Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1891-07-17

AdIh Is q Nulluies OF Attf Is uAAubi
: Now, II l 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 far more alacrity than
they over sprang to the dance, the sears
mingling with their exhilaration as they
cried, eve are WStnessesw 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 1--WE are witnesses"
Of the Gospels power to comfort. When a
man has trouble the world comes in and
says: "Now get your mind Off this; so out
and breathe the fresh mir; plunge deeper into
business" What poor advice! Get your
mind off itl when everything is uptarned
with the bereavement, and everything re-
minds you OF what you have lost Get
your mipd off itl They might MS 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-
companied you. Out OF that grass plot she
pluclsed flowers, or into that show window
she looked fascinated, saying, Come see
the pictures. Go deeper into businessl
Why, she was associated with all your
business ambition, and since she has gone
You have no ambition left Oh, this is n
clumsy world when it tries to comfort
broken heartl
can build a Corliss engine, can paint
Raphael's Madonna" l can play a
/. Ia al
world can comfort q broken heart. And
yet you have been comforted. How was it
done? Did Christ come to you and say:
Get your mind off this. Go out and
breathe the fresh air. Plunge deeper into
businessg" No. There was u minute when
he came TO yOu-perhaps in the watches Of
the night perhaps in your place Of bust
ness, perhaps along the street-and 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 HEALING FOR TIE 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 gradd
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, "All
this culture of twenty years for nothingP'
Or the little child came home from school /
with the hot fever that stopped notfor she
agonized prayer or for the skillful physi- |
clan, and the little child was taken. Or /
the babe was lifted out of your arms by (
some quick epidemic, and you stood won /
dering 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 /
fretful, you are not fighting against God. |
What enabled you to stand all the trial3
'Oh," you say, Il took the medicine that
God gave my sick soul. In my distress ]
threw myself at the feet OF sympathizing
God; and when 1 was too weak to pray or
to look up he breathed into me a peace
that l 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 We comfOrted souls, get up off
your knees. Is there no power in this
gospel to sOothe the heart? Is there no
power in this religion to quiet the worst
paroxysm of grief? There comes up an an
swer from comfOrteI widowhood and or
phanage and childlessness, saying, Gay, ay,
we are Witnesses
Again, | remark that we are witnesses
of the fact that religion has power to give
composure in the last moment. | shall
never forget the first time l confronted
death. We went across the cOrnfelds in
the country | was led by my 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 carriage that especially attracted
my boyish attention. and it had black
plumes. l said: whats that? what's
that? Why those black tassels at the topg"
And after it was explained TO me l was
lifted up to look upon the bright face Of an
aged Christian woman, who three days be-
fore had departed in triumph. The whole
scene made an impression l never forgot.
IT IS No HEARsAY EVIDENCE.
In our sermons and our lay exhortatiOns
we are very apt, when we want to bring il
Illustrations of dying triumph to go back
to some distinguished personage-to a John
Knox or a Harriet Newell. But 1 want
you for witnesses. / want to know If you
have ever seen anything to make you be-
lieve that the religion of Christ can give
in the final hour Now, in the
courts, attorney, jury and judge will never
admit mere heresay. They demand that
the witness must have seen with his own
eyes, or heard with his own ears, and so 1
am critical in my examination OfyOu 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, ~ saw my father .
and mother depart. There was n great diff
ference in their deathbeds. Standing by {
the one we felt more veneration. By the {
other, there was more tenderness" Before }
The one you bowed, perhaps, in awe. In
Ihe other case you felt as if you would like l
10 20 along with her. How did they feel
IN that last hour? How did they seem to
lct2 Were they very much frightenedf
Did they take hold of this world with both =,
lands Us though they did not want to give Il
t up? "Oh, no." you say; mo; l remem-
Der as though it were yesterday; she had II
lind word for rs all, and there were few .
nementoes distributed among the chill Il
lren, and then she told MS how kind we r
must be to our father in his loneliness, and
hen she kissed us goodby and went asleep "
IS q child in a C. adle," What made her so
Naeural courage?
NO" you say; mother was very nery- z
JUS; when the carriage inclined to the !,
ide of the road she would cry out; she I,
vas always rather. weakly" What gave y
Ter composurey Was it because She did | q
lot care much for you, and the pang Of | a
iartinS WAS not great! "Ch," you say, u
she showered upon US "a 'ealth Of atTec :
ion; no mother ever loved her childrcNi q
more than mother loved us; she showed A.
t by the way she nurssd us when we were u
lex, and she toiled for us until her =
trength gave out" What then, was it
hat gave her composure in the last houri
% not hide It. BE frank and let me know. ~
oh" you say, 1T was because she was so y
god; she nude the Lord her portion and / u
he had faith that she would 70 straight TO y
lory, and that we should al meet her at "
asst at the foot OF the throne" -
UNCOINFRD MILLIONS OF WITNESSES y