Connecticut western news., 1890-07-09

made us CromDlo, ana maOe us kueel, and made us cry for mercy, and we tried to wrench ourselves away from the grasp, but we could not. It flung us flat, and when we arose we were as much changed as Gourgis, the heather, who went into a prayer meeting with a dagger and a gun to disturb the meet ing and destroy it, but the next day was found crying, "Oh, my great sins! Oh, my great Saviour" and for eleven years preached the Gospel of Christ to his fellow mountaineers, the last words on his dying lips being, 'sFree grace' 's Oh, it was free grace!
 CONVERSION DID TT.
 There is a man who was for ten years hard thinker. The dreadful appetite had sent down it's roots around the pal ate and the tongue, and on down until they were interlinked with the vitals of the body, mind and soul; but he has not taken any stimulants for ten years What did that? Not temperance soci- eties Not prohibition laws. Not moral suasion. Conversion did it. 'Why," said one upon whom the great change had come, ''sir, I feel just as though were somebody else!" There is sea captain who swore all the way from New York to Havana, and from Havana to San Francisco, and when he was in port he was worse than when, he was on the sea. What power was it that washed his tongue clean of pro- fanities and made him a psalm singer2 Conversion by the holy spirit. There are thousands of people in this assem- blaze today who are no more what they once were than a waterlily is a night shade, or a morning 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, SO far from being ashamed they would spring to their feet with more alacrity than they ever sprang to the dance, the tears mingling with their exhilarations as they cried: "We are witnessesr And if they tried to sing the old Gospel hymn they would break down with emotion by the time they got to the second line:
 Ashamed of Jesus, that dear Friend
 On whom my hopes of heaven depend?
 Nol When blush, be this my shame:
 That no more revere his name.
 THE GOSPELS POWER TO COMFORT.
 Again I remark that we are wit nesses of the Gospels power to comfort. There are Christian parents here who are willing to testify to the power of this Gospel to comfort. Your son had and was going into 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 useful woman and of long life; but the Lord took her, and you were tempted to say, ''AIl this culture of twenty years for nothing!" 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 fret ful, you are not fighting against God. What has enabled you to stand all the trial? "Oh," you say, "I took the medicine that God gave my sick soul. In my distress I threw myself at the feet of a sympathizing God; and when was too weak to pray or to look up he breathed into me peace that think must be the foretaste of that heaven where there is neither a tear, nor farewell, nor grave" Come, all ye 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 heart2 Is there no power in this re- igion to quiet the worst paroxysm of grief9 There comes up an answer from comforted widowhood, and orphanage and childlessness saying: "Ay, ay, we are witnessesp
 GOD EASES SORROW.
 When man has trouble the world comes in and says, ''Now get your mind off this; go out and breathe the fresh air; plunge deeper into business. J What poor advice! Get your mind of | itl 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 can not stop thinking, and you cannot stoI thinking in that direction. Take 8 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 that show window she looked, fascinated, saying, "Come see the pictures" Gc deeper into business! Why, she was associated with all your business am bition, and since she has gone you have no ambition left.
 Oh, this is 8 clumsy world when il | tries to comfort broken heart. l can build Corlears engine, I can paint 6 Raphaels "Madonna," I can play g Beethoven's "Eroica Symphony" as easily as this world can comfort a brok | eQ QodTC. Auu yet you l1dVo OocA COLT forted. How was it done? Did Christ come to you and say, "Get your mino off this; go out and breathe fresh air plunge deeper into business" No. There was a minute when he came to you-perhaps in the watches of the night, perhaps in your place of busi ness, perhaps along the street-and he breathed something into your soul thai gave peace, rest, infinite quiet, so tha1 you could take out the photograph O
 the departed one and look into the eye
 and tho fooo of 10 door oro and Sau