Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-07-13

= school with the hot fever that stopped moi
for the sgonized prayer or for the skilleo
| physician, and the little child was taken. Oh
the babe was lifted out of your arms by somt
quick epidemic. and you stood wondering
why God ever gave you that child at all, il
so soon He was to take it away. And yet YOU
are not repining. you are not fretful, you arc
not fighting against God. What enabled yor
to stand all the trial? "Oh," you say,"I took
the medicine that God gave my sick soul. In
my distress l threw myself at the feet of q
sympathizing God; and when was too weak
to pray, or to look up, he Dreathed into me q
peace that think must be foretaste OF
TINT heaven where there is neither a teal
nor farewell nor grave" Come, all ye
who have been out to the grave to weep
there-come all ye comforted souls, get ur
| OF your knees.
Comfort for All.
Is there no power in this gospel to soothe
the heart? Is there no power in this religion
| to quiet the worst paroIysm of grief? There
comes up an answer from comforted widow
hood, and orphanage, and childlessness, say
| ing, "Ay, ay, we are Witnesses
| Again / remark that we are witnesses of
the fact that religion has power to give com.
posure in the last moment. shall never
! forget the first time confronted death. We
| went across the cornf1elds in the country.
was led by my fathers hand, and we came
| to the farmhouse where the bereavement
| had come, and we saw the crowd of wagons
| and carriages: but there was one carriage
| that especially attracted my boyish atten-
| whats that? what's that? Why those black
| tassels on the tOp?" And after it was ex-
/ planned to me was lifted up to look upon
| the bright face of an aged Christian woman,
! who three days before had departed in
! triumph The whole scene made an impress
| sion never forgot.
In our sermon and in our lay exhortations
we are very apt, when we want to bring IL
luStrat1ons of dying triumph, to go back to
| some distinguished personage-to a John
| Knox or Harriet Newell. But want you
1 r WA
ever seen anything to make you believe that
the religion OF Christ can give composure in
the final hour. Now, in the courts. attorneys,
jury and judge will never admit mere
hearsay. They demand that the witness
must have seen with his own eyes, or heard
with his own ears. and SO / am critical in
11r my examination OF You now; and want to
know whether you have seen or heard any,
thing that makes you believe that the re-
Ilgion of Christ gives composure in the final
hour.
Christians Fear Not to Die.
''Oh, yes" you say, 81 saw my father and
mother depart. There was a great difference
in their death-beds. Standing by the one
we felt more veneration. BY the other, there
was more tenderness" Before the one, you
bowed, perhaps 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? 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, nos" you say;
mo: l remember as though it were yester-
day; she had kind word for us all, and
there were a few momentoes 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 good-by
What made her so composed? Natural
courage? NO., you say: mother
was very nervous: when the
carriage inclined to the side of the road, she
c 10 nj r~oth th.a1.
weakly What gave her composure? Was
it because she did not care much for you,
and the pang of parting was not great?
"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 were sick, and she toiled for us IN
til her strength gave ont" What, then, was
1t THAI gave her composuTe in the last hour?
DO not hide it. Be frank, and let me know?
oh you say, cit was because she was so
good; she made the Lord her portion, and
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"
A Victorious End to Life.
Here are people who say, 81 saw a Chris
tian brother die and be triumphed" And
some one else, Il saw Christian sister die,
and she tIiumphed." Some one else will
say, 81 saw Christian daughter die, and she
triumphed." Come, all We who have seen the
last moments ofa Christian, and give testi-
mony in this cause on trial. Uncover your
heads, put your hand 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 from
what you have heard with your own ears is
there power in this gospel TO give calmness
and triumph in the last exigency? The re-
sponse comes from all Sides from young and
old and middle-aged: 1--WE are witnessesr'
Prof. Henry, of Washington, discovered a
new star, and the tidings sped by submarine
telegraph, and all the observatories of Eu-
rope were watching for the new star. Oh,
hearer, looking out through the darkness of
thy soul, canst thou see bright light beam
ing on thee? "Where?" YOU saw 'where9
How can 1 find it?'' Look along by the Cross
ling with allNtenderness and beaming with
all hopper 1t is the Star OF Bethlehem.
Deep horror then my vttals froze.
Death-struck ceased the tide to stem,
When suddenly star arose
1t was the Star of Bethlehem.
oh, 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
Madam sontag's Kind Heart.
When Madam Sontag began her musical
career she was hissed off the stage at Vienna
by the friends of her rival, Amelia Steinin-
ger, who had already begun to decline
through her dissipation. Years passed on,
ohN OHC NSs IN nef RlOrV,
was riding through the streets of Berlin,
when she saw a little child leading a blind
woman, and she said: "Come here nv little
child, come here. Who is that you are lead
ing by the hand?" And the little child re-
piled: That's my mother; that's Amelia
Steinlnger. She used to be 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 Madam Sontag, "and
tell her an old acquaintance will call
on her this afternoon" The next
week in Berlin a vast assemblage gath
cred at benefit for that poor blind woman
and it was said that Sontag sang that night
as she had never sung before. And she took
a skilled oculist, who in vain tried to give
eyesight to the poor blind woman. Until
the day of Amelia Steininger's death |
Madame Sontag took care of her and her |
daughter after her. That was what the queen |
of song did for her enemy. But. oh, hear a |
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 home to give |
thee heaven. With more than a Sontag's |
generosity,h he comes now to meet your need. |
With more than Sontag's music, he comes |
to plead for thy deliverance.
MILK PUNCHES AND THE BLUES,
Story of the Man Who Committed Sujcida |