Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1891-07-18

comforted souls, get up OF your knees. Is
there no power in this Gospel TO soothe the
hearth Is there no power in this religion TO
quiet the worst paroxysm Of griefs There
comes up an answer from comfortsd widow.
hood and orphanage and childlessuess, say
ing, "Ay; ay, we ara witnessesp
Again, I remark that We are witnesses
of the fact that religion has power TO give
composure in the last moment. / shall
never forget the first time / confronted
death. We went across the cornfields in the
country. l was led by my fathers hand.
and we came to the farmhouse where the be-
reavement had come and we saw the crowd
ofwagons and carriages; but there was one
carriage that especially attracted my boyish
attention, and it had black plumes said:
Whats that what's that? Why those
black tassels at the topg' And after it was
explained to me was lifted up to look upon
the bright face of an aged Christian woman
who three days before had departed in tri-
umph. The whole scene made an impression
never forgot.
In our sermons and our lay exhortations
we are very apt, when we want to bring lie
lustrations OF dying triumph to go back to
some distin yuishei personage--to a John
Knox OF a Harriet Newell. But want you
for witnesses. / want to know if you have
ever seen anything to make you believe that
the religion OF Christ can give eomposure in
the final hour. Now, in the courts, attorney
jury AMI judge will never admit mare here.
say. They demand that the witness mist
have seen with MS own eyes or heard WITH
his own ears, and SO | am critical in MY ex-
animation of you now, and | want to know
whether you have seen or heard anything
that makes you believe that the religion OF
Christ gives couiposure in the final hour:
''Oh, yes" you say, Il saw my father AMI
mother depart. There was great differ
ence in their deathbeds. Standing by the
one va felt mora vanara fian Rv tho 0fhar
there was more tenderness" Before the one
you bowed perhaps in awe. In the other
case you felt as if you would Ike to go along
with her. How did they feel in that last
hour? How did they seem to act? Were
they very much frightened Did they take
hold of this world with both hands as though
they did not want to give it up? "Oh, no."
you say; mo; | remember as though it were
yesterday; she had 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 a child in CRADLE What made
her so composed? Natural courageg
No" you say; mother was very nerv-
Gus; when the carriage inclined to the side
of the road she would cry out, she was
always rather weakly" What gave her
composure? Was it because she did not care
much for you, and the pang of parting was
uOb SFtdO. On, Jou say, sue SuOA STSu
upon US 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 were sick, aud she toiled
for us until her strength gave out" What
then, was it that gave her composure in the
last hour. Do not hide it. Be frank and
let me know. ''Oh,n you say. ''it was be-
cause she was so goo1 she made the Lord
her portion, AMI she had faith that she
would go straight to glory, and that we
should all meet her at last at the foot of the
throne
Here are people who say, 81 saw a Chris
tian brother die and he triumphed" And
some one else, Il saw Christian sister die,
and she triumphed.n Some one else will say,
II saw Christian daughter die, aud shs
triumphed" Come all ye VINO have sem
the last moment of a Christian, and give tes-
timony in this cause on trial. Uncover your
heads, put your hands on the old family
Bible, from which they used to read the
promises, and promise in the presence of
high heaven that you will 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 TO
give caimness and triumph in the last exig-
encys The response comes from all sides,
from young and Old aud middle aged, ave
are Witnesses
You see, my friends, l have not put before
you any abstraction or chimera or any
thing like guess work. | present you atfida-
Wits of the best men and women living and
dead. Two witnesses in court will establish
a fact Here are not two witnesses, but
millions of witnesses on earth and in heaven
testifying that there is power in this
religion to convert the soul, to give comfort
in trouble and to afford composure in the
last hour
If ten men should come to you when you
are sick with appalling sickness and say they
had the same sickness and took a certain
medicine and it cured them, you would
probably take it. Now, suppose ten other
pen should come up and say: 1--WE don't be-
heve that there is anything In that medi-
cine" well" say, have you tried itg'
'No, never tried it, but / don't believe
there is anything in it, OF course you dis
credit their testimony. The skeptic may
come and say; There is no power in your
religion" Have you ever tried it9' mo,
no." Then avauntf Let me take the
testimony of the millions of souls that have
been converted to God and eonforte1 in
trial and solaced in the last hour. We will
take their testimony as they cry Eve are
1pitnessesf'
Professor Henry, OF Washington. discov-;
cred a new star, and the tidings sped By
submarine telegraph, and all the OBSERVE
tories of Europe were watching for that
new star. On, hearer, looking out through
tie lar1ness of thy soul, canst thou see
bright light beaming on thee? "Where?'
you say, where? How can find it?' Loo
along by the line of the Cross of the Son OF
God. Do you not see it trembling with all
tenderness and beamiug with all hope. 1t
is the Star of Bethlehem.
Deep horror then my vttals froze
Deathstrucs | ceased the tide to stem,
When suddenly star arose
1t was the Star OF Bethlehem.
On, hearers, get your eye on it, 1t is easier
for you now to become Christians than it is
to stay away from Christ and heaven. When
Nine. Sontag began her musical career she
was Kissed off the stage at Vienna by the
friends of her rival, Amelia Steinnger, who
had already begun to decline through her
dissipation. Years passed on, and one day
Mime. Sontag, in her glory, was riding
through the streets of Berlin, when she saw
a little child leading blind woman, and she
said: Come here, my little child, come
here. Who is that you ara leading by the
hand" And the little child replied: That's
my mother, that's Amelia Steininger. She
used to be a great singer. but she lost her
voice, and she cried so much about it that
she lost her eyesight" Give my love to
her" said Nine. Sontag, land tell her an
old acquaintance will call on her this after
noon.n
The next week in Berlin vast assemblage
gathered at benefit for that poor blind
woman. and 1t was said that Sontag sang
that night as she hal never sung before.
And she took skilled oeuist, who in vain
tried to give eyesight to the poor blind
woman. Until the dav OF Amelia Stai1n-
gers death Madam Sontag took care Of her
and her daughter after her That was what
the queen of song did for her enemy But
Oh hear more thrilling story still. Blind,
immortal poor and lost: thou who, when
the world and Christ were rivals for thy
heart didst hiss thy Lord away--Christ
comes now to give thee sight, to give thee
than Sontag's generosity, He comes now to
meet your need, With more than Sontag's
music, He comes to plead for thy deliver.
ance.
se,xrbated SffrCaaus