Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1890-07-17

quick epidemic, and you stood wondering
why God ever gave you that child at all. 4
so soon He was to take it away. And yei
you are notrepining, you are not fretful, you
are not fighting against God.
What has enabled you to stand all the
trials oh" you say, 81 took the medicine
that God gave my sick soul. In my dis
tress l threw myself at the feet OF sym
pathizing God; and wien / was too weak
to pray or 70 look up He breathed into me
a peace that l think must be the foretaste
of that heaven where there is neither tear,
nor a farewell, nor a grave Come, all We
who have been out TO the grave to weep
there-come all ye comforted souls get up
off your knees. Is there no power IN this
Gospel to soothe the hearth Is there no
power in this religion to quiet the worst
paroxysm of GRIEF There comes up an an
swer from comforted widowhood, and
orphanage, and childlessness, saying; "Ay
av. we are Witnesses
| When a man has trouble the world comes
in and says Now get your mind OH this;
90 out and breathe the fresh air; plunge
deeper into business What poor advice
Get your mind off It'll When everything l.
upturned with the bereavement and every
/ thing reminds YOU of what you have lost.
Get your mind off it. They might as well
advise you to stop thinking. You cannot
stop thinking, and you cannot stop thinking
| in that direction. Take a walk in the fresh
! arr w ny, along oLAccb VI thhe
very road she once accompanied you.
| Out of that grass plat she plucked flowers,
or into that show window she looked, tas-
cinated, saying: 'Come, see the pictures"
Go deeper into businessy Why, she was
associated with all your business ambition,
and since she has gone you have no ambition
left.
Oh this is a clumsy world when IL tries TO
comfort a broken heart. can build Cor
lears engine, can paint Rsphaeps MA
DONNA" can play a Beethoven's "Eroica
| Symphony as easily as this world can COM
| fort broken heart. And vet you have been
comforted. How was it doneg Did Christ
come TO you and say sect your mind on
this; go out and breathe fresh air; plunge
deeper into businessg" No. There was a
minute when He came TO you--perhaps in
the watch OF the 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 the photograph OF the
departed one and look into the eyes and face
of the dear one and say: sit is all right;
she is better off; | 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 the power to give
composure in the last moment. never shall
forget the first time confronted death. We
went across Ile EOfuneluS III tut
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 black plumes. said;
whats thatg What's that Why
those black tassels on the topy
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 whole scene made
an impression Inever forgot.
In our sermons and in our lay exaortations
we are very apt when we want to bring IL
Illustrations of dying triumph, to go back TO
some distinguished .personage-to John
Knox or a Harriet Newell. But want you
for witnesses. | want TO know If you have
ever seen anything to make you believe that
the religion OF Christ can give composure IN
the final hour Now in the courts attorney,
Jury and Judge will never admit mere hear
say. They demand that the witness must
have seen with his own eyes or heard with
his own ears, and so | am critical in my ex-
animation of YOU now; and l 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,n you say, II saw my father and
mother depart. There was a great difference
in their deathbeds. Standing by the one we
felt more veneration: BY the other, there
was more tenderness Before the one you
bowed perhaps in awe. In the other case you
felt as II you would like TO goalong with her.
How did they feel in that last hourg How
did they seem TO actg Were they very much
frightenedg Did they take hold OF this world
with both hands as though they did not want
to give it ups "0h, no." you say, mo; l
remember as though il were yesterday; she
had kind word for us all, and there were
a few mementoes distributed among the
children, and then she told US how kind we
must be to our father in his lonliness, and
then she kissed us good-by and went asleep
as calmly as child in cradle"
What made her so composed? Natural
courageg Mo- 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 parting
was not great? "Oh,n you say, 'she show
cred upon us wealth of affection; no mother
ever loved her children more than mother
loved us; she showed It by the way she
nursed us when we were sick, and she toiled
for us until her strength gave out" What.
then, was it that gave her composure in the
last hour? Do not hide it. Be frank and let
me know. ''Oh," you say, sit was because
she was so good; she made the Lord her por-
ton and she had faith that she would go
SITdlSnb W HAptJ anu luat We onOutA tAh AASSs
her at last at the foot of the throne"
Here are people who say, Il saw Chris
tian brother die and be triumphed." And
some one else, II saw Christian sister die
and she triumphed" Some one else will
say, II saw Christian daughter die and she
triumphed.n Come all ye 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
Bible from which they used to read the prom
ises, and promise in the presence of high
heaven that you will tell the truth. the
whole truth and nothing but the truth.
With what you have seen with your own
eyes, and from what you have heard with
your own ears, is there power in this Gospel
to give calmness and triumph in the last exi-
gency? The response comes from all sides
from young and old and middle and aged.
ave are Witnesses
You see my friends, l have net put before
you to-day an abstraction or chimera, or
ANYTHING like guess work. l present you
affidavits of the best men and women, living
and dead Two witnesses in court will es-
tablish fact Here are not two witnes es,
but thousands of witnesses-on earth mill
ions of witnesses, and in heaven great