swept off the great chessboard
of this world, snippets taken from George Wilson. There is no remembrance of men
of old, and even those who are yet to come will not be remembered
by those who follow. Ecclesiastes chapter 1 verse
11. For the wise and the foolish
both die. The wise will not be remembered
any longer than the fool. In the days to come, both will
be forgotten. Ecclesiastes chapter 2 verse
16. Councils of an invalid penned
in the year 1862. Dear friend, We shall both very soon, I anticipate,
be called away from seeing all things through a glass darkly,
to meeting God face to face, and shall have to answer to Him
for the deeds done in the body. We would certainly exhibit the
most inordinate vanity if we thought that the great mass of
our fellow men would be losers by our being swept off the great
chessboard of this world. This board indeed is always so
crowded that, with the exception of our attached relations and
a few friends, the greater number of our neighbours will be glad
to know that our being cleared away has left more elbow room
for them. Think how soon the world gets
over the death of an eminent minister, and let us be content
that the place that knew us once shall know us no more. Our days on earth are like grass,
like wildflowers we bloom and die. The wind blows and we are
gone, as though we had never been here. Psalm 103 verses 15
through 16. Psalm 90 verses 10 and 12. The length of our days is 70
years, or 80 if we have the strength, yet their span is but trouble
and sorrow, for they quickly pass and we fly away. So teach
us to number our days aright that we may gain a heart of wisdom.