The Louisiana Democrat., 1891-10-28

: "a u L Ii
DEIOyED WIFE OF CIAs. +. BRlNGHUEsT
"Let my soul die the death of the just.
and my last end be like to them. ."-Num-
btrS 70, 10.
When the hosts of Israel were encamp-
ed over against Moab, soothsayer whom
God Lad transformed into prophet, un-
der divine inspiration exclaimed: "How
beautiful are thy tabernacles, Jacob,
and thy tents, o Israel! AS woody val
leys, as wat-red gardens near the rivers.
as tabernacl.s which the Lord had pitch
ed, AS cctars by the water slde.'' Nuni-
bcrs "a, ..
Tie order of the tribes, as hey marched
! on to the promised laid, The serrled ranks
of the panoplied warriors, the superior
bravery with which they had overcome
their fees, eicitea BaiaaM's admiration
and prompted his enthusiasm. But from
an al:uIrrr he became Il suppiiant and,
on being snprlnatulally enliSl'ttned as to
the GLORIOUS de- tmi,s ni the wayiarers,
he cried out: Let my soul die The death
Of the just, and my end be like unto
them."
t 1t is not my intention to divert your
| thoughts from her hose knell has stirred
such echoes ot sympathy from SO large
number OF friends, circle broader than
that of which We form "A part-tiont tile
kind mother who diew these children,
from their earliest development to the
love of divine things from the sincere
soul whose l"e,y bent the homage of men
rs 1t won the applause Of GOd--lOr Ut the
kiud friend whom We all hope to meet
again, " ben We are all harboreh again III
eternal glory. No, my brethren. For,
though we see but the form which once
embodied all that is dear to you; though
We stand before the liteless frame, now
chiselled by death into eternal calm, let
lis b. hold her as she was n.,der the hand
of death, before the last breathing was
| over, aud the divine Bridegroom called
her departing sonl.
|. When Jesus Christ spoke to men, for
the first time, He said: Blessed are the
clean of heart, for they shall see God"
!, 1t had been said before that they who are
the holy city.
Go not merely say that Mrs. Bring
hurst was familiar with these truths. 10
do justice to her memory, l must add
that. v hat she believed, she acted out i'll
practice. She knew that, OF all evils,
moral evil is the greatest. She knew
that, OF ali moral evils, mortal guilt is the
deadliest. but she knew, too, with the
certainty of faith, that Christ Jesus left
to His Church, the fnllness Of His tOrgiv-
ing power. Hence it is that, AZ she was
faithful in life, she was found faithful
unto death. Responsive to graces which
divine love had poured out OH her, she
did not put OFT till the last moment, the
confession OF her SINS Like the royal
, oenitent, whose appeal for mercy was ON
her lips, she begged to be purified more
and more. Firm resolves preceded holy
absolution, Gods sentence of mercy,
Gou's gracious pardon, which, though
spoken by human lips, gave her thesweet
assurance that she had been received
int" favor. What shall l say of the sat
isfactory value of those sntfrrings, men.
tai and ph! steal, the las, drop OF which
was ~ bravely drained! What shall
) say OF that agony taused by the approach.
ing separation OF daughter from mother
> of sister from brothers, of mother from
children, of loving wife from a loving
cUusort with whom she expected to pass
her life in administering aud receiving
mutual comfort
Thus did she appear to you who watch
ed, with trembling silence, over her dy
ing couch, Thus did she begin to purify
> her soul with sacramen,al grace. Thus
did she seek to merit, by faithful cores
pondence to grace, that God should shed
$ upon her dying eyes, the peaceful and
happy light of the kingdom which SHIT
t manfully strovo to conquer. ''Let my
! soul, etc"
ii. l pass OH to another part which
t would NOT be developed. we're not full,
: satisfied that what wins the applause o
God cannot fail to bend the homage o
y men.
t We are divinely informed that, on on.
occasion, Jesus was tfausigurcd un Tna
boris heights; that HIS sacred cuuntrnanct
: outshone the golden ori' in us merlliai
splendOr, and that His garments appear
ed as white as the drltted SNOW. Thi,
r pieternatural even, was intended to Civ.
tue witnesses and behol.lers a glimpse o.
!, the glory tn come.
But He wll" Game to seek and save thai
which was lost, determined to conplet,
:, the series OF lis benefits, not by nganlttst
/, ing, tut by v"lcealing and shrUuding lii.
shry under the appearances Ot our cor
I puIui food. ''He that eats lie, The sam.
also shall live by me-" "he that eat.
my flesh and drinks my blood has ever
! lasting life, and l viii raise bilu up al
the last day"
> Some Of Ills hearers reasuried away tht
. glorious announce ment allti the disciple.
who had followed Him two Years went
back and walked no longer with Jesus
They thought that to be the Savior ant
Rederner of men was condescehsui
enough; and that, in becoming our food
He would deniean Hims,if too low. Bu
JrsuS who had loved His own, loved then
TO the end, and Ills promise was solemnl,
redeemed. Besides renewing our inward
! life and conierring Oh men a divine son
t ship, He is near Us, He il within lis i'll tn,
= communion If His body aud blood. II.
g is near us when our light is low aud pail
is Il, it's height He is near us, hen lite
, i~ fading away.
The singular intimacy which we enjoy
ed with Him when the soul knew no sur
row and the body no pains, must, by til,
will of God and our own, become closer
as the ead approaches. Like the Ruler
:, son we must not only be visited by Him
!. bnt He comes to transform our hearts int
- living shrines OF His adorable body an(
blOou before we i,e cOnteruied in glory
. to Hnn who is SO divinely tender II
His love.
The Church, the mother Of our souls
will allow none of her children to depar
this life, without being previously torti
= fed with the living Bread which come
!. down from Heaven. The saving hos
must he deposited on lips Of tue dyini