The Red Cloud chief., 1891-07-24

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rlacrity than they ever sprang to the
dance, the tears mingling with their ex.
hilaration As they cried: I'VE are wit
nessesv" And IL they tried TO sing the
old Gospel hymS 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 dependi
No! When I blush, be this my shame:
That no more revere his name.
Agaip, ] remark that I'VE are wit
nesses" Of the Gospels power 10 COM
fort. When a man has trouble the
world comes in and says: Now get
your mind off this; 60 out and breathe
the fresh air; plunge deeper into bust
ness" What poor advice! Get your
mind of IL! when everything Is up
turned with the bereavement and every
thing reminds You o: what you have
lost Get your mind of it! They might
as we'll advise you to stop thinking,
and you al lot stop thinking in that
direction. Take a walk in the fresh
air! Why, along that very street or
that very road she once accompanied
you. Out of that grass plot she plucked
foweSs or into that show window she
looked fascinated, saying Come see
the pictures"
Go deeper into business! Why. she
was associated with all your business
ambition, and since she has gone you
have no ambition left o. this is a
clumsy world when II tries TO comfort
a broken heart, l can build a Corliss
engine. and can paint . Raphael's MA
DONNA" ! can play q Beethoven's
symphony" rs easily as this world can
comfort a broken heart And yet you
have been comforted- How was II
done? Did Christ come TO you and say:
Get your mind of this, go out and
breathe the fresh air; plunge deeper
into b~usiness?" No; there was q minute
when He came to you-perhaps Ia the
watches of the night perhaps in your
place Of business, perhaps along the
strickland He breathed something
into your soul that gave peace, rest, in
finite quiet, SO that you could take out
the photograph Of the departed one and
look into the eyes and face Of the dear
one and say: "It's all right; she is bet
ter off, | would not call her back; Lord.
I thank Thee that Thou hast comforted
my poor heart"
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 had
just graduated from the young ladies'
seminary. and you thought she was
going 70 be a useful woman and of long
life, but the Lord took her and you
were tempted to say: "All 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 skillful ply
stefan, 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
70 take it away. And yet you are not
repining, you are not ~fretful, you are
not fighting against God What en-
abled you to stand all the trial? 'Oh,'
You say, 81 took the medicine God
gave my sick soul. In my distress ]
threw myself nj the feet of a sympa-
thizing God; aud when I was too weak
to prav. or to look up. he breathed into
me a peace that I think must be the
F~oretaste of that Heaven where there
is neither o tear nor a farewell nor a
grave" d
Come, all We who have been out to
the grave to weep ~there-comc, all We
comforted souls, get up off your knees.
Is there no power in the Gospel to
sooth the heart? Is there no power in
this religion to quiet the worst par
oxysm of grief? There comes up an
| answer from the comforted widowhood
| and orphanage, and childlessness. say
ing: LAY. ay, we are witnesses"
Again, | remark that we are witnesses
of the fact that religion has power to
give composure in the last moment ]
never shall forget the first time | con-
fronted death. We went across the
cornfields in the country. ] was led by
nv fathers hand. and we came to the
| farm house 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 il had black plumes
said: Whats that? what's that? Why
those black tassels at the top?" And
after Il 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 al impression ]
never forgot
In our and in our lay exhort-
atoms we are very apt, when we want
to bring illustrations Of dying triumph.
to go back to some distinguished per.
sonage-to a John Knox or a Harriet
Newell. But l want you for witnesses.
l want t. know il you have ever seer
anything to make you believe that the
religion of Christ n give cOmpOsure
in the final hour. Now. in the courts,
attorney, judge and jury 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 l am critical In my exam
nation of you now; and | want to know
whether you have e or heard any
thing hat makes you believe that the
religion of Christ gives cOmposure in
the final hour. 20, yes" you say. 81
saw NV father and mother depart
There was a great difference in their
death beds. Standing by the n 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 ii
you would like TO so 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 rs
though they did not want TO give it mp?
20, no" you say; mo: l 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 good-by
and went to sleep as q child in q era