Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1890-07-07

| tIC tHOuSdilClS Vi people Ill tIllS aSS0ul-
blage today who are no more what they
once were than a waterlily is a night
gh2de, or a morning lark is vulture,
or day is night
Now, if l 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: 1--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 depend?
Mol When blush, be this my shame:
That no more revere his name
THE GOSPELS POWER TO COMFORT.
Again | 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
just 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
going to be useful woman and of long
| life; but the Lord took her, and you
were tempted to say, "All 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
full, 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 distress [ threw myself at the
feet of a sympathizing God; and when
l was too weak to pray or to look up
he breathed into me a peace that l
think must be the fOretaste of that
heaven where there is neither tear
liza u 1ebI CHC1i3 A1OA q $Ae1fO. COA1O,
all ye who have been out to the grave
to weep there-come, all We cOmforted
souls, get up off 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: cay, ay, we
are witnesses"
GOD EASES SORROW.
When a man has trouble the world
comes in and says, 'FNow get your mind
off this; go 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 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 stop
thinking in that direction. Take a
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" Go
deeper into businessl Why, she was
associated with all your business am
bition, and since she has gone you have
no ambition left.
Oh, this is clumsy world when it
tries to comfort a broken heart. I can
build Corlear's engine, [ can paint a
RaphaeTs Madonna" I can play
Beethoven's "Eroica Symphony" as
easily as this world can comfort brok-
en- heart And yet you have been COM
forted. 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 a minute when he came to
you-perhaps in the watches of the
night, perhaps in your place of bust
ness, 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,
'It is all right; she is better off; l
would not call her back. Lord, I thank
thee that thou hast comforted my poor
heart"
WHEN THE LAST MOMENT COMES.
Again, I remark that we are witness
es of the fact that religion has power to
give composure in the last moment. l
never shall forget the first time [ con-
fronted death. We went across the
cOrnfields in the country. 1 was led by
my fathers hand, and we came to the
farmhouse where the bereavement had
come, and we saw the crowd of wagons
and carriages; but there was one car
riage that especially attracted my boy |
ish attention, and it had black plumes. |
I said: whats that? what's that2 |
Why those black tassels on the topW
and after it was explained to me was
lifed 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 exhor- |
tations we are very apt, when we want |
to bring illustrations of dying triumph, |
to go back to some distinguished per- |
SOnag0-UO u OH hnOX OF d
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 adj |
NIT mere hearsay. They demand that |
the witness must have seen with his own |
eyes, or heard with his own ears, and |
SO 1 am critical in my examination of |
you now; and 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.
ooh, yes" you say; II saw my IA
ther and mother depart. There was a
great difference in their deathbeds. |
Standing by the one we felt more vene-
ration. 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