Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1891-07-23

sent down is roots around the palate ana
the tongue, and on down until they were
interlinked with the vitals Of the body,
mind and soul, bat he has not taken any
stimulants for two years What DID thatl
/ Not Temperance societies Not prohibition
laws. Not moral suasion. Conversion did
IL. "why," said one upon whom the great
change had come, ''sir, feel just rs though
/ were somebody elsa" There Is a sen cap
/ tain who swore all the way from New
/ York 10 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 a psalm
singeri Conversion by the Holy Spirit.
There are thousands Of people here today
who are no more what they once were than
a water lily Is nightshade, or a morning
lark Is a vulture, or day is night.
Now, IL I should demand that all those
/ people here present who have felt the con-
verting power Of religion should rise, so
far from being ashamed they would spring
to their feet with fur more alacrity than
they ever sprang TO the dance, the tears
minQling with their exhilaration as they
cried, 1--WE are witnessesP' 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?
MOI When blush, be this my shame.
That no more revere his name.
Again, remark that I'VE are witnesses"
of the Gospels power to comfort. When
man has trouble the world comes in and
SAYS: "Now get your mind of this; go out
and breathe the fresh air; plunge deeper into
business" What poor advicel Get your
mind off It'll when everything Is upturned
with the bereavement, and everything re-
minds you Of what you have lost. Get
your mind off It'll They might as well ad-
wise you to stop thinking, and you cannot
stop thinking in that direction. Take
walk in the fresh airl Why, along that
very street, or that very road, she once ac-
compauied you. Out Of that grass plot she
plucked flowers, 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. Oh, this is a
clumsy world when it tries to comfort q
broken heartl
can build Corliss engine, can paint
Raphael's Madonna" i can play a
Beethoven's symphony as easily as this
world can comfort broken heart. And
vet you have been comforted. How was it
donep Did Christ come to you and say:
"Get your mind off this. Go out and
breathe the fresh air. Plunge deeper into
businessf" No. There was minute when
he came to you-perhaps in the watches of
| s-l,k t,, r,Iopo IF hI1St H.
ness, perhaps along the strickland he
breathed something into your soul that
gave peace, rest, infinite quiet, so that you
could take out the photograph of the de-
parted one and look into the eyes and the
face of the dear one and say: ut is all
right. She is better off. would not call
her back. Lord, thank thee that thou
has comforted my poor heart"
DIVINE HEA1ING FOR THE SICK SOUL.
There are Christian parents here who are
willing to testify to the power of this Cos.
pei to comfort. Your son had just gradu-
ated 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 to be a useful wo-
man and of long life but the Lord took
her, and you were tempted to say, "Al
this culture of twenty years for nothingp
Or the little child came home from schoo
with the hot fever that stopped not for thu
aponized prayer or fer the skillful physi
clan, and the little child was taken. o.
the babe was lifted out of your arms b.
some quick epidemic, and you stood won
dering why God ever gave you that chilt
at all II so soon he was to take 1t away
And yet you are not repining, you are no
fretful, you are not fighting against God
What enabled you to stand all the triali
"Oh," YOU say, II took the medicine tina
God gave nay sick soul. In my distress
threw myself at the feet of sympathizin,
God; and when was too weak to pray o
to look up he breathed into me y peac
that think must be the foretaste OF tina
heaven where there Is neither tear nor
farewell nor a grave" Come, all ye VIII
have been out to the grave to weep there
come, all ye comforted souls, get up of
YOUR knees. Is there no power in thi
gospel to soothe the heart? Is there NJ
|. power in this religion to quiet the wors
paroxysm of griefi There comes up an an
swer from comforted widowhood and OF
phanage and childlessness, saying, "Ay, ay
we are witnesses"
: Again, remark that we are witnesse
of the fact that religion has power to Civ
composure in the last moment l shal
: never forget the first time / confronte
death. We went across the cornields i
:. the country. was led by my father
hand, and we came to the farmhouse wher
. the bereavement had come and we saw tn
crowd of wagons and carriages; but ther
:. was one carriage that especially attracte
: my boyish attention, and it had blac
plumes. said: whats that? what
that2 Why those black tassels as the topa
L And after it was explained to me I wa
. lffted up to look upon the bright face of a
aged Christian woman, who three days b.
fore had departed in triumph. The whol
!, scene made an impression l never forgo
: IT is NO HEARsAY EVIDENCE.
v In our sermons and our lay exhortatior
:. we are very apt, when we want to bring |
n lustrations of dying triumph, to go bac
a to some distinguished pSrsonage-to job
v Knox or a Harriet Newell. But / wan
!. you for witnesses. Iwant to know if 80
" have ever seen anything to make you be
l. lieve that She religion of Christ can 81,
=. composure in the final hour. Now, in tt
l. courts, attorney, jury and judge will nev'
II admit mere heresay. They demand thi
IF the witness must have seen with his ow
eyes, or heard with his own ears, and so
IF am critical in my examination ofyou nov
"a and want to know whether you have see
10 or heard anything that makes you bekieN