The Opelousas courier., 1890-10-18

tress I threw myself at the feet OF q SYM
pathizing God; and VIXEN ] was too weak
to pray. or TO look up. He breathed into me
q peace that I think must be the foretaste
of that heaven where there Is neither a tear,
nor a farewell, nor d grave" Come, all ye
who havs been out to the grave to weep
.there-ccme, ill ye comforted souls, get MP
off your knees. Is there no power in this
Gospel to soothe the heart? L. there no
power in this religion to quiet the worst
paroxysm of grief? There CO mes up an an
swer from comforted widowhood, and
~orphanage, and childlessness, saying: LAY,
av, we are Witnesses
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 aavloet
Get your mind of it'll When everything Is
upturned with the bereavement and every
thing reminds you of what you have lost;
advise you to stop thinking. You cannot
stop thinking, and you cannot stop thinking
in that direction. Take a walk in the fresh
airi Why, along that very street OF that
very road she once accompanied You.
Out of that grass plat she plucked flowers
or into that show window she looked, fas-
cinated. saying: 'tCome, see the pictures"
Go deeper into business? Why, she was
associated with all your business ambition,
and since shs has gone you have no ambition
left.
Oh, this is a clumsy world when it tries TO
comfort a broken heart. | can build a Cor-
lear's engine, I can paint a Raphaers ma
donna,"I can play Beethoven's "Eroica
Symphony as easily as this world can COM
fort a broken heart. And yet you nave been
comforted, How was it dona9 Did Christ
come to you and say 'Get o u mind OH
this: go out and breathe fresh air; plunge
deeeer into businessf" No. There was q
minute when He came to you-perhaps In
the watch Of the night, perhaps IN your
place of business, perhaps along the streeG
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 andlo ok into the eyes and face
of the dear one and say: eft is all right;
she is better off; I would not call her back
Lord, I 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. lnever shall
forget the first timeI confronted death. We
went across the cornfelds in the country. 1
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
some distinguished personage-to q John
Knox or a Harriet Newell. But I van you
for witnesses. I want to know if you have
ever seen anything to make you believe that
the religion Of Christ can give eomposure 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 W yes or heard with
his own ears, and SO / arm critical in my ex-
animation Of you now; and / want to o
whether you ave 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 father and
mother depart. There was a great differences
in their deathbeds. Standing by the n we
felt more veneration. By the other, there
was more tenderness Before the one you
bowed perhaps in I'VE In the other case YOU
| leu DIS III YOU WQuHA 11hC - Ky 6AOAS ~ "
How did they feel in that last hour? How
did they seem to act? Were they very muct
frightened? Did they take hold of this worlt
with both hands as though they did not want
to give it up? "Oh, no" you say, mo,
remember as though it were yesterday; shs
had a kind word for us all, an there wer'
a few mementoes distributed among tn
children, and then she told us how KIND W.
49,. -. e-AA-- - hs1 Tora1InAcr ons
then she kissed us good-by and went ASLEEP
as calmly as a child in q cradle"
What made her SO composed Natura
couraae? sNo," you say, mother was yer,
nervous: when the carriage inclined to tn
side of the road she would cry out; she wa
always rather weakly What, then, CAV
her composures Was it because she did no
was not great? "Oh," you say, sshe show
cred upon usa wealth of affection; nomothe
ever loved her children more than mothe
loved us: she showed it by the way SD
nursed us when we were sick, and she toile
for us until her strength gave out" What
then. was it that gave her composure IN tn
last hour2 Do not hide it. Be frank and L.
she was so good; she made the Lord her POI
fion and she had faith that she would g
STRAIGHT to glory and that we should all NEE
her at last at the foot OF the throne"
Here are people who say, II saw q Chri
tan prosner oss anu ~, : a9 ch,;stian sister II
some one else, sa y soa,a one alse wi
and sne $500 d;o and sh
say, saw : Q Sone aI "a who have nee
tTlumpned.. Sone, dhr;stisn and OH
the last momen!s oa -, tr;si TTncovt
testimony IN 1a.s SO 49, hsnJ ~ an sha old tamil
RihIa from which they used to read the pron
ises, and promise In u en sa,1 the trntb Il
heaven snao yo9 sa4h;nn hit tha 4r,tl
J whole tTuhn anu ns LIZ w;th vo,r ow
with wnaD you a, Ia ~, have hard wit
eyes, . from Mhsaa" yo oouar i, tbis 5osn