Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-07-13

nountalneers, the last words on his
dying lips being "Free grace!" Oh, II
was free grace!'
SALVATION FOR THE DRUNKARD.
There Is a man who was for ten
years a hard drinker. The dreadful
appetite had sent down its roots around
the palate and the tongue, and on down
until they were interlinked with the
vitals Of body, mind and soul; but he
has not taken any stimulants for two
ance societies. Not prohibition laws.
Not moral suasion. Conversion did it.
why" said one upon whom the great
change had come, "sir, feel just as
though / were somebody else." There
is sea-captain who swore all the way
from New York to Havana, and from
Havana to San Francisco, and when he
was in port he was worse than when he
was on sea. What power was it that
washed his tongue clean OF profanities,
and made him psalm-singer? CONVEX
sion by the Holy Spirit. There are
thousands Of people here to-day who
are no more what they once were than
water-lily is nightshade, or a morn
ing lark is vulture, or day is night.
Now, If 1 should demand that all
those people here present who have felt
the converting power of religion should
rise, so far from being ashamed, they
would spring to their feet with more
alacrity than they ever sprang TO the
dance, the tears mingling with their ex-
hilaration as they cried, owe are wit
nessesp And If they tried to sing the
old Gospel hymn, they would break
down with emotion by the time they
got to the second line:
Ashamed Of Jesus that dear friend
On whom my hopes of heaven depend?
mol When l blush, be this my shame;
That no more revere his name.
Again, I remark that 'we are wit
nesses" of the Gospels power to COM
fort. When a man has trouble the
world comes in and says: "Now get
your mind off this; go out and breathe
the fresh air; plunge deeper into bust
ness" What poor advicel Get your
mind off it! when everything is up
turned with the bereavement, and
everything reminds you Of what you
have lost. Get your mind of it! They
might as we'll advise you to stop think
ing, and you cannot step thinking in
that direction. Take q walk In the
fresh air! Why, along that very street
or on 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 the pictures"
Go deeper into buSinessl Why, she was
associated with all your business ambi-
tion, and since she has gone you have no
ambition left. Oh, this is a clumsy
world when IL tries TO comfort a broken
heartl / can build a Corliss engine,
can paint Raphael's Madonna" can
play BeethOven's symphony" as
easily as this world can comfort a
broken heart. And yet you have been
cOmfOrted. How was IL done? Did
Christ come 10 you and say, "Get
your mind of this, go out and
breathe the fresh air; plunge deeper
into business?" No: There was a min
ute when he came to you-perhaps In
the watches Of the night, perhaps in
your place Of business, perhaps along
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. sit Is all right;
she is better off; I would not call her
back. Lord, l thank thee that thou
hast comforted my poor nearG.
THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL.
There are Christian parents here who
are willing to testify to 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 has
lust graduated from the young ladies'
seminary, and you thought she was 60
ing TO be q useful woman, and OF long
life, but the Lord took her, and you
were tempted to say, SAIL this culture
of twenty years for nothing" Or the
little child came home from school with
the hot fever that stopped not for the
agonized prayer or for the skilltul
physician, and the little child was
taken. Or the babe was lifted out OF
your arms by some 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
are not fighting against God. What
enabled you to stand all the trial? "Oh,"
YOU say, 81 took the medicine that God
gave my sick soul. In my distress
threw myself at the feet Of sympathiz-
ing God; and when l was too weak to
pray, or to look up, he breathed into me
a peace that think must be the fore
taste of that heaven where there is
neither a tear nor a farewell nor
grave" Come, all ye who have been
out to the grave to weep there-come
all We comforted souls, get up off your
knees. Is there no power in the Gospel
TO soothe the heart? Is there no power
in this religion to quiet the worst parox-
ysm of grief? There comes up an
answer from comforted widowhood, and
orphanage, and childlesSness, saying,
CAV, ay, we are Witnesses
Again, remark that we are witnesses
of the fact that religion has power to
give composure in the last moment. l
shall never forget the first time l con-
fronted death. We went across the
cornfelds in the country. was led by
nv 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 car
riage that especially attracted my boy
ish attention. and it had black plumes.
| said: whats that? 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 triumph.
The whole scene made an impression l