The Noonday 
 
 the foundation. But you cannot have the 
 top without the bottom; you cannot build 
 upon charity. . . . Do justice to your 
 brother, — and you can do • that whether 
 you love him or not, — and you will come 
 to love him." 
 
 "Alas for the rarity 
 
 Of Christian charity 
 
 Under the sun ! " 
 
 How little honest love there is between 
 man and his brother man ! We are but 
 playing with love when we talk and sing 
 and act as we do ; our castles are all in 
 the air; our love-pictures of an approach- 
 ing golden age are the mirage of the 
 desert. But Jesus was a practical re- 
 former, and we may be sure that he left 
 no plans for castles in the air. The mag- 
 nificent structure which he planned is 
 built upon the foundation of the apostles 
 and prophets, Jesus Christ being its chief 
 corner-stone. To this structure the prin- 
 ciple, ^^ Strength is for service,'' is essential. 
 If we recognize the personal obligations of 
 this principle, we shall be far on the way 
 towards Christ-like living. 
 
of the Day of Grace, 51 
 
 For the perfect naturalness of this princi- 
 ple is one of its distinguishing characteris- 
 tics, — naturalness as respects its agreement 
 with eternal truth and with the activity of 
 God. It is natural that strength should 
 serve. God is omnipotent, and who fails 
 to enjoy the benefits of his service? *' He 
 maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on 
 the good, and sendeth rain on the just 
 and on the unjust." He dispenses his 
 bounty with an open hand. He is so mag- 
 nanimous that he seldom makes us feel 
 that he is doing some especial service. 
 " Is n't it wonderful that he should treat 
 us so ! " exclaimed the penitent whose 
 heart had just been touched by the grace 
 of God; and his negro slave, who had 
 long time been a man of faith and prayer, 
 answered promptly: ''No, massa; it's 
 just like him." Now, God's thought must 
 be ours, and God's attitude must be ours, 
 if we are to excel. His principle is to be 
 expressed in our laws. '' Strength is for 
 serviced It must overflow in service, as 
 the fountain overflows in fertility to the 
 plain; it must bloom into service, as the 
 
52 The Noonday 
 
 seed germinates, and finds the beauty of 
 flower and of fruit; it must express itself 
 in service, as a mother's love for a sickly 
 child accepts gladly the monotony of 
 nights and days of confinement. Spon- 
 taneous and cordial must be the service 
 of Christian strength; then, and not till 
 then, it will conquer the selfishness of the 
 world. 
 
 The rewards and penalties of the Chris- 
 tian law of authority. These are number- 
 less. Some of them are known here in 
 this world, and some of them will be 
 known in the next. The " Come, ye 
 blessed," and the " Depart, ye cursed," of 
 our Lord's great judgment-scene were pro- 
 nounced in view of the uses of strength. 
 " I was hungry, and ye fed me ; " ** I was 
 naked, and ye left me so." 
 
 To the individual, the law means the 
 very best of life's returns, or the worst. If 
 he obeys the law, and lives as the Master 
 directs, he will be happy and useful; 
 whereas if he disregards the law and lives 
 in opposition to its teaching, he cannot be 
 truly happy, nor can he be useful, although 
 
of the Day of Grace. 53 
 
 God may use him in spite of himself, even 
 as he makes the wrath of man to praise 
 him. 
 
 Settle the matter early in life, my friend, 
 and understand that you are here to serve. 
 Such is your attitude as a human being. 
 Do not think too much about philan- 
 thropy, or about pity for the masses, or 
 about your condescending to work for the 
 ignorant; but just understand that you are 
 to serve with such strength as you have, 
 and to serve because it is the right and the 
 manly — nay, the God-like — thing to do ; 
 that any other conception of life is con- 
 temptible ; that any other use of opportu- 
 nity is heathenish rather than Christian; 
 that every increment of strength, whether 
 of money, of knowledge, or of influence, 
 means new opportunity and a new call. 
 Then the true self, that hidden man of the 
 heart, will steadily expand; then the eye 
 will grow brighter, and the range of vision 
 will enlarge ; then God will be companion- 
 able, and the things of God will be the 
 enduring riches, whose enjoyment has 
 eternity for its day. 
 
54 The Noonday 
 
 But if it be otherwise, if you disregard 
 the law of Christ, you must suffer, and 
 suffer forever. With strength misused, 
 with opportunities neglected, you may 
 become very rich, and very learned too, 
 and very influential, and exercise author- 
 ity, and be accounted a benefactor, just 
 as it was with the kings of the Gentiles 
 in our Lord's day. But you cannot be 
 happy, — with the Bible in your dwelling 
 you cannot be happy if you live the heath- 
 en's idea; and when you meet God, and he 
 asks you why you have lived so, you will 
 be speechless, with the Bible in your hand. 
 Poor, mistaken soul ! there is no living 
 over again a human life. Selfishness has 
 commanded the service of strength, and 
 this is the miserable end of the service. 
 Speechless in the presence of God, the 
 wretched soul is dismissed to the left hand, 
 where the idea of heathenism must be in- 
 corporated in many laws. 
 
 To the community the law of Christ is 
 the earnest of progress. If this law is dis- 
 regarded, as it is, and as it has been for 
 centuries, the many evils of our social sys- 
 
of the Day of Grace, 5 5 
 
 tern are inevitable. We can make very 
 little advance against crime and degrada- 
 tion and poverty until we consider one 
 another. Institutional charity, always pop- 
 ular, is fairly good ; but it does not begin 
 to be as good as the personal, generous 
 activity of unnumbered Christian lives. 
 Let it be known, and widely known, that 
 the law of Christ is to be operative ; that 
 every man in authority, be he emperor, 
 king, president, or governor, is conscious 
 that he is only a minister ; that every man 
 of wealth is convinced that he is only a 
 steward ; that every man of intelligence is 
 persuaded that he holds his knowledge in 
 the service of his fellow-men; that every 
 favored child is taught that he must think 
 of those less favored, — and what a thrill of 
 strange hope would pass over the world ! 
 How the dwellers in wretched tenements 
 would rejoice in the expressions of strong, 
 rich sympathy ! How the oppressed and 
 down-trodden masses of the old world 
 would respond to a greeting which would 
 seem like a stirring of the leaves after a 
 long pestilential drought! How young 
 
56 The Noonday 
 
 men and maidens would clasp hands with 
 their seniors who could enter cordially 
 into the feelings of the youthful heart ! 
 
 " If the vision tarry, wait for it." And 
 so we will. Christ's law is based upon the 
 truth of God ; and that truth will prevail. 
 Men will welcome it. Then it will assert 
 itself; and finally its triumph will appear 
 in a happy, prosperous, contented social 
 order, which shall obtain in every quarter 
 of the globe. 
 
 There was once a queen — so runs a 
 beautiful story of the children — who was 
 sick with a painful malady, and whose re- 
 covery was promised if the world's fairest 
 rose could be found. This rose was to 
 be the expression of the purest love. In 
 every direction faithful subjects looked 
 eagerly for roses, and the sick-room was 
 fragrant with the perfume of their offer- 
 ings. *' The rose of first love was brought, 
 and the rose of science, and the rose of 
 maternal affection, and the rose of sorrow. 
 But in vain. Health refused to come, and 
 death seemed imminent. 
 
 '' * I have seen at the altar/ said a pious 
 
of the Day of Grace. 57 
 
 old bishop, * the world's fairest rose. A 
 band of maidens were at the Holy Table 
 of our Lord to confess their faith; and 
 among them was one whose simple purity 
 was radiant with devotion, so that I felt 
 that I was witnessing the truest love.' 
 
 *' * Blessed, thrice blessed is piety,' re- 
 plied the sage ; * still, thou hast not found 
 the world's fairest rose.' 
 
 " Then came the little son of the queen, 
 with glistening and tearful eyes and out- 
 stretched hands, on which rested a silver- 
 clasped book. 
 
 " ' Mother, oh mother,' he exclaimed, 
 * listen to what I have been reading.' 
 And he sat beside her, and read from 
 the Book of Him who so loved the world 
 that he gave himself up to death to save 
 sinners. 
 
 ''And a faint rosy gleam passed over 
 the queen's cheek, and her eyes grew 
 brighter and brighter, and her limbs felt 
 new strength, for there was wafted to her 
 the fragrance of the world's Fairest Rose, 
 — the Rose that sprang forth from the 
 sacred blood of Calvary. 
 
58 The Noonday 
 
 '* * I see it ! ' she said exultingly as she 
 sprang from her couch. ' Never can one 
 die who looks upon that Rose, the fairest 
 in the world. Justice is its strength, and 
 love is its beauty, while grace is the per- 
 fume which it freely scatters.' " 
 
 " I am among you as he that serveth." 
 Think of the Master; then use your 
 authority as he used his. 
 
of the Day of Grace, 59 
 
 WORK. 
 
 What are we set on earth for ? Say, to toil, 
 
 Nor seek to leave thy tending of the vines, 
 
 For all the heat of day, till it declines, 
 
 And death's mild curfew shall from work assoil. 
 
 God did anoint thee with his odorous oil 
 
 To wrestle, not to reign! And he assigns 
 
 All thy tears over, like pure crystallines, 
 
 For younger fellow-workers of the soil 
 
 To wear for amulets. So others shall 
 
 Take patience, labor, to their heart and hand 
 
 From thy hand and thy heart and thy brave cheer, 
 
 And God's grace fructify through thee to all. 
 
 The least flower, with a brimming cup, may stand 
 
 And share its dew-drop with another near. 
 
 Elizabeth Barrett Browning. 
 
SUNSET. 
 
The righteous shall flourish like the pahn tree : 
 he shall grow like a cedar in Lebano?i. Those that 
 be plaftted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in 
 the cotirts of our God. They shall still bring forth 
 fruit in old age j they shall be fat and flourishing ; 
 to shew that the Lord is upright: he is my rockj 
 and there is no unrighteousness in him. — Ps. xcii. 
 12-15. 
 
SUNSET. 
 
 THE Psalmist must have had many aged 
 friends whose Hves were useful and 
 beautiful in the service of God. His psalm 
 is an accurate description of the origin and 
 development of the graces which are the 
 adornment of aged saints. The palm-tree 
 and the cedar of Lebanon are his com- 
 parisons as he indicates the method of 
 growth whose perfection is so attractive. 
 Nature asks for many years in which to 
 mature the palm-tree or the cedar. They 
 respond slowly to the influences of soil 
 and climate. But their strength and fruit- 
 fulness abide when other trees, ''which 
 spring as the grass," have decayed and 
 perished. '* The palm grows slowly," says 
 Dr. Thomson in "The Land and the 
 Book," " from generation to generation, 
 uninfluenced by those alternations of the 
 
64 The Sunset 
 
 seasons which affect other trees. It does 
 not rejoice overmuch in winter's copious 
 rain, nor does it droop under the drought 
 and the burning sun of summer. Neither 
 heavy weights which men place upon its 
 head, nor the importunate urgency of the 
 wind can sway it aside from its upright- 
 ness. There it stands, looking calmly 
 down upon the world below, and pa- 
 tiently yielding its large clusters of golden 
 fruit from season to season. They still 
 bring forth fruit in old age." This in- 
 telligent writer, so long a resident of Pal- 
 estine, was on a visit to the cedars of 
 Lebanon when he wrote that " these old 
 trees around us, and most of those on 
 the highest ridges of the mountain, ex- 
 tending for several miles to the south, 
 are genuine representatives of Lebanon's 
 most ancient groves of cedars. There 
 need be no hesitation in regarding them 
 as the surviving descendants of those for- 
 ests whence Hiram's skilled hewers of 
 timber cut down cedar-trees for Solomon 
 to use in building and beautifying the 
 temple of the Lord at Jerusalem. They 
 
of the Day of Grace. 6$ 
 
 have not died out or been replanted by 
 man since that distant day." 
 
 Thus the righteous flourish and grow. 
 Time leaves its marks upon them ; but they 
 are marks of increasing vigor and useful- 
 ness. '' The young Christian is lovely, like 
 a tree with the blossoms of spring; the 
 aged Christian is valuable, like a tree in 
 autumn bending with ripe fruit." Grace 
 secures a mellowness of experience which 
 God gathers for his own use in heaven 
 when it is perfectly ripe. Meanwhile it is 
 a witness to his fidelity, a little gospel in 
 the life of holiness, '* to shew that the Lord 
 is upright." The aged servants of the Lord 
 are here, amid the busy scenes of active life, 
 to speak calmly and wisely of the deep sig- 
 nificance which each event of life contains, 
 to illustrate in patience and in hope the 
 precious truths to which they have long 
 time given their assent, and to prove a 
 benediction of love and sympathy to the 
 homes which are privileged to shelter them. 
 
 " For age is opportunity no less 
 Than youth itself, though in another dress ; 
 And as the evening twilight fades away, 
 The sky is filled with stars invisible by day." 
 5 
 
66 The Sunset 
 
 In old age God's servants " shew that 
 the Lord is upright " as they recognize 
 the providential interest that has deter- 
 mined their lives. It is perhaps an easy- 
 thing to discover the providential interest 
 of God in one or two of the ordinary events 
 of life. There are many cheap interpreters 
 who are ready to expound the thought of 
 God. We listen with amazement to their 
 familiarity, and even flippancy, and then 
 regret that upon themes like these there is 
 not more of reverence. The providence of 
 God is a profound study which may prop- 
 erly engage the thoughtful mind for a life- 
 time. We are always inclined to accept as 
 providential those circumstances which are 
 peculiarly favorable to ourselves or pecu- 
 liarly destructive to interests which we op- 
 pose. The south wind which speeds as on 
 our way may be a head-wind to our brothers 
 who are seeking a warmer clime. Have 
 we, therefore, the monopoly of providence? 
 The dynamite which destroys a synagogue 
 of Satan may leave a sanctuary in ruins as 
 well. Where shall we locate the provi- 
 dence? The truth is that we need a wider 
 
of the Day of Grace, 67 
 
 perspective. The lines of providential in- 
 terest require time for their observation. 
 It is not possible to estimate a life aright 
 at the hour of death. The pen of the his- 
 torian is constantly engaged in re-writing 
 the verdicts of history. Popular idols are 
 dethroned, and the misunderstood and 
 misrepresented heroes are exalted. The 
 holy apostles and our Divine Lord en- 
 joyed very little of what we call fame 
 when their earthly careers came to a close. 
 The criticism of Judaea, of Greece, and of 
 Rome was unfavorable to them. But their 
 record was safe. They were discreet and 
 honest. The future has more than vindi- 
 cated them, as they have been assigned 
 the highest places on the roll of fame. 
 
 The need of perspective is met, as far 
 as it can be, by God's aged servants. They 
 occupy a vantage-ground. They can speak 
 out of a large experience. When David 
 says, " I have not seen the righteous for- 
 saken, nor his seed begging bread," his 
 remark has value, because he also tells us 
 that he has been young, and is now old. 
 His is the experience of one who has seen 
 
68 The Sunset 
 
 many phases of life, and therefore it is 
 valuable. The patriarch Jacob is led into 
 the presence of the king of Egypt, and 
 there he outlines his wonderful career 
 from his childhood in the tents of Isaac 
 to this hour in the palace of the Pharaohs. 
 The old man is impressively eloquent as 
 he points out the providences which have 
 guided and blessed him. Pharaoh listens 
 with intense interest, and accepts the bless- 
 ing of Jacob at the close of their memor- 
 able interview. The Apostle Paul, from 
 the barracks of the Praetorian Guard in 
 Rome, sends letters to his beloved Timo- 
 thy and Titus and Philemon, and to many 
 of the Oriental churches, writing appre- 
 ciatively of God's tender care, which he 
 has known *' in journeyings often, in perils 
 of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by 
 mine own countrymen, in perils by the 
 heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in 
 the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils 
 among false brethren." " Being such an 
 one as Paul the aged, and now also a pris- 
 oner of Jesus Christ," his testimony to the 
 fidelity of God carries with it conviction. 
 
of the Day of Grace, 6g 
 
 And what shall be said of the *' beloved 
 disciple," who was kept here by the Mas- 
 ter until the close of the first century as 
 a beautiful specimen of holy living, and 
 whose feeble voice was often heard in 
 earnest commendation of the precious- 
 ness of love? He was always mindful of 
 *'the tenth hour" there by the River Jor- 
 dan, which dated the beginning of those 
 providences whose interest had never 
 ceased; and that later hour on the shore 
 of the lake which heard the announce- 
 ment, " If I will that he tarry till I come, 
 what is that to thee?" had been discover- 
 ing its hidden meaning for more than fifty 
 years. 
 
 Thus faith is strengthened as God's aged 
 servants speak. They view the path from 
 the hill-top after they have crossed the 
 meadow and the marsh; they look upon 
 the canvas when the artist has nearly com- 
 pleted his work, and the thoughtful shades 
 of expression are clearly visible ; they read 
 the journal when the last chapter is await- 
 ing its final word. It is impossible for 
 them to resist the conviction that the good 
 
70 The Sunset 
 
 hand of our God has led them and sus- 
 tained them and encouraged them. They 
 can see that there has been a wisdom 
 above their wisest plans. Dangers have 
 been avoided, and temptations have been 
 repelled. Calamities have failed of their 
 purpose, and disasters have been converted 
 into blessings. And now it is pleasant to 
 look back and to speak of the goodness 
 of the Lord, and still to believe that the 
 past has been an earnest of the present, 
 and is a pledge of the future. He who 
 has been true to his word for threescore 
 and ten years will not forsake his servant 
 in the time of old age. For his promise 
 is on record that " even to your old age 
 I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I 
 carry you : I have made, and I will bear ; 
 even I will carry, and will deliver you." 
 God cannot forsake his servants. He must 
 have an especial love for those who have 
 loved him many years. This is the teach- 
 ing of Providence, and our aged friends 
 commend the lesson by the patience of 
 their daily lives. Let us prize their in- 
 struction. Our busy Western life is some- 
 
of the Day of Grace, 71 
 
 what lacking in reverence. The Orient 
 has more regard for the aged. But our 
 Bible commands us to ** rise up before the 
 hoary head, and honor the face of the old 
 man." It is a privilege unspeakable to 
 have among us, not only little children, 
 with their sweet, happy faces, but also the 
 aged, with the sunshine of Heaven bright 
 upon their countenances. Quietly wait- 
 ing upon the confines of two worlds, now 
 looking back to point out some impressive 
 feature of the moral landscape, and again 
 looking on to speak of "■ the city which 
 hath foundations," an aged saint is the 
 treasure of children and of children's 
 children ; as 
 
 "... On he moves to meet his latter end. 
 Angels around befriending Virtue's friend; 
 Sinks to the grave with unperceived decay, 
 While resignation gently slopes the way ; 
 And, all his prospects brightening to the last, 
 His heaven commences ere the world be past ! " 
 
 The uprightness of the Lord is evident 
 as the aged exhibit the practical value 
 of divine grace. The grace of God is 
 dependent upon his uprightness. The 
 largest foundation-stone in the temple of 
 
72 The Sunset 
 
 redemption is justice. If God is not faith- 
 ful, what does it avail that he is merciful 
 and kind? His mercy must rest upon his 
 fidelity, and his kindness must rise upon 
 his truth. When he speaks, God must 
 always command faith in what he says. 
 When he makes a promise, God must 
 always convince us that he means to fulfil 
 his word. This is one of the reasons why 
 the love of God is so commanding and 
 influential. It is not a mere sentiment. 
 It is not divorced from other divine at- 
 tributes. No one can trifle with it. For 
 justice sustains love, as love tempers jus- 
 tice. And the grace that pardons and 
 saves a sinner when penitent has in it an 
 element of severity that punishes guilt and 
 turns away from the hard and the rebel- 
 lious heart. Do we not read in Holy 
 Scripture of *' the Lamb of God which 
 taketh away the sin of the world"? And 
 does not the sacred volume also make 
 mention of " the wrath of the Lamb " ? 
 Jesus Christ the Saviour is considerate 
 and tender in his offers of mercy; but 
 when those offers of mercy are rejected, 
 
of the Day of Grace. 73 
 
 he takes his place as judge, and the hands 
 of entreaty become the hands of rejection. 
 Now he calls, and says: ''Come unto me, 
 and I will give you rest." By and by he 
 will speak in other tones, to say : " I never 
 knew you ; depart from me ! " When the 
 bridegroom was announced, the virgins ten 
 arose and trimmed their lamps. But alas ! 
 in that supreme hour there were empty 
 vessels and no oil for the burning. As 
 the bridegroom entered, there went in with 
 him the virgins five who had oil in their 
 vessels with their lamps. '' And the door 
 was shut." Then came the foolish vir- 
 gins with sighs and lamentations over their 
 folly; but the appeal was of no avail, ''the 
 door was shut." 
 
 " * Have we not heard the bridegroom is so sweet ? 
 Oh let us in, though late, to kiss his feet ! ' 
 * No, no ; too late ; ye cannot enter now.' " 
 
 Grace has its limitations. God's Spirit 
 will not always strive. There is an even- 
 ing twilight and darkness to the day of 
 divine compassion. 
 
 God's aged servants are witnesses to the 
 fidelity of his grace. They have made 
 
74 The Sunset 
 
 trial of grace under a great variety of cir- 
 cumstances. It has met their expecta- 
 tions at all times. Polycarp of Smyrna 
 was ninety years of age when the hand 
 of the Roman persecutor was laid upon 
 him. Descending to the portal of his 
 dwelling, he invited the officers of the law 
 to refresh themselves with food and drink 
 while he craved an hour for quiet prayer. 
 The beauty of the old man's life, fragrant 
 with devotion and adorned with number- 
 less acts of charity, softened the hearts of 
 the officers ; and he was simply asked to 
 say " the emperor, our lord," and to 
 offer a sacrifice to the imperial deity. 
 When he quietly refused, they became 
 angry; and when the proconsul besought 
 him to regard his own gray hairs and to 
 spare himself the humiliation and pains 
 of martyrdom by cursing Christ, the brave 
 old man replied in language which the 
 Church has not been willing to let die : 
 ** Six and eighty years have I served him, 
 and he has done me nothing but good ; 
 and how could I curse him, my Lord and 
 Saviour?" Then they hurried him to the 
 
of the Day of Grace. 75 
 
 stake and heaped fagots around him and 
 kindled the fire while Polycarp prayed 
 aloud : " Lord, Almighty God, Father of 
 thy beloved Son Jesus Christ, through 
 whom we have received from thee the 
 knowledge of thyself, God of angels and 
 of the whole creation, of the human race 
 and of the just that live in thy presence, 
 I praise thee that thou hast judged me 
 worthy of this day and of this hour to take 
 part in the number of thy witnesses in the 
 cup of thy Christ." Could anything be 
 more eloquent? Could the Gospel secure 
 a more persuasive appeal? Here was an 
 old man of blameless life enduring insults 
 and intense sufferings for the sake of the 
 Redeemer who had been true to him for 
 six and eighty years. " What appeared 
 the greatest thing to the Church," writes 
 the historian, " was not the martyr's death 
 of Polycarp in itself, but the Christian 
 manner in which it was suffered. They 
 expressed it as their conviction that all 
 had been so ordered that he might ex- 
 hibit what was the essential character of 
 evangelical martyrdom." 
 
y6 The Sunset 
 
 The stake and the rack and the exile 
 are of the past ; but the testimony of God's 
 aged servants is of the present. We shall 
 always need it, and it will always be at 
 hand. No child can give it as the aged 
 can ; for childhood lacks experience. Ex- 
 perience alone can test and approve the 
 grace of God. Experience, the Apostle 
 Paul assures us, worketh hope ; but this is 
 true only of Christian experience. The 
 experience of the world worketh disap- 
 pointment and misanthropy and despair. 
 *' Vanity of vanities, all is vanity," is the 
 common testimony of men like Lord Ches- 
 terfield, who know the world, and yet know 
 nothing else. '' But the path of the just 
 is as the shining light, that shineth more 
 and more unto the perfect day." *' It 
 shall come to pass that at evening time it 
 shall be light." Then the aged servant of 
 God speaks of the divine uprightness as 
 he exhibits the adaptation of grace to the 
 many joys and sorrows of his life. He can 
 say, " I know both how to be abased, and 
 I know how to abound." Poverty has 
 been a companion, and then affluence has 
 
of the Day of Grace. yy 
 
 been a friend. There have been days of 
 sickness and nights of pain. More than 
 once the dwelling has been darkened, and 
 more than once the open grave has claimed 
 the beloved dead. The experiences of life 
 have presented their demands, and in 
 every instance the grace of God has met 
 them. Can this be said of any of our nu- 
 merous philosophies? Is it true that in- 
 fidelity touches life, in every emergency, 
 with strength and comfort? Do not the 
 emergencies of life silence the infidel? I 
 have somewhere read of an infidel orator 
 in the North of England who was accus- 
 tomed to invite discussion at the close of 
 his lectures. One evening, to his surprise, 
 the challenge was accepted by a plain, 
 aged woman, who arose and said: *' I 
 have only a question to put to you." 
 "Well, my good woman," was the confi- 
 dent response of the orator, " speak out ; 
 let us hear it." '' Ten years ago, sir," said 
 the humble servant of God, '' I was left a 
 widow with eight children utterly unpro- 
 vided for, and nothing to call my own but 
 this Bible. By its direction and by look- 
 
78 The Sunset 
 
 ing to its God for help, I have been en- 
 abled to feed myself and family. I am 
 now tottering to the grave ; but I am per- 
 fectly happy, because I look forward to a 
 life of blessedness with Jesus in heaven. 
 That 's what my religion has done for me. 
 What has your way of thinking done for 
 yoti ? " Ah ! my friends, that personal 
 argument is irresistible. The infidel ora- 
 tor tried in vain to meet it. The aged 
 saint held him to the question, *' What 
 has your way of thinking done for yon ? " 
 and he was presently speechless. The 
 Gospel, however, never shrinks from its 
 logical consequences. It is safe to press 
 it to its last results. You would cry out 
 against me and rebuke me to my face if 
 I should, here and now, say to you that 
 there is nothing better for a man than that 
 he should eat and drink and be merry, 
 that the future life is a dream, that there 
 will be no judgment-day, no heaven, no 
 hell, that the worldly old man who has 
 spent his years in the pursuit of pleasure 
 is just as well off as the godly old man 
 who has lived in obedience to the revealed 
 
of the Day of Grace, 79 
 
 will of our Lord Jesus Christ. Every one 
 knows that such statements are false. Yet 
 alas ! how many of us contradict our 
 knowledge by living for self and the world 
 for many, many years of this mortal life ! 
 Poor old wrecks of humanity, how sadly 
 they drift to and fro ! It is too late now 
 to correct the mistakes of a lifetime. Youth 
 will not return for the wishing. The irre- 
 sistible pressure of time means the awful 
 coldness of the grave, and that, too, sooji. 
 Poor, pitiable old men, '' having no hope, 
 and without God in the world," ye seem 
 like beacons shedding a warning light to 
 keep the mariners on life's stormy sea from 
 the rocks and the quicksands of your pres- 
 ent wretchedness. But it is not so with 
 the righteous. They are convoys, rather 
 than beacons; and as they light the way 
 across the trackless ocean, many a young 
 sailor steers his little bark in safety towards 
 the " desired haven." 
 
 In their calm and happy anticipation of 
 the future, God's aged servants bear their 
 testimony to the fidelity of the Lord. God 
 has promised that we shall have '' a good 
 
8o The Sunset 
 
 hope through grace." '' But if in this life 
 only we have hope in Christ, we are of all 
 men most miserable." It is true that our 
 bodies become enfeebled by age. They 
 wear out; the vital powers are exhausted. 
 Nature expends her resources. And so 
 the aged cease to live among us, and their 
 faces and forms are sadly missed around the 
 table or the hearth. Yet we have no hope- 
 less sorrow concerning them; we would 
 not keep them longer from the welcome 
 and the crown if we had the power so to 
 do. Already they have sent on the bet- 
 ter part of their lives to await their com- 
 ing ; and now they themselves have gone. 
 Faith has found its perfect consumma- 
 tion. Birth into this world anticipates the 
 strength and beauty of mature years. The 
 puny form of the babe is prophetic of 
 vigor and usefulness. The prophecy may 
 be defeated by sickness, or by casualty, 
 and the babe may never reach the pro- 
 mised stature. But in the new birth, whose 
 prophecies take hold upon the life immor- 
 tal, there are no such disappointments. 
 He who has '* begun a good work in you 
 
of the Day of Grace, 8i 
 
 will perform it until the day of Jesus 
 Christ." God's aged servants are familiar 
 with their Bibles. They know their Sa- 
 viour too, and are acquainted with his 
 grace. And so they are very calm and 
 hopeful as they say with Paul, " The time 
 of my departure is at hand. I have fought 
 a good fight, I have finished my course, 
 I have kept the faith : henceforth there is 
 laid up for me a crown of righteousness." 
 We observe their composure, and are 
 grateful that we have new evidence of 
 " the power of an endless life." Yes, God 
 is faithful; our aged friends are with us, 
 still bringing forth fruit in old age, " to 
 shew that the Lord is upright." Beautiful 
 to look upon, like the palm-tree laden with 
 its precious dates, like the cedar of Leba- 
 non prepared for the adornment of kings' 
 palaces, God's aged servants are the ben- 
 ediction of the household, of the village, 
 and of the sanctuary. Happy are the chil- 
 dren who listen meekly to their wisdom 
 and who are greeted by their smiles ! 
 Happy are the strong men and women 
 who can extend an arm for support and 
 6 
 
S2 The Sunset 
 
 comfort, who can carry, in the tender- 
 ness of filial love, to the confines of the 
 world which has no feebleness, no trials, 
 no old age, the dear parents who received 
 them in infancy, and carried them so 
 gently until they had learned to walk 
 alone ! 
 
 The Psalmist sings of the righteous, and 
 describes the beauty of their old age. 
 That beauty is not an accident, it is the 
 expression of righteousness which has 
 been carefully nurtured. The Psalmist is 
 at pains to locate the righteous. " Those 
 that be planted in the house of the Lord 
 shall flourish in the courts of our God." 
 First righteousness, — consecration of life 
 to God through the mediation of his Son 
 our Saviour ; and then nurture, — the plant- 
 ing and the training in the Church which 
 God himself established. The divine 
 method is approved. Think not to dis- 
 regard it. Your old age will be beautiful 
 and useful and happy and hopeful if you 
 give yourself to God in early life and ac- 
 cept the culture which is found in the 
 teaching of the Christian Church. 
 
of the Day of Grace. 83 
 
 Our literature has no more beautiful 
 sketch of an old man's life than that which 
 Thackeray has given in his story of *' The 
 Newcomes." Refined and purified by the 
 discipline of suffering, with wealth stripped 
 from him, and the friends of a lifetime in 
 their graves, the patient hero seeks the 
 quiet of Grey Friars Hospital as his last 
 home on this earth. There, in the uni- 
 form of the Order, he accepts a charity 
 which he had aforetime been wont to dis- 
 pense. With prayer and psalm he spends 
 the days of his waiting upon God's call, 
 still bringing forth fruit in old age. Then, 
 as he becomes too feeble to rise from his 
 couch, he listens to the summons of the 
 chapel-bell, that he may unite in the daily 
 devotions, until the end of life is reached. 
 He is ready for his departure. *' At the 
 usual evening hour," says Thackeray, '' the 
 chapel-bell began to toll, and Thomas 
 Newcome's hands outside the bed feebly 
 beat time. And just as the last bell struck, 
 a peculiar sweet smile shone over his 
 face, and he lifted up his head a little, 
 and quickly said 'Adsunif and fell back. 
 
84 The Sunset 
 
 It was the word we used at school when 
 names were called ; and lo ! he whose 
 heart was as that of a little child, had an- 
 swered to his name, and stood in the 
 presence of The Master." 
 
of the Day of Grace. 85 
 
 THE AGED PILGRIM. 
 
 Thy mercy heard my infant prayer ; 
 Thy love, with kind, paternal care, 
 
 Sustained my childish days ; 
 Thy goodness watched my ripening youth, 
 And formed my heart to love thy truth, 
 
 And filled my lips with praise. 
 
 And now, in age and grief, thy name 
 Doth still my languid heart inflame. 
 
 And bow my faltering knee ; 
 Oh, yet this bosom feels the fire, 
 This trembling hand and drooping lyre 
 
 Have yet a strain for thee ! 
 
 Yes ; broken, tuneless, still, O Lord ! 
 This voice, transported, shall record 
 
 Thy goodness, tried so long ; 
 Till sinking low, with calm decay, 
 Its feeble murmurs melt away 
 
 Into a seraph's song. 
 
 Sir Robert Grant. 
 
 THE END 
 
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