The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-07-07


people here present who have felt the con-
vertng power of religion should rise, 50 far
from being ashamed, they would spring TO
Their feet with more alacrity than they
ever sprang to the dance, the tears ming
ing with their exhilaration as they cried,
We are witnesses" 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 dependg
No! When blush, he this my shame.
That no more revere his name
Again l remark that tive 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 going into bust
ness, 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 A.;
but the Lord took her, and you were
tempted to say, "All this culture of twenty
years for nothingn Or the little child
came home from school with the
hot fever that stopped not for
the agonized prayer or for the skilful
physician and the little child was taken.
Or the babe was lifted out of your arms by
some quick epidemic, and you stood Won
dering 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
threw myself at the feet of a sympathiz-
ing 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, ali 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 heartl Is
there no power in this religion TO quiet the
worst paroxysm of griefl There comes up
an answer from comforted widowhood, and
orphanage, aud childlessness, saying, LAY,
Ay, we are witnessesp 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. What poor advice Got your
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'll They might as we'll adj
wise you to stop thinking. You cannot
stop thinking, and you cannot stop think
ing in that direction. Take walk in the
fresh airl Why. along that very street, or
very road, she once accompanied you
Out of that grass plat she plucked
flowers, or into that show window
he.looked, fascinated, saying: Come, seq
the pictures" Go deeper INFO business.
Why, she was associated with all YOU
business ambition, and since she has gone
you have no ambition left. O., this is
clumsy world when it tries to comfort
broken heart. l can build Corliss engine,
l can paint a Raphae's Madonna can
play a Beethoven's "Eroica Symphony as
easily as this world can comfort a broken
heart. And yet you have been com
forted. How was this donel Did
Christ come to You and say, Get
your mind off this; go out and breathe
fresh air; plunge deeper into busnessN
No. There was minute when he came to
you-perhaps 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 sould take out the photo
graph of the departed one and look INTO the
eyes and the face Of the dear one and say:
at is all right; she is better off | would
not call her back; Lord, / thank thee that
thou hast comforted my poor heart"
Again: | remark that we are witnesses
Of the fact that religion has power to give
composure in the last moment. | never
shall forget the first time | confronted
death. We went across the cornfeds in
the country. l was led by my fathers
hand, and we cane to the farm house where
the bereavement 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. said, whats that! what's that's
Why those black tassels on the topp and
after it was explained to me. was lifted
up to look upon the bright face of an aged
christian woman, who three days before
had departed in triumph; the whole scene
made an impression | never forgot.
In our sermons and In our lay celebrations
we are very apt, when we want 10 bring
illustrations of dying triumph, to go back
to some distinguished personage-to John
Knox or Harriet Newell. But want you
for witnesses. want to know if You have
ever seen anything 30 make you believe
that the religion of Christ can give COM
D sure in the final hour. Now, in the courts,
attorney, jury and judge will never admit
mere hearsay. They demapd that the wit
ness must have seen with his own eyes, or
heard with his own ears and 80 | am criti
cal in my examination Of you now: and
want to know whether you have see or
heard anything that makes you believe that
the religion of Christ gives composure In
the final hour.
20, yes" you say, 81 saw my father and
mother depart. There was a great differ
ence in their death beds. 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 actl
Were they very much frightenedl Did they
take hold Of this world with both hands as
though they did not want to give it upi
30, no." you say, "no; l remember as
though it were yesterday; she had kind
word for us all, and there were few me-
montoes distributed among the children, and
then she told us how kind We must be to
our father in his loneliness, and then she
kissed us good-by and went asleep as calmly
as child in a cradle
What made her so composedg Natural
courage9 mo" 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?"O." you say, "she snowered
upon US a wealth of affection; no mother
ever loved her children more than mother
loved us; she showed it by the way she
nursed us when we we're sick. and she toiled
for us until her strength gave out" WHAT.
"a Al. l.. j..