The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1890-07-24

| Get your mind of it! Whom everything is
| upturned with the bereavement and every-
| thing reminds you of what you have lost.
| Get your mind of it! They might rs well
advise you to stop thinking. You canlo.
stop thinking, and You cannot sto? thinking
in that direction. Take walk in tho fresh
! air! Why. along that very street or that
very roaI she onco accompanied you.
Out of that grass plat she pluckel flowers
or into that show window she looked, fas-
cinatcd, saying: Come, see tho pictures
Go deeper into business? Why, she was
associated with oil your business ambition,
End since she has gone You havc no ambition
left.
Oh, this is clumsy world when it tries to
comfort broken heart. can build Cor
lea.'s engine. can paint n R2Dhael's MA
donna,n I can play Beethoven's "Eroica
Symphony" as easily as this world can coal-
fort broken heart. And vet you have been
comforted. How was it done? Did Christ
como to you and say "Get your mini OIL
this; go out and breathe fresh air; plunge
deeper into business!" No. There was q
minute when He camc to you--perhaps III
tho watch Of tho night perhaps i'll your
place Of business, perhaps along tho street
and uo breathed something into your soul
that gayo peace, rest. infinite quiet. so that
departed Cue and look into the eyes and faco
of the dear oh2 and say: 1T is all right;
she is better of; would not call her back.
Lord, thank Thee that Thou hast comfortel
my poor heart"
Again, I remark that we are witnesses OF
the fact that religion has the power to give
conpoSure in the last moment. never snail
forget the first time confronted death. We
went across the cornfieldS in tho country.
H., fo& -. ho,,I nd
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 Doyish attention,
and it had black plumes said:
''What's that? What's that? Why
those black tassels on tho top?
and after it was explained to ME was lifte1
up to look upon tho bright face of an aged
Christian woman who three days before had
departed in triumph; tho whole scene made
, an impression Inever forgot.
In our sermons AMI in our lay exhortations
we are very apt, when we want to bring IL
Illustrations of dying triumph, to 60 back to
some distinguished personage-to John
Knox or Harriet Newell. But want you
for witnesses. l want to know il you have
ever seen anything to make you believe that
the religion Of Christ can give composure III
the final hour Now in the courts attorney,
jury and judge will never admit n,re hea:-
say. They demand that the witness must
have seen with his own eyes or heard with
his own ears, and so l am critical in my ex-
animation OF you now; and | want to know
whether you have seen or heard anything
that makes you believe that the religion OF
Christ gives composyre in the final hour.
"Oh, yes,n you say, II saw my father anil
mother depart There was a great difference
in their deathbelS. Standing by the ono we
felt moro veneration. by tho other, there
was moro tenderness" B.fore the one yoI
bowed perhaps in ave. In the other caso you
felt as if you would like to goalong with her.
How did they feel in that last hour? How
did they seem to act? Were they very muct
frightened? Did they take hold Of this world
with both hands as though they did not want
to give it UP? "Oh. no." You say. mo. l
remember as though it were yesterday; sh,
had kind word for us all, and there wero
q few mementoes distributed among the
children, and then she toll US how kind wc
must be to our father in his lonlinoss an |
then she kissed us good-by and went asleep
as calmly as q child in cradle"
What made her so composed? Natural
courage? NO" you say, "mother was very
nervous; when the carriage inclin,l to the
side Of the road she would cry out; she wal
always rather weakly" What then, givo
her cornDosure? Was it because sho dill no5
care much for you, and the pan5 OF parting
was not great? "Oh," you say, "sho show
cred upon US q wealth Of affection; no m ,thcr
ever Lowell her childrori moro than mother
loved us; she showc1 it by tho way she
nurssd us when we were SICK and she toic
for us until her strength gave OUT" W hat,
then, was it that gave her compoSuro in tho
last hour? Do not hide it. Be frank an let
me know. "Oa," you say, sit wa, because
eba do fha To- hnr
ton aud she had faith that she would go
straight to glory AMI that we saoul oil IN so5
her at last at the foot Of the throne"
Hero are people who say, ~ saw Chris.
tan brother die and he triumphel.A An
some one else, ''I saw Christian sister die
mud she triunphei." S,ne on! elsa will
say, " saw Christian daughter die an sh,
triumphcd." Come, all yc who have seen
the last moments OF a Christian, and give
testimony in this cause on trial. Uncover
your heads put ycuc hand on the old family
Bible from which they use1 to read the prong
iscS and promise In tho prcsenco OF high
heaven that you will tell tn, truth, tho
whole truth and nothing but tho truth.
With what you have seen with your OWL
eyes, and from what You have heard with
your own ears, is there power i'll this Gospel
to give calmness aud triumph in the last cxl-
| gency2 Tho response comes from oil stiles,
| from young and old and middle and ayel.
1--WE are witnesses"
You see, my friends, have not put bcforo
you to-day an abstraction, or chlmera, or
anything like guess work. present you
aiilavitS OF the best men and women, living
and dead. Two witnesses in court will es-
tablish fact. Here arc not two witnes es,
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 tha+ there is power in this re-
ligon to convert tpe 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 q
certain medicine and it cured them, you
would probably take it,
Now, suppose ten other men should come
up and say, 1--WE don't believe there is any
thing in that medicine" "Well," say,
''have you ever tried it% "No never
tried it, but I 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" !"
"Havc YOU ever tried ity' "No, no."
"Then, avaunt" Let me take the testimony
! of the millions Of souls that have been con-
/ vertei to God, and comforted in trial and
solacel in the last hour. We will take
their testimony as they cry, 1--WE ore wit
nesSesn
Somo time ago Professor Henry, of Wash
ington, discovered new star, and the tidings
sped by submarine telegraph, and all the OBJ
servatorcS of Europe were watching for that
new star. Oh, hearer, looking out through
the darkness OF thy soul today, canst thou
see bright star beaming on thee? "Where%'
you ay ''wherc? How can l find it" Look
along by the line of the cross of the Son of
Col. Do you not see it trembling with all
tenderness and beamng with all hope? 1t is
| the Star of Bethlehem.
Deep horror the my vitals froZe,
| Death struck. ceased the Tide to STEM,
When So l1enlv q star arose
| 1t was the tor Of bethlehem.