The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1872-08-27

The Testimony Of the Dying.
BY REV. JOHN S. C. ABBOTT.

which enabled him to surround himself with
all the luxuries Of life His celebrity gave
him rank which, hide him a welcome guest
in the castle of mobiles and the palaces of
kings This illustrious man as he placed
his head upon the pillow of death left be-
hind him the following testimony
81 envy no qualities of the mind and in
tellect in others, nor genius nor power, nor
wit, nor fancy. But if could choose what
would be most delightful and / believe
most useful to me, l should prefer firm
religious belief to every other blessing, for
it makes life a discipline of good, creates
new hopes when all earthly hopes vanish,
throws over the decay of existence the
most gorgeous of all lights, awakes life in
death, and calls from corruption and decay
beauty and everlasting glory"
Such testimony from such man is GER
tainly worthy of being deeply pondered by
every thoughtful mind. And how much
confirmatory testimony have we of the
same nature. Recall to mind the words of
Prince Albert as he was breathing his last,
amid the splendors of one of England's
most gorgeous palaces
81 have enjoyed wealth, rank, and pow
er. But if this were all / had, how wretch
ed should be now
| Rock of ages cleft for me,
| Let me hide myself in thee"
Visit in imagination the solitude of
Marshfeld, where Daniel Webster is dying
with Q heart broken by disappointments
and regrets. The silence of the dying
chamber is disturbed only by the ticking
of the clock, and the breaking of the surf
upon the shore. 1t is midnight. Listen to
the last utterances of that voice to which >
nation has often lent it's ear in willing
homage:
1.-THE boast of heraldry, the pomp of power
| And all that beauty all that wealth e'er gave,
| Await alike the inevitable hour,
The paths Of glory lead but to the grave"
The silence of the death chamber remains
for few moments unbroken, when again
that voice is heard exclaiming in its most
solemn and fervid tones:
| "Show pity, Lord, o Lord, forgive,
Let a repenting rebel live,
| Are not thy mercies large and free?
May not sinner trust in thee ?"
Enter the mournful glooms which en-
velop the dying bed of Sir Walter Scott
His genius has won the admiration of near
ly all Christendom. Now impoverished,
disappointed in all his plans, paralyzed, he
is gasping in the death-struggle. He raises
his imploring eyes to his son Lockhart, who
is standing by his side, and says :
"My DEAR dear son, be a good man be
a religious man ; nothing else will give you
any comfort when you come to lie here"
Edmund Burke has arrived at the close
of his wonderful career. The diplomacy
Of every cabinet in Europe has been sway
ed by the energies of his gigantic mind
He has stood upon the highest pinnacle of
intellectual greatness, the admiration of an
applauding world. With weary heart and
pallid cheek he now stands upon the verge
of the spirit land, and looks back, and looks
forward. Hear him
"What shadows we are and what shad-
ows we pursue. would not, in this hard
season, give one peck of refuse wheat for all
that is called fame and honor in the world"
Prince Talleyrand, one of the most re-
nowned and successful of European states
men, having attained the age of eighty
three years, is prostrate on dying bed
In scarcely legible lines he traces with pen
Gil upon paper the following as his dying
testimony
" Behold eighty-three years passed away
What cares, what agitations, what ankle
ties, what ill-will, what sad complications
And all without other result save great fa-
tigue of body and mind, and profound
sentiment of discouragement with regard
to the future, and disgust with regard to
the past"
And now let us enter the death-chamber
of Edward Payson. He had devoted the
energies of his life, as a disciple of Jesus,
TO winning souls to God. Thus he had been
preparing for dying hour and laying up
treasure in heaven. To his sister he wrote:
"The celestial city is full in my view.--
Its glories beam upon me. Its breezes fan
me. It's odors are waited to me. It's
sounds strike upon my ear and its spirit is
breathed into my heart. The sun of
righteousness has been gradually drawing
nearer and nearer, appearing larger and
brighter as he approached, and now he fills
the whole hemisphere, pouring forth a flood
of glory, in which seem to float like an
insect in the beams of the sun.
go my sister, could you but know what
awaits the Christian, could you only know
an much aa I now lxnov Won could NOT ra