CHAPTER XII. 
CONCLUSION. 
I T may be said, and said, perhaps truly, that a 
life so weighted with anxious responsibility, 
involving so continuous a strain, both physic- 
ally and mentallyj as that which Mr. Comber 
lived — and lived in an African clime, was morally 
certain to come to an early close. It may, however, 
be equally true that there are certain positions in 
God’s kingdom which admit of only a few years’ 
service, as men count years ; and which none but 
the worthiest can fill. The figures on a dial plate, 
the anniversaries of a birthday, have no relevancy in 
calculating the value of life — are useless to indicate its 
real worth. In the truest estimate of earthly service 
the element of duration has no essential place. 
Therefore, let the reader pause and consider, lest he 
too hastily pronounce the end of the noble life 
sketched in these pages to have been ‘‘ untimely.” 
How true it is that some men live much in a brief 
space ; whilst others live little though they exceed 
the three-score years and ten ! 
The story of the closing days is soon told. From 
the unnerving effect of the recent losses, Mr. Comber 
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