*From The Excellent Woman of Proverbs 31 written in 1847 by Anne Pratt (1806-1893)
STRENGTH AND HONOR ARE HER CLOTHING;
AND SHE SHALL REJOICE IN TIME TO COME.
AND SHE SHALL REJOICE IN TIME TO COME.
Proverbs 31:25
The stability of the conduct of this Jewish woman and the good reputation which it gained her, render this figure sufficiently expressive. She was, indeed, clothed in strength and honour, and might well rejoice in coming days. For old age she had prepared something more than a store of mere worldly good. She had not only been provident of present wealth,--but she had laid up in the hearts of her husband and children, and the poor and needy, a treasure of love, which time should not change.
How beautiful and graceful is the repose of the aged servant of God! How placid the mental rest and assurance of one who has served God from youth upward! The Christian graces, mellowed by time, shine now with a mild and settled lustre, and the meek waiting upon God diffuses over the later hours of life its calm and steady light, like the soft tints which the moon casts on the tranquil sea.