Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1891-07-07

Ny parents never mentioned the
death of a child who died fifty years
before without a tremor in the voice
and a sigh. oh how deep fetched. 1t
was better she should die; it was
a mercy she should die. She would
have been a lifelong invalid But you
/ cannot argue away a parents grief.
How often you hear the moan. "Ohl
my child, my childw Then there are
| the filial tears
OUR GRIEF FOR THE DEAD.
Little children soon get over the loss
of parents. They are easily diverted
with a new toy But where is the man
who has come to thirty or forty or
fifty years of age who can think of the
old people without having all the foun-
tains of his soul stirred up1 You may
have had to take care of her a good
many years but you never can forget
how she used to take care of you.
There have been many sea captains
converted in our church, and the pc
culiarity of them was that they were
nearly all prayed ashore by their mo-
thers, though the mothers went into
the dust soon after they went to sea.
Have you never heard an Old man in
delirium of some sickness call for his
mother2
The fact is we get SO used to calling
for her the first ten years of our life we
never get over it, and when she goes
away from us it makes deep sorrow.
You sometimes, perhaps, in days of
trouble and darkness, when the world
would say, You ought to be able to
take care of yourself" you wake up
from your dreams finding yourself
saying, "Oh, motherl mother" Have
these tears no divine origin2 Why
take all the warm hearts that ever
beat in all lands and in all ages, and
put them together, and their united
throb would be weak compared with
the throb of Gods eternal sympathy
Yes, God also is Father of all that rain
of repentance.
Did you ever see a rain of repent
ance2 Do you know what it is that
makes a man repent2 see people go
ing around trying to repent. They
cannot repent Do you know no man
can repent until God helps him to re-
pent2 How do know? By this pas.
sage, Him hath God exalted to be a
prince and a Saviour to give repent
ance." Oh! it is a tremendous hour
when one wakes up and says II am
bad man; have not sinned against the
laws of the land but have wasted my
life. God asked me for my services
and haven't given those services. Oh |
my sins, God forgive me-"
When that tear starts it thrills all
heaven. An angel cannot keep his eye
off it, and the church of God assemblies
around and there is a cOmmngling of
tears, and God is the father of that
rain, the Lord, long suffering, merciful
and gracious. In u religious assem-
blage man arose and said; II have
been very wicked man; broke my
mothers heart | became an infdel;
but | have seen my evil way, and
have surrendered my heart to God.
But it is a grief | never can get over
that my parents should never have
heard of my salvation. ! don't know
whether they are living or dead )"
While yet he was standing in the audi.
ence, a voice from the gallery said,
"Oh, my son. my sonl"
He looked up and he recognized her.
1t was his old mother. She had been
praying for him for great many years,
and when at the foot of the cross the
prodigal son and the praying mother
embraced each other, there was rain,
a tremendous rain, of tears, and God
was the Father of those tears. Oh,
that God would break us down with a
sense OF our sin, and then LIT us up
with an appreciation of his mercy.
Tears over our wasted life Tears over
IA grieved spirit. Tears over an injured
father Oh. that God would move
upon this audience with a great wave
of religious emotion.
THE GREAT KING PARDONs.
The king of Carthage was dethroned
His people rebelled against him. He
was driven into banishment. His wife
and children were outTlgeoualy abused
Years went 10y, and the king Of Garth
age made many friends. lie gathered
up great army lle marched agair
toward Carthage, Reaching the gate
of Carthage the best men Of the placJ
came out barefooted and barehcaded
and with ropes around thoir necks, cry
ing for mercy They said, we abused
you and we abused your family; bu
We cry for mercy. The king of Garth
age looked down upon the people from
his chariot and said II came 70 bless
, | didn't come 10 destroy lou drov
, mo out, bat this day pronounce par
don for all the people, Open the gat
and let the army come in." Tn,
, king marched in and took the throne
! and the people all sounded, Long liv,
the kingw
My friends, you have driven the Lore
: Jesus Christ, the king of the church
away from your heart; you have beer
, maltreating him all these years but h,
/ comes back today He stands in from
, Of the gates Of your soul II you vii
only pray for his pardon, he will NEE
You with his gracious spirit and he vii
. SAY ''fhy sins and thino iniqulties
will remember no moe. Open wild,
} the gate; | will take the throne. Ny
peace ! give unto YOU And then, al
, through the audience, from the young
and frou the old, there viii be a rain