THE FAMILY ALTAR

November 11.

"For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower

of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away;

but the Word of the Lord endureth forever. And this is the Word

which by the Gospel is preached unto you." 1 Pet. 1, 24-25.

Here the inspired apostle first rings the funeral knell that

consigns all human wisdom, power, and glory to the grave. Sin-

born man, at his best estate, is altogether vanity. Though he

flourish mightily for a while and proudly boast of his great achieve-

ments, as did Nebuchadnezzar, he finally withers and dies, even as

the short-lived grass and its fast-fading flower. "Earth to earth,

ashes to ashes, dust to dust" is written in indelible letters on the

handiwork of man. There are no "Immortals" among the sons

of clay. — Ah, how this transitory glory of all earthly things,

of their own life, and their most cherished ambitions fills the carnal-

minded children of this world with black gloom and despair!

Listen to one of their poets sighing while in the very prime of

life: "My days are in the yellow leaf; The flowers and fruits of

love are gone ; The worm, the t canker, and the grief Are mine

alone." (Verses written by Lord Byron on his thirty-seventh birth-

day.) But is there nothing in this world of universal death and

decay that can satisfy the longing for immortality which God

Himself has planted in the heart of man? 0 wanderer to the

tomb, there is ! Listen to the jubilant note St. Peter rings out in

the second part of our passage: "But the Word of the Lord en-

dureth forever." That Word is not subject to change and decay,

but victoriously survives all the wrecks of time. Do you ask:

Where can I find that Word of the Lord? Why, it is no hidden

secret known only to a few, no book sealed with seven seals, im-

possible for you to comprehend and make its saving truth your

own. "This is the Word which by the Gospel is preached unto

you," says the apostle. It is the old, old Bible, the word of the

apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being its Beginning

and its End. Whosoever puts his trust in that blessed Word shall

never be deceived, but will find in it life and immortality; for

Christ says : "If a man keep My saying, he shall never see death."

O grant that in Thy holy Word

We here may live and die, dear Lord;

And when our journey endeth here,

Receive us into glory there.