The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1890-07-17
witnesses!" And il they tried to sing the old
Gospel hymn. they would break down with

On ~nom my hopes OF heaven dependg
No! When blush, be this my shame
That no more revere His name"
Again remark that we are witnesses Of
the Gospels power to comfort. There are
Christian parents here who are willing to
testify to the power OF this Gospel to com
fort. Your son had just graduated from
school or college and was g0ingint business
and the Lord took him. Or your daughter
had just graduated from the young ladies'
seminary, and you thought she was going to
be q useful woman and OF long ife but the
Lord took her, and you were tempted to say:
s.'All this culture of 90 years for nothing!"
Or the little child came home rom school
with the hot fever 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 wonder
ing why God ever gave you that child at
all, II so soon he was to take it away. And
yet you are not repining, you are not fretful,
you are not lighting against God. What
has enabled you to stand all the trial? "Oh,"
you say, 81 took the medicine that God gave
my sick soul. In my distress l threw myself
Mt the feet ola sympathizing God; and when
was too weak to pray, or to look up, He;
breathed into me peace that think must
be toretaste of that heaven where there is
neither tear, nor farewell, nor q grave"
Come all We who have been out to the grave
to weep there--come, all We comfOrted souls,
and get up off your knees Is there no power
in this Gospel to soothe the heart? Is there
no power iii this relation to quiet the worst
paroxysm of grief? There comes up an an.
swer from comforted widowhood, and or
phanage, and childlessness, saying, SAY,
ay. we are witnesses!
When man has trouble the world comes
in and says "Now get your mind off this; go
out and breath the fresh air; plunge deeperin-
49, yIr+ lxvson ia
mind off it! When everything is upturned
with the bereavement and everything re-
minds you of what you have lost, get your
mind off it! They might as well advise you
to stop thinking. You cannot stop think
ing, and you cannot stop thinking in that
direction. Take a walk in the fresh airI
Why, along that very street. or that very
road she once accompanied you. Out of
that grass-plat she plucked flowers, or into
that show window she looked, fascinated,
saying: Come see the pictures" Go deep
err into business? Why, she was associated
with all your business ambition. and since
she has gone you have no ambition left. Oh.
this clumsy world when it tries to comfort
broken heart. ! can build Coriss engine
/ can paint Raphael's Madonna" i can
play Beethoven's "Eroica Symphony" as
easily as this world can comfort a broken
heart. And yet you have been comforted.
How was it done? Did Christ come to you
and say, Get your mind off this; go out and
breathe fresh air; plunge deeper into bus
iness?' No. There was minute when He
came to you-perhaps in the watches OF the
night. perhaps in your place of business, per-
haps 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 the face of the dear
one and say: cit is all right; she is better
49, L T. Il r =
thee that thou has comforted my poor
heart"
Again: | remark that we are witnesses of
the fact that religion has power to give COM
posure in the last moment. I shall never
forget the first time I confronted death. We
went across the cornfelds 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
attracted my boyish attention,
and it had black plumes. said, Whats
that? what's that? Why those black tas.
sells on the top?" and after it was explained
to me-, I was lifted up to look upon the
bright face OF an aged Christian woman,
who three days before had departed in tri-
umph; the whole scene made an impression
never forgot.
In our sermons and in our lay exhorta-
tons we are very apt, when we wantto bring
Illustrations OF dying triumph, to go back to
some distinguished personage-to a John
Knox or a Harriet Newell. But l 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 I 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; II saw my father and
mother depart. There was 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 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?' ooh, no. you say;
no, remem Der as thought were yesterday
She had a kind word lorus ALL and there were
dren. and she told us how kind we must be
to our father in his loneliness, and then she
kissed us goodbye and went to sleep as calm
ly as child in a 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 parting
was not great?" ooh" you say, '.she show
cred upon us wealth of Affection; no mo TIL
er ever loved her children more than mother
loved US; she shove 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? "Oh," you say, sit is because
she was so good, she made the Lord her por-
ton, and she had faith that she would go
straight to glory, and that we should all
meet her at last at the foot of the throne
Here are people who say, Il saw Chris
tian brother die. and he triumphed." And
some one else, II saw Christian sister die,
and she triumphed." Some one else will say,
saw Christian daughter die, and she tri-
umphed." Come, all re who have seen the
last moments OF q Christian and give testi-
mony in this cause on trial. Uncover your
heads, put your hand on the old family BIZ
BILE 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 exigency?
The response comes from all sides, from
LII 4 4