The Wahpeton times., 1890-07-17

e.-.hs, .. sn1 snll9sessnees, ~. saying, Az,
When man has tropbls tia world comes
IN and says Nov get your mind OF this; 70
out and breath the fresh cir; plunge deeper in.
to .business" What poor advicel Get your
mind on I'll When everything is upturned
With the bereavement, and everything re-
@,nds yoa OF What you have lost, get your
to stop thinking. You cannot stop think.
ing, and you cannot stop thinking in that
direction. Take walk In the fresh air!
why, along that very street. or that very
road she once accompanied you. Out Of
that grass'plat she plucked flowers. or into
saying: Come zee the pictures" Go deem.
Or INTO business? Why, she was associated
VT WITH all your business ambition. and since
she has gone you have no ambition loft. oh.
thts clumsy world when it tries to comfort
1roken heart. lean build Corliss engine.
can paint Raphael's Madonna" lean
play Beethoven's "Eroica Symphony" 40
easily as this world can comfort broken
neart. And yet you have been comforted.
how was 1t done? Did Christ come to you
and say, Get your mind of this; 60 out and
Dreasme fresh air; plunge deeper into bus
iness! No. There was minute when He
came to you-perhaps In the watches Of the
maps along tho street-and hs 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 tho face OF the dear
one and say: 1T 10 all right; she is better
on; would not coll her back. Lord, Ithank
thee that thou has comforted my poor
heart"
Again: I 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 l confrontea death. We
went across the cornfelds in the country.
was led by my fathers hand, and we came
to the farmhouse whore the bereavement had
come. and We saw the crowd OF wagons and
carriages; but there was one carriage that
especially attrac ted my boyish attention,
and it had black plumes. said, whats
that? what's that? Why those black tas.
sells on tho top?" and after It was explained
bright face Of an aged Christian woman,
who three days before had departed in tri.
umph: the whole scene made an impression I
never forgot.
In our sermons and in our lay exhorta-
tions we are very apt, when we want to bring
illustrations o. dying triumph, to go back to
some distinguished personage-to q John
Knox or Harriet Newell. But i want you
for witnesses. l want to know If you have
ever seen any ything 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 nything
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 q great difference
in their deathbeds. Standing bysthe one We
Nnr0 p,y <hA N<h hos
was more tenderness" Before the one you
bowed, perhaps, in awe. In the other case
you felt as il you would like to 20 along with
her. How did they feel in that last hour?
How did they seem to act? We're they very
much 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 thought it were yesterday.
She had kind word forus all, and there we're
few mementoes distributed among the chill.
dren. and she told us how kind we must be
to our father in his loneliness, and then she
kissed us good.by ye and went to sleep as calm
ly ns 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 parting
was not kreaG! 'On, you say, 6he snow
cred upon us n wealth Of affection; no moth
er ever loved her children more than mother
loved u.s. 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? "Oh," you say, ''it is because
she was 80 good, she made the Lord her por-
tion. 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, II saw n Chris.
tian brother die, and he triumphed." And
some one else, Il saw Christian sister die,
and she triumphed." Some one else will say,
Isaw Christian daughter die, and che tri.
umphsd." Come, all ye who have seen the
mony in this cause on trial. Uncover your
heads, put your hand on the old family Bi.
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
from what Won have henrd 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
young, and old, and middle-aged: "We IRE
witnessesl'
You see, my friends, have not put before
you today an abstraction; or chimsra, or
fidnvits Of the best men and women, living
and dead. Two witnesses in court will es-
tablish fact. Here are not two witnesses.
but thousands o; witnesses-on earth mil
lions of witnesses, and in heaven q great
multitude of witnesses that no man can num-
ber. testifying that there 10 power in this re.
ligion to convert the SOUL to give comfort
in trouble, and to afford composure in the
last hour II 10 miE should come to you
when you are sick with appalling sickness.
and say they had the same sickness, and
took a certain medicine and it cured them,
you would probably take it. Now suppose
10 other men should come up and say, 1--WE
cine." Well Isay, have you ever tried
it?" "No, / never tried it, butI don believe
there is any thing in it," Ofcourse you dis
credit their testimony. The skeptic may
come and say; "There is no power !.dI1 in your
religion, Have you, ever tried it?', No,
testimony OF the millions OF souls that have
been converted to God. and comforted in
trial, and solaced in the last hour. We will
take their testimony as they cry, I'VE are
Witnessed
Some time ago Prof. Henry, of Washing
ton, discovered q new star, and the tidings
sped by submarine telegraph, and oil the
obssrvatories of Europe were watching for
that ne1 star Oh. hearer. looking out
through the darkness Of thy soul to-day,
canst thou see a bright light beaming on
thee? "Where?" ''you say, "where? How
can find it?" Look along by the line OF
the cross Of the Son of God. Do you not see
it trembling with all tenderness and beaming
with oil hope? 1t is the star OF Bethlehem.
"Deep horror then my vitals froze,
Death.struck, ceased the tide to stem,
When suddenly star arose
1t was the Star of Bethlehem"
Oh, hearer, get your eye on it. It is easier
for you now to become Christians than to
stay away from Christ and heaven.