The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1890-07-11

Suc converting power Oh religion Suou40
rise. 50 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 ex-
hilaration as they cried, 1--WE are VII
nesses~ 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 depend1
Mol when blush. be this my shame:
That NO more rever His name"
Again I 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
bad just graduated from school or col
lege and was gong into business and
the Lord took him. Or your daughter
had just graduated from the young Ia
dies 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: "An this
culture of twenty years for nothingT
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 lighting against
God. What has enabled you to stand all
the trial? ''Oh," you say. al took the
medicine that God gave my sick soul.
In my distress / threw myself at the
feet of sympathizing God; and when
1 was too weak to pray, or to look up.
He breathed into me a peace that I
think must be the foretaste of that
Heaven where there is neither n tear,
nor a farewell, nor a grave" Come, all
ye who have been out to the grave to
weep there-come all ye comforted
souls, get up OF 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: LAY, ay, we
| are witnessesr'
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 advicel Get your mind of
1t! When every thing is upturned with
the bereavement, and every thing re-
minds you of what you have lost Get
your mind of it, They might as well
advise you to stop thinking. You can
not stop thinking. and you can not stop
thinking in that direction. Take a
walk in the fresh airl 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.
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 a broken heart.
can build Corliss engine, / can paint
Rapheals Madonna" can play a
Beethoven's "Eroica Symphony" as
easily as this world can comfort a
broken heart And yet you have been
comforted. How was it done? Did
Christ come to you and say: ''Get your
! mind of this; go out and breathe fresh
ar; 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 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:
Ter 10 oil fDhf hn "a Of.
. would not call her back. Lord, thank
: Thee that Thou has comforted my poor
: heart"
Again: / remark that we are wit
. nesses of the fact that religion hal
, power to give composure in the last mo
4 ment never shall forget the frs
time 1 confronted death. We wen
. across the corn fields in the country.
; was led by my fathers hand and W,
came to the farm house where the be
reavement had come and we saw tht
= crowd of wagons and carriages, blu
= there was one carriage that especial,
attracted my boyish attention and i
had black plumes- ] said: What
|, that? What's that? Why those blacl
tassels on the top?' and after it was ex
a planned to me ! was lifted up to lool
upon the bright face of an aged Christian
q woman who three days before had de
! parted in triumph. The whole seen,
q made an impression 1 never forgot
In our sermons and in our lay exhort
!. alton we are very apt when we want I,
/. bring illustrations of dying triumph, t,
4 go back to some distinguished person
5 age-to John Knox or Harriet New
a ell. But i want you for witnesses,
. want to know IL YOU have ever seen an,
r thing to make you believe that tht
a religion Of Christ can give composure ii
O the final hour. Now, in the courts, at
9 torney, jury and judge will never admi
: mere hearsay. They demand that tn,
n witness must have seen with his owl
: eyes or heard with his own ears, and $.
a am critical in my examination of 20,
Z now; and want to know whether 20,
$ have seen or heard any thing that make
you believe that the religion of Chris
4 gives composure in the final hour.
Q 30, yes" you say, 81 saw my fathe
L and mother depart There was q grea
Q difference in their deathbeds Standin,
II by the one we felt more veneration- b,
d the other there was more tenderness.
It Before the one, you bowed perhaps il
a awe In the other case you felt as i
, you would like to go along with her
J. How did they feel in that last hour
s How did they seem to act? Were the,
s very much frightened? Did they tax
9 hold OF this world with both hands a
though they did not want to give it up
e 20. no." you say no; mo. 1 remembe
n as though 1t were yesterday; she had
9 kind word for us all, and there were
a few mementoes distributed among tn,