The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-02-17

a fondness for the churchl 1t is because
Christ died for it. Have we a houo of
heavenl Ir is because Jesus went ahead,
the herald and the forerunner.
Tho royal robe of Demetrius was 50
costly, so beautiful, that after he had put it
of no one ever dared put it on; but this
robe of Christ, richer than that, the poorest
and the wannest and the worst may wear,
"Where sin abounded grace may much
more abound
'Oh, my sins, my sins" said Martin
Luther 70 StaupitZ, my sins. my sinsln
The fact is that the brawny German
student had found Latin Bible chat made
him quake, and nothing else ever did make
him quake; and when he found how,
through Christ, he was pardoned and saved
he wrote to friend saying: "Come over
and join us great aud awful sinners saved
by the grace Of God You seem TO be only
slender sin ner, aud you don't
much extol the mercy OF God; but we that
have been such very awful sinners praise
his grace the more now that we have been
redeemed" Can it be that you are so
desperately egotistical that you feel your
self in first rate spiritual trim, and that
from the root Of the hair TO the tip of the
toe you are scarless and immaculatel What
you need is a loolxing-glass, and here it is
in the Bible. Poor, and wretched, and
crown Of the head to the sole of the foot,
full of wounds and putrefying Sores No
health in us. Aud then take the fact that
Christ gathered up all the notes against us
and paid them, and then offered us the
receipt.
And how much we need him in our sor-
rowsl We are independent of circum-
stances il we have his grace. Why, he
made Paul sing in the dungeon, and under
II. d.
heard the blast of the apocalyptic trumpets.
After all other candles have been snuffed
out, this is the light that gets brighter aud
brighter unto the perfect day; and after,
under the hard hoofs of calamity, all the
pools Of worldly enjoyment have been
trampled into deep mire, at the foot Of the
eternal rock, the christian, from cups of
granite, lily trimmed and vine covered, puts
out the thirst Of bis soul.
Again, l remark. that Christ is above all
in dying alleviations.
[ have not any sympathy with the NOR
bidity abroad about our demise. The
emperor of Constantinople arr anged that
on the day of his coronation the stone
mason should come and consult him about
the tom stone that after a while he would
need. And there are men who are mono-
maniacal on the subject of departure from
this life by death, and the more they think
Of it the less they are prepared to go. This
is an unmanliness not worthy Of you, not
worthy Of me-
Saladin, the greatest conqueror of his
day, while dying, ordered tnat the tuniC
he had on him be carried after his death on
his spear at the head of his ar my, and that
then the soldier, ever and anon, should stoE
and say "Behold, oil that is left of Sala-
din, the emperor and conquerorl OF all
the states he conquered, of all tho wealth
he accumulated, nothing did he retain but
this shroud." / have no sympathy with
such behavior, or such absurd demonstra
ton, or with much that we hear uttered ir
regard to departure from this life to the
next. There is a commonsensical idea or
this subject that you and need to consider
that there are only two styles Of depart
ure.
A thousand feet underground, by light Of
torch toiling in miners shaft, ledge OF
rock may fall upon us, and we may die O
miners death. Far out at sea, falling
from the slippery ratlines and broken OIL
the halyards, we may die sailors death
On mission Of mercy in hospital. amid
broken bones and reeking leproses and
raging fevers, we may die a philanthro
pist's death. On the field Of battle, serving
God and our country, slugs through the
heart, the gun carriage may roll over us,
and we may die patriots death. But
after all, there are only two styles ol
departure-the death of the righteous and
the death of the wicKed-and we all want
to die the former.
God grant that when that hour comes you
may be at home. You want the hand OF
your kindred in your hand. You want
your children to surround you. You want
the light on your pillow from eyes that have
long reflected your love. You want the
room still. You do not want any curious
strangers standing around watching you.
You want your kindred from afar to hear
your last prayer. l think that is the wish
Of all Of us. But is that ALI Can earthly
friends hold us up when the billows OF death
come up to the girdle2 Can human voice
charm open heavens gate2 Can human hand
pilot us through the narrows Of death into
heavens harbors Can any earthly friend
ship shield US from the arrows OF death, anC
in the hour when Satan shall practice upon
us his Internal archery9 No, no, no. no
Alasl Poor soul, if that is all. Better die
in the wilderness, far from tree shadow and
from fountain, alone, vultures circlinp
through the air waiting for our body, un-
known to men, and to have no burial, il
only Christ could say through the solitudes
81 will never leave thee, | will never for.
sake thee" From that pillow Of stone G
ladder would soar heavenward, angel:
coming and going; and across the solitude
and the barrenness would come the sweet
notes of heavenly minstrelsy.
Gordon Hall, far from home, dying in tht
door of heathen temple, said: "Glory tC
thee, o Godl' What did dying Wiberforce
say 70 his wifes "Come and sit beside me
and let us talk Of heaven. l never knew
what happiness was until I found Christ.
What did dying Hannah More say2 "TC
go to heaven, think what that isl Tc go Il
Christ, who died that l might ivel o
glorious gravel o, what glorious thing
it is to diel o, the love of Christ, the love
of Christp' What did Mr.. Toplady, tue
great hymn-maker, say in his last hour
"Who can measure the depths of the thirc
heaven2 o, the sunshine that fills my soul
shall soon be gone, for surely no one car
live in thia world after such glories as GoC
has manifested to my soul"
What did the dying Janeway saya &c,
can as easily die as close my eyes or turI
my head in sleep. Before few hours have
passed shall stand on Mount Zion with the
one hundred and forty and four Thousand
and with the just mon made perfect, anC
we shall ascribe riches, and honor, anC
glory, and majesty, and domiDion untC
God and the lamb" DIR. Taylor, con-
demned to burn at the stake, on his way
thither broke away from the guardsmer
and went bounding, and leaping, and jump
ing toward the fire. glad 0 go to Jesus and
to die for him. Sir Charles Hare, in his last
moment, had such rapturous vision thai
he cried: Upward, upward, upwardl'
And 81 great was the peace Of one
Of Christ's disciples that he put bis
fingers upon the pulse In his wrist and
I'D -