The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1890-07-12

R-J
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 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 sympathizing God; and when
i was too YEA to pray, or to look up,
He breathed into me a peace that 1
think must be the foretaste of hat
Heaven where there is neither a tear,
nor a farewell, nor a grave" Come, all
We 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 paroxysn of
grief? There comes up an answer from
comforted widowhood and orphanage
and childlessness, saying: GAY, ay. we
are Witnesses
When q man has trouble the world
comes in and says: Now get your mind
of this; go out aud breathe the fresh
air; plunge deeper into business"
What poor advice! Get your mind off
it! When every thing is u%pturned with
the bereavement, and every thing re-
mind you of what you have lost. Get
your mind off it! They might a we'll
advise you to stop thinking. You a
not stop thinking, and you can not stop
thinking in that direction. Take a
walk in the fresh air! Why, along hat
very street, or that very road, b 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 BUSH
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.
1 can build a Corliss engine, l IA paint
a Rapheal's Madonna" / can play a
Beethoven's "Eroica Symphony" as
easily as this world can comfort a
broken heart. And yet you have been
u UCu. ~" q ~ oiiO DAo
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 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 lear one and say:
1T is all right; she is better off; I
would not call her back. Lord, l thank
Thee that Thou has comforted my poor
heart"
Again: l remark that we are wit
nesses of the fact that religion has
power to give composure in the last mo-
ment- / never shall forget the first
time l confronted death. We went
across the corn fields in the country.
was led by my fathers hand and we
came to the farm house where the be-
reavement had come and we saw the
crowd of wagons and carriages, but
there was n carriage that especially
attracted my boyish attention and il
had black plumes. ! said: Whats
that? What's that? Why those black
tassels on the top?" and after 1t was *
planned to me / was lifted up to look
upon the bright face Of an aged Christian
woman who three days before had de-
parted in triumph. The whole scene
made an impression l never forgot.
In our sermons and in our lay exhort'
alton we are very apt, when we want &c
bring illustrations of dying triumph, tc
go back TO some distinguished person
age-to q John Knox OF a Harriet New
ell. But / want you for witnesses,
want to know II you have eyer 9 Q any
thing to make you believe that the
religion Of Christ a give composure IN
| the final hour. Now, in the courts, at
torney, jury and Judge will never admit
mere ~hearsay. They demand that the
witness must ave seen with his OWL
eyes, or beard with his own ears, and sc
am ] critical in my examination Of you
now; and ] want to know whether you
have seen or heard any thing that make:
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
difference in their deathbsds Standing
| by the one we felt more generation. ~
the other there was more tenderness"
Before the one, you bowed perhaps ip
awe. In the other case you felt az u
you would like to go along with her,
How did they feel in that last hoar9
How did they seem to act? We're they
very much frightened? Did they take
hold Of this world with both hands as
though they did not want to give 1t upP
20. no" you say no; mo, remember
rs though 1t were yesterday; she had I
kind word for us all, and there were .
few mementoes distributed among the
children, and then she told us how kind
We must be to our father in his loneli'
ness and then she kissed us goodby and
went asleep as cainlV rs a child in
cradle"
What made her SO composed? Natural
~courage? mo-" you say, mother wal
very nervous; when the carriage In
Iclined to the side of the road b woqlt
cry out; she was always rather weakly
| What, then, gave her c%olnposure2 Wa
| ~ uptduh0 SHo Nlu NV ShLO IAaSf ~
4 you, and the pang Of parting was no
Y greatP 60" you say, ''she sbowerec
$ppon us a wealth Of affection; no mothe
ever Logged her children more thai
mother loved us; abe showed it by thu
way she nursed us when W. gere sick
taad she toiled for us until her strength
gave out.n What, then, was 1T tina
gave her compospre in the last hour
Do not hide it. BE frank and Jet m
know. no" you say, sit was becaus
she was so good; she made the Lord he
portion, and she had faith that sh,
would go straight TO glory, and that "
should all meet her at last at the foot O
the throne"
Here are people who say: 81 saw
Christian brotheraie and he ~triumphed.
And some one else, 81 Jaw o Christina
sister die and she triumphed." Som
one elRe will say: 81 saw a Christia
daughter die and she triumphed." Come
all We who have seer the last moment
Of a Christian, and give testimony Il
this cause on trial. Uncover your head
put your hand on the old family Bib
from which they used to read the prop
ises, and promise in the presence
High Heayen that you will tell tn
truth, the whole truth and nothing bu
the truth. With what you have gee
with your own eyes, and from what yo
have heard with your own ears, is ther
power in this Gospel to give caimRos
and triumph in the last e~xigencyP Th
response comes from all sides, froi
Young, and old, and middle-agod; wv
are witnesses!'
You see. my friends, have not pt
before you to-day an abstraction, {