Covenanter Witness Vol. 55 - Rparchives.org

well!"me.""In Thee my soul hath shelter found,And Thou hast been from foes aroundThe tower to which I flee.Within Thy house I will abideAnd underneath Thy wings will hide,Forever safe in thee !"My heart is thrilled with thoughts of loveOf Thy divine companionship ;Of sweet communion, tender wordsWhich fall like music from thy lips.(J. G. Mc.)IV. In the Hope of Heaven :"Growing older,With a sigh we say it,That the early freshness of the dawn,Rose tinted, rich in thoughts and fanciesSeemeth farther at each birthday morn.Growing Older !Joyously we say it,Leading onward to immortal youth,And the font of bliss that never endethtruth."Promised us by Him who is the1. Death fear of death clouds this hope ofheaven for some. We need a truer view of death.Someone asked Dr. John Brown of London beforehe died how he was and he replied, "I am slowingdown for the junction." Another aged man had theright idea, when someone remarked, "You are on theshady side of seventy I suppose ?" "No, he replied, Iam on the sunny side for I am on the side nearest toglory !" After all, this body we occupy here is only atemporary residence. "When John Quincy Adamswas over 80 years of age he met in the streets ofBoston an old friend who shook his trembling handand said, "Good morning, and how is John QuincyAdams today?" you,""Thank was the ex-president'sanswer, "John Quincy Adams is quite well, I thankyou, but the house in which he lives at present is becoming quite delapidated. It is tottering upon itsfoundation. Time and seasons have nearly destroyedit. It's walls are much shattered and it trembles witheverywind. The old tenement is becoming almostuninhabitable and I think John Quincy Adams willhave to move out of it soon, but he himself is quitewell, Quite2. Some accept old age as a true preparation forthe heaven life. "An old nurse who had become deafand nearly blind said to one who pitied her, "You aremourning for me, my dear, and there is no need. Iam as happy as a child. I sometimes think I am achild whom the Lord, is hush-a-bying to my longsleep, for when I was a nurse girl my missus always told me to speak very soft and low, to darkenthe room that her little one might go to sleep, andnow all noises are hushed and still to me, and thebonny earth seems dim and dark, and I know it's myFather lulling me away to my long sleep. I am verywell content, and you mustn't fret forSomeone has said, "The majority of lives arelike the ordinary trees we see, first the bud, then theblossom, and last the fruit, but the fig tree holdsout to us the lesson of the beautiful life that comeson down through the years, having accomplished itsfull mission. The fig tree has it's flower after thefruit has ripened, instead of the flower and then thefruit, like other trees. Isn't it so with a beautiful life ?It bears its fruit and then spreads before the worldJuly 27, 1955the beautiful old age, the flower,and from it comesfragrance that sweetens all life that comes in contact with it."3. Then there are some who look forward to theend of life with peace and joy; From Spurgeon's"Immanuel.""When down the hill of life I go,When o'er my feet death's waters flow,When in the deepening floods I sink,When friends stand weeping on the brink,I'll mingle with my last farewellThy lovely name, Immanuel.When tears are banished from mine eyes,When fairer worlds than these are nigh,When heaven shall fill my ravished sight,When I shall bathe in sweet delight,One joy all joys shall far excellTo see thy face Immanuel !"The life that will end happily is described inPs. 92:"Those that within Jehovah's houseAre planted by His grace,They shall grow up and flourish allIn our God's holy placeAnd in old age when others fadeThey fruit still forth shall bring ;They shall be hale and hearty still,And ever flourishing !"4. For the trusting Christian old age brings nofears, no doubts, no anxieties about the future. He isleaning on "the arms."everlastingI'll come again for you the Master said,The promise holds through all the ages vast,Until, though wandering far in shadowed paths,He takes my hand and leads me home at last.(J. G. Mc.)Prepare for old age in youth and middle life.The door is still open to God ! !"So long thy power has blessed me,Sure it still will lead me on,O'er moor and fen, o'er crag and torrent,Till the night is goneAnd with the morn those angel faces smileWhich I have loved long sincewhile."And lost aSUMMER SABBATHSThe "Summer Slump" is an affliction that oftenhits churches, Sabbath schools, youth groups and individual Christians between June and September.Sometimes it strikes even earlier, and isn't broughtunder control until the first frost of the Fall. Itssymptoms are extreme spirituallassitude, disinclination to engage in any Christian work or even in fellowship with other Christians, avoidance of theHouse of God on the Sabbath, and a suffering fromthe persistent illusion that religion is a seasonal affair, like strawberry-picking or snow-shoveling. Itstotal effects on the Body of Christ are very serious,leading to pernicious anemia.It seems to me that the focal point of the infection is in the Christian's attitude toward the Lord'sDay. For the odd fact appears that with the comingof warm weather, a great host of Christians allow53