The Hazel Green herald. [volume] (Hazel Green, Wolfe County, Ky.) 1885-19??, 1891-08-14

/ NNHHlOns GN III al AiABoN AehNo NhNAN -
multitudes of Christians to-day.
But why go so far to find evidences
OF the Gospels power 10 save soul2
1--WE are witnesses" We are so proud
that no man could have bled us:
we were so hard that no earthly power
could have melted us: angels of God
were all around about us; they could
not overcome us; but one day, perhaps
at a Methodist anxious seat, or at
Presbyterian catechetical lecture, or at
burial. or on horse back, a power
selzed us and made us get down, and
made us tremble and made us kneel,
and made us cry for mercy, and we
tried TO wrench ourselves away from
the grasp. but we could not. II flung
us fiat, and when we arose we were as
much changed as Gourgis, the heather.
who went into a prayer-meeting with a
dagger and a gun to disturb the meet
ing and destroy IL, but the next day
was found crying "Oh! my great sins!
Oh! my great Saviour and for eleven
years preached the Gospel OF Christ to
his fellow mountaineers, the last words
on his dying lips being: Free Grace!
Oh, ii was free grace"
There is a man who was for ten years
a hard drinker. The dreadful appetite
had sent down its roots around the
palate and the tongue, and on down I'M
til they were interlinked with the vitals
of the body, mind and soul; but he has
not taken any stimulants for two years.
What did that? Not temperance So
cieties. Not prohibition laws. Not
moral suasion. Conversion did it.
why" said one upon whom the great
change had come, ''sir, l feel just as
though Iwere somebody els." There is
a sea captain who swore all the way
from New York to Havana, and from
Havana TO San Francisco, and when he
was in port he was worse than when he
was on sea. What power was it that
washed his tongue clean of profanities
and made him psalm-singer? CONVEX
sion by the Holy spirit There are
thousands of people here to-day who
are no more what they once were than
a water-lily is a nightshade, or a morn
ing lark is a 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
exhilaration as they cried, 1--WE are
Witnesses And il 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 dependf
| No! when, blush, be this my shame;
That no more revere His name.
Again, / remark that I'VE are wit
nesses" of the Gospels power to comfort.
When a man has trouble the world
comes in and says: "Now 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 every thing is upturned with
the bereavement, and every thing re-
minds you of what you have lost. Get
your mind off it! They might as we'll
advise you to stop thinking, and you
can not 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-plot 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 business am
bition, and since she has gone you have
no am bition left Oh, this is a clumsy
world, when it tries to comfort a bro
ken heart! | can build Corliss en-
CINE, can paint Raphaers 'Madon-
na," can play Beethoven symphony
as easily as this world can comfort a
broken heart And yet you have
been comforted. Z" How was IL done? Did
Christ come TO you and say, Get your
mind off this, go out and breathe the
fresh air; plunge deeper into business?"
No There was minute when he
came to you-perhaps in the watches of
the night, perhaps in your place of bus
mess, 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: ut is all right; she is better off;
would not call her back. Lord, / thank
Thee that Thou hast comforted my
poor heart" 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
a young ladies' seminary, and you
thought she was going to be useful
woman. and of long life but the Lord