The Penn's Grove record., 1891-07-24

l can build q Coriiss engine I can paint {
lRaphaels Madonna" I can play Bestho
VEINS symphony as easily as this world car
comfort a broken heart And yet you have
been comforted. How was Il dones Did
Christ come to you and say: 'Get your mind
of this. Go out and breathe the fresh air
Plunge deeper into businessY' No Ther'
was a minute when He came to you-per
haps in the watches Of the night, perhaps il
your place of business perhaps along tht
strickland He breathed something into your
soul that gave peace, rest, infinite quiet, q
that you could take out the photograph o.
the departed one and look into the eyes and
the face of the dear one and say: ut Is Al
right. She is better off. I would not cal
her back. Lord. I thank Thee that Thou has
comforted my poor heart"
| willing to testify 20 the power Of this Gospel
to comfort. Your son had just graduated
from school or college nd was going into
business and the.Iord took him. Or your
daughter had Just graduated from the young
ladies' seminary, and you thought abe wa
going to 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 Tor
nothing" Or the little child cam home
from school with the hot fever that stopped
not for the agonized prayer or for the skill
full physician, and the little child was taken.
Or the babe was lifted out Of your arms By
some quick epidemic, n you stood wonder,
fng why God ever gave you that child at al
II so soon He was to take 1t away. And yet
you are not repining, you are mot fretiul
you are not fighting against God. What
enabled you to stand all the trial.
''Oh," you say, 81 took the medicine thai
God gave my sick soul. In my distress I
| threw myself at the feet OF a sympathizing
God; and when / was too weak to pray or to
look up He breathed into me q peace that l
think must be the foretaste of that heaven
where there IS neither q tear ner q farewell
nor a grave" Come. all ye who have been
| out to the grave to weep there-come, all We
comforted souls, get up of your knees. Is
there no power in this Gospel to soothe the
hearth Is there no power in this religion TO
quiet the worst paroxysm OF grieff There
comes up an answer from conferred WIDOW
hood and orphanage and ohildlessness. say
ing, SAY, ay, we are witnessesr
Again, l remark that We arc 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 corn1elds In the
country. / was led by my fathers hand,
and we came to tho farmhouse where the De-
reavement 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; ! said:
HWhat's thatp what's thatf Why those
black tassels at the topf' 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 before had departed In TIL
pmph. The whole scene made an impression
I never forgot.
In our sermons and our lay exhortatdons
We are very apt, when we want to bring Il.
iustrations Of dying triumph, 70 go back to
pme distinguished p~ersonage-to 9 John
Knox or a Harriet Newell. But ! want You
Tor witnesses. / want TO know II you havs
,ver seen ANYTHING to make you believe that
he religion Of Christ can give composuro IN
The final hour. Now, in tho courtA attorney,
Jury and Judge will never admit mcre here
,ay. They demand that the witness must
ave seen with his own eyss or heard with
dis W ears, and 80 I am critical In my er-
animation Of you now, and l want to know
Vbether you nave seen or heard anything
hat makes you believe that the religion OF
Christ gives composure inthe final
'Oh, yes" you say, II saw my father and
mother depart. There was sreas dinsr
,noe in their deathbeds. standing ny tns
here was more tenderness" Before tbs ons
ron bowed perhaps. In ~ In the other
ase Won felt as II you would Ike to 60 along
With her. How did they fsel in that lest
aourf How did they seem to actt Were
hey very much frightsnedf Did they take
hold of this world with both hands e though
hey did not want to give It upf 'Oh. no."
ron saw: .no: i remember Is though it were
yesterday; she had q kind word Tor Us all,
| ind there were a few mementoes distributed
|,mong the children, and then she told Us how
lind we must be to our father IN his loneli-
uess, and then she kissed rs goodby and went
asleep as a child In q CRADLE" What made
her 50 ~composedf Natural couragef
'No," you say; mother was very nerv-
BUS: when the carriage inclined to the side
II the road she would CRY out; she was
.lvays rather weakly" What gave her
somposuref Was it because shs did not care
much for you, and the pang Of parting was
uot greati "Oh," you say, 'tshe showered
upon us a wealth Of affection; mo mother
sver loved her children more than mother
loved us; she showed II BY the way she
uursed us when we were sick, and she toiled
Tor us until her strength gave out" What,
then. was it that gave her composurs in the
last hour, Do not hide II. Be frank and
let me know. "Oh," you say. 'it was be-
cause she was SO good; she made the Lord
her portion, and she had faith that she
would go straight to glory, and that we
should ali meet her at last At the fool Of the
throne"
Here are people VINO say. II mw . Chris.
tian brother die, and he triumphed." Ana
sone one else. II saw q Christian sister die,
and she triumphed." Some one else will say,
IT saw a Christian daughter die. and she
triumphed." Come, all ye who have seen
the last moment OF q Christian, giv VS.
timony in this cause on trial Uncover your
haads nut your hands ON the old family
Bible from which they used TO read the
promises and promise in the presence OF
| hioh heaven that you will tell the truth. the
whole truth and nothing but the truth.
With what you have seen with your own
eyes and what you have heard with Your
A. khara nouuar In th1a CAn1poI IN
1iye calmness and triumph in the last exig-
encyY III response comes from all sides,
from Young and old and middle aged, ""c
are witne5sesP'
You see. my friends, I have not put before
Won any abstraction or . chimerA, or any
Il Thing like guess work. 1 present you afids,
Win Of the best men and women. living and
desd- Two witnesses in court will establish
fact. Here are not two Witnesses. but
millions of witnesses on earth and In heaven
testifvinp that there 10 power In this
reIigion TO convert the soul, to give comfort
In trouble and to afford composure In the
last hour.
II ten men should come to you when you
are sick with appalling sickness n say they
had the same sickness and TOOK q certain
medicine and 1t cured them, you woulf
probably take 1t. Now, suppose ten othel
men should come up and says 1--WE don't be
lieye hat there is anything I'm that medi
cinesn "WelI," 1 say, cha you tried itr
@No Ineyer tried II, but I don't believ,
there is anything in it." OF course you dis
credit their testimony. The skeptic ma,
come and say: There is no power I'm you
religion" 'SHave you ever tried itY' mo
MOI 'Then avauntp Let me take th
testimony of the millions Of souls that hav
been converted to God and comforted il
trial and solaced in the last hour. We viii
take their testimony as they cry, W ar
Professor Henry, Of Washington. discov
cred a new star, and the tidings sped b.
submarine telegraph, and all the observe
tories Of Europe were watching for tina
new star. oh, nearer. looking out throug
the darkness of thy soul, canst thou see
bright light beaming on theef .Wherel
Won say; awhere? How can find itr' Loo
along by the line Of the Cross OF the Son c
God. DO you not SEQ 1t trembling with q
tenderness and beaming with all hope. ]
Is the Star OF Bethlehem.
Deep horror then my vitals froze.
Deathsiruck l ceased the tide 70 stem
When suddenly Q star arose
1t was the 6tar of Bethiehem-
Oh, hearers, get your eye on il. II Is ease
for YOU now to become Christians han 1t
10 stay away from Christ and heaven. Wine
Mime. Sontag began her musical career sh
was Kissed of the stage at Vienna by th