Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1890-07-17


was in port he was worse than when he
was on the sea. What power was it that
E:-asned his tongue clean of profanities,
and made him psalm singer CONVEX
sion by the Holy Spirin There are
thousands of people in this assemblage
to-day who are no more what they once
were than water-lily is nightshade,
or mOrding lark is vulture, or day is
night.
Now, If I should demand that all
those people here present who have felt
the converting power of religion should
rise 80 fer from being ashamed, they
Would spring to their feet with moro
alacrity than they ever sprang to the
dance, the tears mingling with their ex-
hilaration as they cried, 1--WE are wit
A7sses!" And if they tried to sing the
old gospel hymn they would break down
with emotion by the time they got to
the second lines
"9shaified of Jesus, that dear friend
On whom my hopes of Heaven depend?
No! When I blush, be this my shame:
That no more rever His name"
Again l remark that 1--WE are wit
nesses'' of the Gospels power to com
fort. There are Christian parents here
who are willing TO testify to the power
of this Gospel TO comfort YOUR son
had just graduated from school or COL
lege and was going into business and
the Lord took him. Or your datgnter
had just graduated from the young la
dies seminary, and YOU thought she
was going to be useful woman and of
long life; but the Lord took het, and
you we're tempted to say: "All this
culture 81 twenty years for nothingr'
Or the little child came home from
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 wondering Why God ever
gave you that child at all, if so soon He
was to take it away.
And yet you are not repining, you are
not fretful, you are not fighting 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 I threw myself at the
feet of sympathizing God; and when
l was too weak to pray, or to 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 grave" Come, all
ye who have been out to the grave to
weep there-cOme all We comforted
souls, get up off your knees. Is there
no power in this Gospel to soothe the
heart? Is there no power in this re-
ligion to quiet the worst paroxysm Of
grief? There comes up an answer from
comforted widowhood and orphanage
and childlessness, saying: "Ay, ay, we
are witnesses"
When a man has trouble the world
comes in and says: Now get your mind
of this; go out and breathe the fresh
air; plunge deeper into business. "
What poor advice! Get your mind off
it! When every thing is upturned with
the bereavement, and every thing re-
minds you of what you have lost. Get
your mind off it! They might as well
advise you to stop thinking. You can
not stop thinking, and you can not stop
in that direction. Take
walk in the fresh air! Why, along that
very street, or that very road, she once
you. Out of that grass
plat she pluched flowers, or into that
show window she looked, fascinated,
saying: Come see the pictures"
Go deeper into business! Why, she
was associated with all your bust
ness ambition, and since she
has gone you have no ambition
left o, this is a clumsy world
when it tries to comfort broken heart.
l can build COrliss engine, l can paint
a RapheaIs Madonna" can play a
"Eroica Symphony" as
easily as this world can comfort
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
plunge deeper into business" No.
There was a minute when he came to
in the watches 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 the face Of the dear one and say:
1T is all right; she is better off;
would not call her back. Lord, l thank
Thee that Thou has comforted my poor
heart"
Again: 1 remark that we are wit
nesses of the fact that religion has
power to give composure in the last mo-
ment l never shall forget the first
time I confronted death. We went
across the corn fields in the country.
was led by my fathers hand and we
came to the farm house where the be-
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. l said: Whats
that? What's that? Why those black
5assels on the top?" and after it was ex-
planned to me l was lifted up to look
upon the bright face of an aged Christian
who three days before had de-
parted in triumph. The whole scene
made an impression 1 never forgot
In our sermons and in our lay exhort- !
alton we are very apt, when we want to
bring illustrations of dying triumph, to
90 back to some distinguished person
age-to John Knox or Harriet New |
I'll. But 1 want you for witnesses, 1
want to know if you have ever seen any
hing to make you believe that the /
religion of Christ can give composure in
the final hour. Now, in the courts, at /
,ornev. iury and iudoe will never admit |