Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1891-07-24

mind off i'll They might as well advise you
TO stop thinking, and you cannot stop think
ing in that direction. Take walk in the
fresh airl Why, along that very street, or
that very road, she once accompanied you.
Out of that grass plot she plucked flowers,
or into that show window she looked fasci-
mated, saying, Come, see Tire pictures" Go
deeper into businsssl Why, she was asso-
ciated with all your business ambitions and
since she has gone you have no ambition left.
Oh this is clumsy world when it tries to
comfort a broken heart!
| can build Corliss engine, l can paint q
Raphaels Madonna" can play Beetho-
ven's symphony as easily as this world can
comfort broken heart. And vet you have
been comforted How was It donei Did
Christ come to you and say: Get your mind
off this. Go out and breathe the fresh air.
Plunge deeper into busnessf' No. There
was a minute when He came TO you-pef>
haps in the watches Of the night perhaps in
your place of business, perhaps along the
street-and He breatheI something into your
soul that gave peace, rest, infinite quiet. so
that you could take out the photograph OF
the departed one and look into the eyes and
the face OF the dear one and say: at is all
right. She is better Off. | would not call
her back. Lord, thank Thee that Thou has
comforted my poor heart
There are Christian parents here who are
willing 10 testify 10 the power Of this Gospel
to comfort. Your son had just graduated
from school or college and was going into
business, and the Lord took him. Or your
daughter had just graduated from the young
ladies seminary. aud you thought she was
going TO be useful woman AMI OF long life,
but the Lord TOOK her, and you were tempted
to say, IAN this culture Of twenty years for
nothing Or the little child came home
from school with the hot fever that stopped
not for tn, agonlz. Il prayer or for the sklll'
full physician, and the little child was taken.
Or the babe was lifted out Of your arms by
some quick epidemic, and you stood wonder
ing why God ever gave you that child at all
if SO soon He was to take it away. And yet
YOU are not repining, you are not frettul,
you are not fighting against God. What
enabled you to stand all the trial,
"Oh,n you say, II took the medicine that
God gave my sick soul. In my distress l
threw myself at the feet OF sympathlzing
uo1; ana when was too weak TO pray or 10
look up He breathei into me a peace that |
think must be the foretaste of that heaven
where there Is neither tear nor Il farewell
nor a grave Come, all ye who have been
out TO the grave to weep there-come, all ye
comtortet sous, get up off your knees. Is
there no power in this Gospel to soothe the
| heart Is there no power in this religion 10
quiet the worst paroNysm Of grletI 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 tho fact that religion has power TO give
composuro in the last moment. l shall
never forget the first time | confronted
| death. We went across the cornfieds in the
| country. | was led by my fathers hand,
and we cape to the farmhouse where the be-
! req vement 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 l said;
| "W hats thatg what's that? Why those
| black tassels at the top%' 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 trl-
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
Illustrations OF dying triumph, TO go back to
some diStin Suishel personage-to John
Knox or 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 composure IN
the final hour Now, in the courts, attorney,
| Jury and Judge will never admit mere here
say. They demand that the witness must
have seen with his 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 composure in the final hour
"Oh, yes" you say II saw my father and
mother depart. There was Il great differ
euce in their deathbels. 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 Ike TO go along
/ IA tl,o,- al in, hat la gt
hour? How did they seem to act! were
they very much fri ghtened? Dill they take
hold OF this world with both hands as though
they did not want tO give 1t up? "Oh, no,
you say, no; remember as though 1t were
Yesterday; she had kind word for us all,
and there werc a few mementoes distributes
among the children, and then she told us how
kind we must be to our father in his lonell
ness, and then she kissed us goodby and wen
asleep rs IA child ina cradle" What mad'
her so compo>ed' Natural courage?
No. you say; mother was very merry
Gus; when the carriage inclined to the sid
oi the road she would cry out; she wa
always rather weakly What gave he
compoSure? Was it because she did not car
much for you, and the pang of parting wa
not great5 "Oh," you say, she showere,
upon us wealth of affection; no mothe
e ever loved her children more than mothe
: loved us; she showed it by the way sh
nursed us when we vera sick, and she toile
l for us until her strength gave out" Wha'
then was it that gave her composure in tn
? last hour? DO not hide it. Be frank an
$ let mo know "Oh,' you say, lit was b'
= cause she was so good; she made the Lor
r her portion, and she had faith that sh
IS would go straight to glory, and that "
IL should all meet her at last at the foot or III
o throne
q Here are people who say, II saw Chri
t tiau brother die, and he triumphed." An
j some one else, Il saw n Christian sister di
a and she triumphed" Some one else will sa,
o 81 saw a Christian daughter die, and 81
10 triumphed." Come, all ye who have SET
It the last moment of Christian, and give te
,r timony in this cause on trial. Uncover yo'
It heads put your hands on the old fami
Is Bible, from which they used to read Il
4, promises, and promise in the presence
high heaven that you will tell the truth, q
n whole truth and nothing but the tut
d With what you have seen with your oV
ID eyes and what you have heard with Yo
70 own ears, is there power in this Gospel
ID give calmneSs and triumph in thu last ex
L. encyi The Response comes from all SD
ot from young and old aud middle aged, Nv
s. are Witnesses
t. You see my friends, l have not put befc
at you any abstraction or chlmera, or az
III thing like guess work. | present you attC
p Wits of the best men and women, living a
TX dead. Two witnesses in court will establi
n fact. Here are not two witnesses, |
SO millions of witnesses on earth and in heav
as testifying that there is power in Z
o. religion to convert the soul, to give comft
n in trouble and to afford composure in
IL last hour.
re If ten men should come to you when J
IA are sick with appalling sickness and say Il
e. had the same sickness aUi took cert
medicine aud it cured them, you wo
,se probably take it, Now, suppose ten OF
m men should come up and say: 1--WE don't
ar leve that there is anything in that NJ,
to cine" "Well," say, have you tried
ey "No never tried 1t, hut l don't bell
ng there is anything in it.h OF course you
We credit their testimony. The skeptic Il
ng come and say: There is no power In y
vn religion" "Have you ever triet ity'