Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1890-07-10

that stopped not for the agonized prayer or
for the skillful physician. and the little
child was taken. Or the babe was lifted
out OF your arms by some quick epidemic.
and you stood wondering why God ever
gave you that child at all. II so soon he was
TO take 1t away. And yet you are not re-
pining. you are not fretful. you are not
lighting against God.
What has enabled you to stand all the
trial2 -0h." you say, Il took the medicine
that God gave my sick soul, In my distress
threw myself at the feet Of sympathizing
God; and when was too weak to pray or to
look up he breathed into me peace thatI
think must be the foretaste Of that heaven
where there Is neither tear. nor a fare
well. nor grave" Come, all ye who have
been out to the grave TO weep there-come,
| all ye comforted souls. get up of your
knees. Is there no power in this Gospel to
soothe the heart? us there no power in
this religion to quiet the worst paroxysm Of
grief? There comes up an answer from
comforted widowhood, and orphanage and
childlessness saying: "Ay, ay. We are wit
nesseSl"
When a man has trouble the world comes
in and says, Now get your mind off this;
go out and breathe the fresh air; plunge
deeper into business What poor advice
Get your mind of it'll When everything is
| upturned with the bereavement, and every
| thing reminds you of what you have lost
advise you to stop thinking. You cannot
| stop thinking, and you cannot stop thinking
| in that direction. Take walk in the fresh
airl Why, along that very street, or that
very road, she once accompanied you. Out
of that grass plat she plueked flowers, or
into that show window she looked, fascin-
ated, saying. Come see the pictures" Go
deeper into businessl Why, she was as
sociated with all your business ambition,
and since she has gone you have no am
| bition left.
Oh this is clumsy world when it tries to
comfort a broken heart. l can build a
Corlear's engine. can paint Raphaels
Madonna" l can play a Beethoven's
"Eroica Symphony" as easily as thisaw
can comfort a broken heart. And yet you
| have been comforted. How was it done2
Did Christ come to you and say, Get your
mind off this; go out and breathe the fresh
air; plunge deeper into business2" No.
There was minute when He came to you
perhaps in the watches OF the night, per-
| haps in your place of business, perhaps
along the street-and He breathed some
thing into your soul that gave peace, rest,
infinite quiet so that yon could take out the
photograph of the departed one and look
into the eyes and the face Of the dear one
and say, 1T is all right: she is better off; l
would not call her back. Lord, thank thee
that thou hast comforted my poor heart"
Again. remark that we are witnesses OF
the fact that religion has power to give
composure in the last moment. I never
shall forget the first time l confronted
death. We went across the corn-f1elds in
the country. was led by my fathers hand.
and we came to the farmhouse where the
bereavement had come, and we saw the
crowd of wagons and carriages; but there
was one carriage that especially attracted
my boyish attention, and it had black
plumes. / said: What's that? what's
that? Why those black tassels on the top2'
and after it was explained to me was lifed
up to look upon the bright face of an aged
Christian woman, who three days before
had departed in triumph; the whole scene
made an impression never forgot,
In our sermons and in our lay exhorta-
tions we are very apt, when we want to
bring illustrations of dying triumph, to go
back to some distinguished personage--to a
John Knox or o Harriet Newell But l want
you for witnesses. want to know if you
have ever seen anything to make you be-
lieve that the religion of Christ can give
composure in the final hour. Now, in the
courts attorney, jury and judge will never
admit mere hearsay. They demand that
the witness must have seen with his own
eyes, or heard with his own ears. and so
want to know whether you have seen or
heard anything that makes you believe that
the religion of Christ gives composure in
the final hour.
"Oh. yes" you say; Il saw my father and
mother depart. There was great differ
ence in their deathbeds. Standing by the
one we felt more veneration. By the other
there was more tenderness" Before the
one you bowed in awe. In the other case
you felt as if you would like to go along
with her. How did they feel in that last
hour? How did they seem to act? We're
they very much frightened2 Did they take
hold of this world with both hands as though
| Al -, -.
you say; mo, remember as though it were
Yesterday; she had kind word for us all
aud there were few mementoes distri-
buted among the children, and then she
told us how kind we must be to our father
in his loneliness, and then she kissed us
good-by and went asleep as calmly as q
child in q cradle.
What made her SO composed? Natural
courage? NO you say; mother was very
nervous; when the carriage inclined to the
side of the road she would cry out; she was
always rather weakly" What, then, gave
her composure? Was it because she did
not care much for you and the pang OF part
ing was not great? oh, you. say She
showered upon us wealth Of affection; nc
, mother ever loved her children more thar
mother loved us; she showed it by the
way she nursed us when we were sick, anC
, she toiled for us until her strength gave
! out" What, then, was it that gave hel
composure in the last hour? Do not hide it
! Be frank and let me know. "Oh." you say
"it was because she was so good; she made
/. the Lord her portion, and she had faitf
that she would go straight to glory and tha
/, we should all meet her at last at the foot o
! the throne"
Here are people who say. Il saw Chris
tian brother die, and he triumphed" Ant
! some one else, Il saw Christian sister die
!, and she triumphed." Some one else will
! say, Il saw Christian daughter die, an(
= she triumphed." Come, all ye who. have
seen the last moments of a Christian, anl
:. give testimony in this cause on trial I'm
i cover your heads, put your hand on the ole
family Bible from which they used to reat
+ the promises, and promise in the presence
4 Of high heaven that you will tell the truth
the whole truth and nothing but the truth
4 With what you have seen with your owl
eyes, and from what you have heard will
4 your own ears, is there power In this Gospe
i to give calmness and triumph in the las
/ exigency? The response comes from al
Z sides, from young and old and middle aged
i I'VE are Witnesses
n You see, my friends, have not put befor
4 | you to-day an abstraction, or ch1mera, o
n anything like g1esswork. l present Vol
i affidavits OF the best men and women. livinl
I and dead. Two witnesses in court vii
q nesses, but thousands of witnesses--ol
= = earth millions of witnesses, and in heavel
|, a great multitude of witnesses that no NAL
/ can number, testifying that there is powe
I in this religion to convert the soul. to Civ
y !, comfort in trouble and to afford composur
> in the last hour. Iften men should come Il
= yht,1, oil