The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1882-05-18
CHRIsTIANITY.
Concluded from Page 8.

of the sick and Tells IneIn' booA w ~
will soon be we'll again. you WIN III
habit a land where there is no coughs,
no feyers, no languishing." IL goes 10
the moor and saws: "YOu are on the way
to vast estates and to dividends forever
deeIarable." 1t goes to bereavement anu
talks of broken families reunited before
the throne of God, and all sorrOws end
ed. Again, this hallucinatlon Is very
tremendous in the fact that III aOsOrDs
people in their last earthIy mOmenIS'
How. much better to let them die win
no more hope than rats or snakes or
swine. Shovel them underl That Is
the last of theml They will never know
ANYTHING. The mind is only superior
mart of the body. When the body dis
integrates, the soul disintegrates. An
nihilatiOnl Vacancy NOthingness! ever
lasting blankl Obliteratlonl just thlhk
of the hoax practiced upon dying people
about future state so that soIle naLe
elapped their hands, and some shOuteu'
and some sang, and some so overcome
with ioy that they could do nothing Dut
look ecstatic, and others see palace gates
open and diamOnded cor0nets 1ash anu
hear the rush of angelic chOlrs, and
hands beckOn, and Orchestras sOunueu,
and dying children saw their departed
parents, and, though the little ones IOr
weeks had been so Frustrated by dlsease
on the pillow, in the last moment OF
parOxysms of inimitable rapture got on
their feet and shouted: Mother, eaten
me; am coming. ~,
To show the immens1ty or TINS uelu-
sion | open a great hospital ana gamer
into the different wards some OF Lne
distinguished death-bedS of Chrlsten-
dom. Come, take my hand ana leG US
walk up and down through some OF the
wards. Dying Stephen, what have you
to say? Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
Diving John Wesley, what have you 10
sayP 1.-THE best of all, God Is with US.
Diving Edward PaysOn, what nave you
to sayP al float in a sea OF glory.
Dying John Bradford, what have you 10
say? eff there be any way to heaven
on horseback or in fiery charlOt thls IS
it," Dying Lea4der' what an nave ; you 70 70
say? Il am where | Will now 60 10
sleep. Good night" Dying Mrs. Flor
ence Foster, what have you to sayS
"ThOugh pilgrim walking in valley,
the mOuntain-tOps are cleaning from
peak to peak" Dying Alexander Ma
ther, what have you to say? He that
have served for nearly fifty years Will
not fOrsake me now. Glory be 10 GOd
and to the Lamb forever. Amen, amen,
amenP' Diving John POwsOn, what have
YOU to say? My death-bed is bed of
Won to saw? "T'is heaven begun"
Diving soldier, what have you to say!
AZ am going to the 'front.'" Dying tele-
graph operator during the war, what
have Won to say? 1.-THE wire is laid and
the poles are all up from Stony Point TO
headquarters" Dying Paul, what nave
you to say? Il am now ready 10 pc
offered and the time of my departure is
at hand. / have fought the good fight.
/ have finished my course. have kepI
nv faith. Oh, death, where is thy stlngE
Oh, grave, where is thy victory? Thanks
be unto God, who giveth US the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ
o, my Lord and my God, what delu-
sion! Delusionl submeTge me with 1t!
fill my eyes and ears with II! encom-
mass nv soul with It'll spread it over me
like canopy put it under my dying
head as pillow, and under my soul as
an Outspread wingl Whelm me with 1t!
roll it over my soul in ocean SurgeS ten
thousand fathOms deepl If inhdelity
and atheism and annih1atlOn be the
reality and Christianity be the deluslOn,
give me the delusiOn! The former are
so horrible | cannot abide them, and the
latter is so radiant and blissful must
have. But the overwhelming conclusion
of you all is that nothing that produces
such grand results as Christianity can
be a delusion. A lie, a cheat, hoax,
ehimera, a fable, a halluc1natlon can
not launch such glory upon the CEN
turies Our common sense as well as
our logic cOnVinces us that bad cause
can not produce such an !lIustrlous re-
suit, Out of the womb of such mon
ster no such angel can be born. Oh,
how many are here who began by
thinking that religion was stupid
farce, and have found out that 1t Is
great reality? 1t changed your course.
What are you doing in church tO-dayE
Why are you singing these songs? Why
have you brought your families with
yOu2 Why did you bow your, head IN
of the ending of all of your tears in the
bosom of God, do tears stand in your
ewes, not tears Of regret but tears of
ioy, like those that stand in the eyes of
hOmesick children, far away at school,
when some one talks to them about
going home? Why do you feel so peace
fully submissive about the death OF
those concerning whose departure you
once felt so angry and rebell1ousE
Something is the matter with you.
They said at the clubhouse. What
have those religious people been doing
with JOhn?" Some of you are scholarly
and scientific. You have read about
every thing. What is the most sensible
thing you ever did2 You respond: at
was the giving Of my heart to GOd."
Others of you have had had no special
advantage, and if you gave your expert
ence it would be in words something
like that Of the man who, standing up
on a religious service, said: :" AS was
coming to meeting a man asked me
where 1 was going, and told him, and
he said: There are a great many re-
ligiOns and most of them wrong, and
great many people say all religion Is
only a notion And l say to him:
Look here, stranger. do you see that
tavern therep Yes says he. WELL
says l, every little fellow in these
parts knew that so long as 1 had quar-
ter in my pocket could never pass that
tavern without having drink. All the
men in jefferson could not stop me.
Now, look here says /, there's my
weeks wages, and can give praise and
thank God do not feel the least like
drinking, for the Lord Jesus has saved
me from it. If you call that notion,
1T is a mighty powerful notion, and it is
notion that has put clothes on my
chiIdren's backs, and plenty Of good
food on my table, and songs of praise to
the Lord In my mouth. That is fact,
stranger. Glory be to God for it, and |
would recommend you to come to prayer
vnoofin0 uifh ma. and NAV he VOU