The Brookhaven leader., 1891-07-23

umph. TO go back TO some distinguished
personage-t6aJ John Knox or Harriet
Newell. But want you for witnesses.
i want to know il 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 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 my examination OF
you now; and want to know whether
| you have seen or heard anything that
makes you believe that the religion OF
Christ gives com posure in the final hour.
''Oh, yes" you say, II saw my father
and mother depart. There was great
| difference in their death beds Stand
ing by the one we felt more veneration.
BY tn. 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 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 a kind word for us all, and
there were few mementoes distrib-
uted among the children, and then she
told US how kind we must be to our ia.
ther in his loneliness, and thep she
kissed us good-by and went asleep as
a child in a cradle" 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 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 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 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," you say, sit
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"
You see, my friends, have not put
before you an abstraction or chimera,
or anything like guess work l pre-
sent you atfidavits of the best men and
women, living and dead. Two wit
nesses in court will establish fact.
Here are not two witnesses, but mil
lions 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
them, you would probably take it..
Now, suppose ten other men should
come up and say: 1--WE don't believe
that there is anything in that medi
cine" WELL" say, ''have you tried
it?" "No, l never tried it, but don't
believe there is anything in it." Of
course you discredit their testimony.
The skeptic may come and say: There
is no power in your religion" Have
you ever tried it?" mo, no." "Thep
avauntr' Let me take the testimony of
the millions of souls that have been
converted to God, and comforted in
trial, and solaced in the last hour. We
will take their testimony as they cry:
4 1--WE are Witnesses
Prof. Henry, of Washington, discov-
cred new star, and the tidings sped
by submarine telegraph, and all the OBJ
servatories of Europe were watching
| for that new star. Oh, hearer, looking
out through the darkness of thy soul,
canst thou see bright light beaming
on thee? "Where?" you say, "where?
How can l find it?'' Look along by the
line of the Cross of the Son of God. Do
you not see it trembling with all ten
derness and beaming with all hope? II
is the Star of Bethlehem.
Deep horror then my vitals froze.
| Death struck ceased the tide to stem,
When suddenly a star arose
1t was the Star of Bethlehem.
Oh, hearers, get your eye on it. 1t. is
tdSlcr IOC you HoW W UCCOAiC CliI iIlolldHo
than it is to stay away from Christ and
Heaven. When Mime. Sontag began her
musical career she was hissed off the
stage at Vienna by the friends of her
rival, Amelia Steininger, who had
already begun to decline through
her dissipation. Years passed on,
and one day Nine. Sontag, in
her glory, was riding through. the
streets of Berlin, when she saw a little
ch lid, leading blind woman, and she
said: Come here, my little child,
come here. Who is that you are lead
ing by the hand?" And the little
child replied. That's my mother;
that's Amelia Steininger. 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 Mime. Sontag,
sand tell her an old acquaintance will
call on her this afternoon" The next
week ia Berlin a vast assemblage gath
cred at a 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 Amelie Steininger'sa death Mime.
Sontag took care of her and her daugh-
ter after her. That was what the queen
of song did for her enemy. But, oh