Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1890-07-18
old Gospel hymn they would break down
with emotion by the time they got TO the

Ashamed OF Jesus, that dear Friend
On whom my hopes Of heaven depend!
MOI When blush, be this my shame;
That no more revere His name.
Again remark that we are witnesses OF
the Gospels power to comfort. There are
Christian parents here who are willing 70
testify to the power OF the Gospel TO COM
fort. Your son had jusG graduated from
school or college 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 gong 70
be a useful woman and of long life: but the
Lord took her, and you were tempted to say,
''All this culture OF twenty years for moth
ingr' Or the little child came home from
school with the hot fever that stopped not
for the agonized prayer or for. the skIlltui
physician, and the little child was taken. Or
the babe was lifted out Of your arms by soma
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 notrepining, you are not frettul, you
are not fighting against God.
what has enabled you to stand all the
trial? ''Oh," you say, II took the medicine
that God gave my sick soul. In my dis
tress I threw myself at the feet of a sym
pathizing God; and when l was too weak
TO pray. or to look up, He breathed into me
q peace that l think must be the foretaste
of that heaven where there is neither tear,
nor farewell, nor a 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 30 soothe the heart? Is there no
power in this religion to quiet the worst
paroxysm of grief? There co mes up an an
swer from comforGed widowhOod, and
orpnanage, and chlldlessness, saying: Ay,
av, we are witnesses!'
When a man has trouble the world comes
IN and says: Now get your mind or this;
90 out and breathe the fresh air; plunge
deeper into business" What poor advice.
Get your mind off it! When everything is
upturned with the bereavement and every
thing reminds you of what you have lost.
Get your mind off it! They might as well
advise you to stop thinking. You cannot
stop thinking, 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 or JnaU grass pau she pIucKed mowers,
or into that show window she looked, fas-
cinated, saying: Come SEQ tho pictures"
Go deeper into business? Why, she was
associated with all your business ambition,
and since she has gone you have no ambition
left.
Oh, this is clumsy world when it tries to
comfort broken heart. | can build Cor
! lear's engine, can paint Raphaels Ma
DONNA" can play Beethoven s "Eroica
Symphony" as easily as this world can COM
fort broken heart. And yet you have been
comforted. How was it done? Did Christ
come to you and say Get your mind off
this; go out and breathe fresh air; plunge
deeper into business" No. There was
minute when He came to you--perhaps in
the watch 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 face
Of the dear one and say: ut is all right;
ShnS &c hot off. 7 could 0f oil hoVsh oO H
Lord l thank Thee that Thou hast comforted
my poor heart"
Again, I remark that we are witnesses of
the fact that religion has the power to give
composure in the last moment. Inever shall
forget the first time confronted death. We
went across the cornfieds in the country. |
was led by my fathers hand and we came to
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 boyish attention,
whats that? What's that? Why
those black tassels on the top%
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 Inever forgot.
In our sermons and in our lay exhOrtations
we are very apt, when we want to bring il
Illustrations Of dying triumph, to go back to
Knox or a Harriet Newell. But want you
for witnesses. I want to know if you have
ever seen anything 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 anything
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 a great difference
in their deathbeds. Standing by the one we
felt more generation. By the other, there
was more tenderness" Before the one 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 act? Were 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
had kind word for us all, and there were
few memeutoes distributed among the
children and then she told US how kind we
| must be to our father in his lonliness, and
then she kissed us good-by and went asleep
as calmly as a child in a 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
vas not great? "Oh," you say 'She show
cred upon Us 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 were sick, and she toiled
for us until her strength gave OUT What,
then, was it that gave her compoSure in the
last hour? Do not hide it. BE frank and let