--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Young Men's Mutual Improvement Associations collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 18 number: 4 published: 1915-02 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: "Young Men's Mutual Improvement Associations, \"A Wise Old Man,\" *Improvement Era* 18, no. 4 (February 1915): 344." source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1804unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera1804unse start_page: 344 end_page: 344 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1915-02) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1804unse publication_year: 1915 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1915, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # A Wise Old Man 344 IMPROVEMENT ERA Therefore, upon the death of Jesus, there was no Sabbath Law, it was fulfilled, ended, put out of the way, and nailed to the cross. This being true, the apostles, recognizing that it was neces- sary that one day of the week be set apart as a day of rest and for the worship of God, did the most natural thing possible adopted : the first day of the week; for, on this day, Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, arose from the dead. On this day Jesus broke the bonds of death and, for the reason that on the first day of the ; creation the first thing that God did was to separate the light from the darkness, saying, "Let there be light, and there was light," and Jesus was that light which came into the world that all who believed on him and obeyed should have everlasting life. Or, was it for another and better reason? Jesus was with the apostles forty days after his death and resurrection, teaching them all things. He had said, in his natural life, "The Son of Man is Lord also of the Sabbath." It is, therefore, not unreasonable to sup- pose that Jesus himself inaugurated the observance of the first day to supercede the old Mosaic Sabbath which had been ended, put out of the way, and nailed to the cross i PORTLAND, OREGON A Wise Old Man "Wouldst thou have back thy youth again?" I asked an aged man. "Couldst thou not grander ends attain, and better life's whole plan?" ."No, son," he said; "I rest content and calmly wait the end. One life alone to man is lent, to waste, or wisely spend. "If, with the knowledge years bestow, we started in the race, All plans might meet with overthrow and shame us with disgrace. No combination man can make insures complete success; The lucky winner takes the prize he won by random guess. "I would not say chance rules below — Nature shows design; all Life is not like the dice's throw —luck follows laws divine. Some men are born to grace a throne, some to a leper's doom; Yet equal light for both has shone their spirits to illume. "My life has run through light and shade— the end is drawing near; I long for rest, all undismayed, and ask not back one year.'' — Selected.