The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-07-23

When man mas CrOuOle Cne WOrlu co!ues
in and says: Nov get your mind or this;
90 out and breathe the fresh air; plunge
deeper into business" What poor advice!
Get your mind OFF it'll When everything is
upturned with the bereavement an1 every
thing reminds you Of what you have lost.
Get your mind off it! They might as woll
advise you to stop thinking. You cannot
stop thinking AMI you clnnot stop thinking
in that direction. Take walk III tho fresh
air! Why, along that very street. or that
very roal she once accompanied you.
or into that show window she looked, fas-
cinated, saying: "Come, SEQ tho pictures"
Go deeper into business? Why, she was
associated with oil your business ambition,
and since she has gone you have no ambition
left.
Oh, this is clumsy world when it tries to
comfort broken heart. can build Cor
lear's engine, I can paint q Raphael's ma
donna" can play aBeethoven's "Eroica
Symphony" as easily as this world can COM
fort broken heart. And yet you have been
comforted. How was it donea Did Christ
come to you and say "Get your mind of
this; 20 out and breathe fresh air; plunge
deeper into brsiness?' No. There was
minute when He came to you-perhaps in
the watch of tho night, perhaps in your
place of business perhaps along the street
--and He breathed something into your soul
that gave peace, rest. infinite quiet so that
you could take out thu photograph OF thu
departed one and look into tbs eyes and facs
of the dear one and say: ut is all right;
shs is better of; would not call her back:
Lord, thank Thee that Thou hast conforted
my poor heart"
Again, remark that we are witnesses OF
the fact that religion has the power to give
composure in the last moment. lnaver shall
forget the first time confronted death. We
went across the cornfelds in the country. l
was led by my fathers hand, and we came to
the farm house where the bereavement had
come, and we saw the crowd of wagons and
carriages but there was one carriage that es-
pecially attracted my boyish attention,
and it had blacx plumeS: said: said:
those black tassels on tn, top|
and after it was explained to me was lifted
up to LOOK upon the bright face of an aged
Christian woman who three days before had
departed in triumph; the who!u scene made
an impression Inever forgot.
In our sermons and in our lay e1hortatiols
we ara very apt, when we want to bring IL
Illustrations Of dying triumph, to go back to
some distinguished personaSe-to a John
Knox or Harriet Newell. But want you
for witnesses. I want to know If you have
ever seen anything to make you believe that
tho religion Of Christ can give compo5ure in
the final hour. Nov in ths courts attorney,
Jury and Judge will never almit lara hoar-
say. They demand that the witness must
have seen with his own eyes or heard with
his own ears, and so an critical in my OK.
animation OF you now; and want to know
whother you have seen or hearl anything
that makes you believe that the religion OF
Christ gives compoSure in thu final hour.
"Oh, yes" you say; II saw my father AMI
mother depart. There was great difference
in their deathbsds. Standing by the ons wo
felt moro vensration. By tn, other, there
was mora tenderness" Before the one you
bowed perhaps in awe. In the other cass you
felt rs If you would like to go along with her.
How did they feel in that last hour? How
did they seem to act? Were they very much
frightened? Did they take hold Of this world
with both hands as though they did not want
to give it up? son, no." you say. mo. l
remember as though it were yesterday; shs
had kind word for us oil, and there were
O few mementoeS distributed among the
children, and then she told us how kind we
must be to our father in his lonlinass, and
then she kissed us good-5y and went asleep
as calmly as child in cradle"
What made her 50. composed? Natural
courage2 mo-" you say, mother was worry
nervous; when the carriage inclined to the
side Of tho road she would cry out; sae was
always rather weakly" What, then, gaye
her composurs? Was it becaus, she did not
caro- much for you, and the pang OF parting
was not great? "Oi" you say, "shs show
er,d upon US 10 wealth of afr sction; no mother
ever loved her children moro than mother
loyod us; she shovel it by tn, way shs
nurssi us when we were SICK aud she toled
for us until her strength gave out" What
then, was it that gaTe hsr conposurs IN the
last hour? Do not hide it. Be frank AMI let
ma know. "Ol," you say, sit was becaus,
she was 80 good, sho made the Lord her por-
tion and she had faith that sh, would go
straight to glory AMI thatwo should all meet
her at last at the foot OF the throne.
Here are people who say, II saw Chris;
tian brother die and he triun 2hei." And
some one els,, II saw Christian sister die
and sho triu nphei." SON, one elsa will
say, "I saw q Christian dan yhter die AMI she
triumphei." Come, all 20 who have seen
the last moments of a Christian, and give
testimony in this cause on trial. Uncover
your heads, put your hand on the old family
Blblo from which they usei to road the prom
ises, and promise in the presence OF high
heaven that you will toll tho truth, the
whole truth and nothing but the truth.
With what you have saen with your own
eyes, and from what You have heard with
your own cars is there power i'll this Gospel
to give calmness and triumph IN the last exl-
re,IeyP Tho response comes from all sides,
From Young aud old and middle Gnd aged.
1--WE are with asSes"
You see, my frienls, I have not put before
Won to-day on abstraction, or chimera, or
anything like guess WORK. I present you
afi,lavits of the best men and women, living
and dead. Two witnesses in court will es-
F. ~ %,x,N f,,ac
but thousands of witnesSes-on earth mill
ions OF witnesses, and in heaven a great
multitude of witnesses that no man can num-
ber, testifying that there is power in this re-
lision to convert the soul, to give comfort in
trouble and to afford composure in the last
hour. If ten men should come to you when
you are sick with appalling sickness, and
say they had the same sickness, and took
certain medicine and it cured them, you
would probably take it.
Now, suppose ten other men should come
up and say, We don't believe ,s,lM there is any
tthaye YOU ever tried its "No. I never
tried it, but don't believe there is any
thing in it." OF course you discredit their
testimony. The skeptic may come and say.
There is no power in your religion"
"Have you ever tried it" mo, no."
"Then, avauntm Let me take the testimony
of the millions Of souls that have been con-
verted to God, and comtortei in trial and
solaced in tho last hour. We will take
their testimony as they cry, I'VE are wit
nessesr
Some time ago Professor Henry, Of Wash
ington, discovered new star, AM the tidings
sped by submarine telegraph, and all the OBJ
servatories of Europe were watching for that
new star. On, hearer, looking out through
the darkness of thy. soul today, canst thou
see bright star beaming on thee? ''Where?'
YOU ay; "where? How can I find it?' Look
along by the line Of the cross of the Son OF
God. DO you not 500 1t tremDlins with all
tenderness aud beamiug With all hope? 1t is