Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1891-07-13


abied you to stand all the triall
"Oh. p you say. Il took the medicine
that God gave my sick soui- In my
distress threw myself at the feet Of
synpathizing God. and when ] was too
weak 70 pray or to look up be breathed
into me a peace that ! think must be
the foretaste Of that heaven where
there Is neither tear nor farewell
nor a grave" Come, all ye who have
been out 70 the grave 10 weep there
come all ye cornforted souls. get up OF
your knees l. there no power in this
Gospel to soothe the heartl Is there
no power in this religion 10 quiet the
worst paroxystn Of griefl There comes
Up an answer from comforted widow
hood and orphanage and chiidlessness.
saying, Aye, aye, we are witnessesl'
Again. ! remark that we are wit
nesses Of the fact that religion has
power to give compOsure in the last
moment / shall never forget the first
time l confronted death We went
across the cornfelds in the country. I
was led by my fathers hand. and we
came 70 the farmhouse where the be
reavernent had come, and we saw the
crowd Of wagons and carriages, but
there was one carriage that especially
attracted my boyish attention, and it
had black plumes. said What's
thatl what's thatl Why those black
tasseIs at the tOpr And after it was
explained to me / was lifted up to
look upon the bright face Of an aged
Christian woman, who three days be-
fore had departed in triumph The
whole scene made an impression l
never forget
TESTIMONY or DYING CHRISTIANS.
In our sermons and in our lay exhor-
tations we are very apt, when we want
10 bring illustrations Of dying triumph,
10 go back to some distinguished per
sOnage-to a John Knox or a Harriet
Newell But want you for witnesses.
want 10 know If you have ever seen
anything TO make you believe that the
religion Of Christ can give composure in
the final hour. Now, in the courts, at
torney, Jury and Judge will never ad-
nit mere hearsay. They demand that
the witness must have seen with his
own eyes or heard with his own ears,
and 50 am critical in my examination
of you now; and / want to know
whether you have seen or heard any
thing that makes you believe that the
religion Of Christ gives composure in
the final hour
"Oh, yes, you say, II saw my father
and mother depart. There was a great
difference In their deathbeds. Stand
ing by the one we felt more veneration.
BY the other there was more tender
ness" Before the one you bowed per
/ haps In awe. In the other case you
felt as If you would like to go along
with her How did they feel in that
last hour2 How did they seem to act 2
Were they very much frightenedi Did
they take hold of this world with both
hands as though they did not want to
give Il upi "Oh, no, you say, mo;
remember as though it were yesterday
she had "A kind word for us all, and
there were a few mementoes distributed
among the children, and then she told
us how kind we must be TO our father
In his loneliness, and then she kissed us
goodby and went asleep as a child in a
cradle" What made her so composed
Natural couragel
"No," you sayi mother was very
nervous; when the carriage inclined to
the side of the road she would cry out
sine was always rather weakly" What
gave her composure1 Was it because
she did not care much for you, and the
pang OF parting was not greatl "Oh, "
you say, "she showered upon us a
wealth of affection; no mother ever
loved her children more than mother
loved us; she showed It by the way she
nursed us when we We're sick, and she
tolled for us until her strength gave
out" What, then, was Ii that gave
her composuro in the last hourl Do
not hide it. BE frank and let me know.
"Oh," you say, 1t was because she
was SO good; she made the Lord her
portion, and she had faith that she
would go straight 20 glory, and that
we would all meet her al last at the
foot OF the throne
| uNBFLtRVRRs HAVE NEVER TAsTED IT.
Here are people who say, Il saw "A
| Christian brother die, and he tri-
umphed,n And some one else, II saw
a Christian sister die, and she trl-
umphed." Some one else win say II
saw Christian daughter die, and she
triumphed." " Come, all ye who have
seen the last moments Of Christian,
and give testimony IN this cause on
trial, Uncover your heads, put your
hand on the old family Bible, from
/ which they used 10 read the promises,
and promise ln the presence OF high
heaven that You viii tell the truth, the
whole truth and nothing but the truth
With what you have seen with your
own eyes and what you have heard
with your own ears, IS there power In
this Gospel 20 give oalmness and tri-
umph IN the last exlgencyl The r,-
sponse comes from all sides, from young
and old and middle aged, "wo are wit
nessesl"
You see, my friends, have not put
before YOU an abstraction or chimera,
or anything like guesSwork present
you aliidavits Of the best men and
women, living and dead Two wit
nesses IN court win establish fact.
Hem are not two witnesses. bat mil.