The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1892-08-02
Of Christ. richer than that, the poorest and
the wanest and worst may wear. Where
sin abounded grace may much more

ABOUND.
"Oh. my sins, my SINS. said Martin y,
Luther to Staupitz, my sins, my sins!'
The fact is, that the brawny German stu,
dent had found Latin Bible that had
made him quake, and nothing else ever dld
make him quake; and when he found now
through Christ, he was pardoned ana saved,
he wrote to friend, saying: 'Come over
and join us great and awful sinners saved Dy
the grace of God. You seem to be only q
slender sinner, and you don't much extol
the mercy of God; but we who nave Deen
such very awful sinners praise his grace
the more now that we have Deen re-
deemed" Can it be that you are so despe-
rately egotistical that you feel yourselI ln
first-rate spiritual trim, and thaC from inc
root of the hair to the tip of the toe you are
scorless and immaculate? What you need
is a looking glass, and here 1T IS IN the
Rhle. Poor. and wretched, and misera-
bic. and blind. and naked from the crown of
the head to the sole of the foot, full OF
ms, And then take the fact that Christ
gathered up all the notes against us and
paid them, and then offered MS the receipt
And how much we need Him in our sor-
rows! We are independent or circumstances
if we have His grace. Why, He made
Paul sing in the dungeon, and under that
grace St. John from desolate Patmos heard
the blast of the apocalyptc trumpets: AT
ter all other candles have been snufted DUB,
this is the light that gets brighter and
brighter unto the perfect day; and after,
under the hard hoofs OF calamity, all the
pools of worldly enjoyment have been tram
pIed into deep mirc, at the loot vi the eler-
nal rock the Christian, from cups of granite,
lily trimmed and vine covered, puts Gus the
thirst of his soul.
Again, / remark, that Christ is above all
in diving alleyiations. L have not any SYM
pathy with the morbidity abroad about our
demise The emperor OF Constanunople
arranged that on the day of his coronation
the stonemason should come and consult
him about his tombstone that after a while
he would need. And there are men who are
mononaniacal on the subject OF departure
from this life by death, and the more they
think of it the less they are prepared to
go. This is an unmanliness, not worthy
of you, not worthy of me.
Saladin. the greatest conqueror OF MS
day, while dying, ordered the tunlc he
had on him to be carried after ms dealn
on a spear at the head of his army, and
hat The soldier ever and anon, should
stop and say, Behold, all that Is left or
Saladin, the emperor and conQueror! ~
all the states he conquered, all the wealth
he accumulated, nothing did he retain put
this shroud.' 1 have no sympathy WIN
such behavior or such absurd dcmonstra-
ton, or with much that we hear uttered
in regard to departure from this HE to
the next There is Il common-SeiSlcal luea
on this subject that you and need 10
there are only TWO styleS
of departure.
A thousand feet underground, by light
of torch toiling in a miners shalt, ledse
of rock may fail upon US, and we may ole
a miners death. Ear out at sea, 1allthS
from the slippery ratllhes ana orohep on
the halyards, we may die Il sailor ueatn;
On mission of mercy in hospital, AMID
broken bones and rocking lcprosies and rag
ing feyers, we may die 4 phllanthroplSt
death On the field OF battle, fGrVins
God and our country, slugs through the
heart,t he gun carriage may roii over US,
ard we may die 4 patriots death. But
aftch all, there are only two styles OF de
parture; the death of the righteous ana
the death of the wicked, and we all want
to die Che former.
God grant that when that hour comes
you may be at home. You want liie mdr4
of your kindred in your hand. You want
YOUR children to surround you. You want
the light on your pillows from eyes that
nave long reflected your love. You want
the room still You do not want any
curious strangers standing around watch
ing You. Ydu want your kindred from
far TO hear your last prayer. / think
that Is the wish of all of us. But is that
all? Can earthly friends holds us when
the pillows of death come up 10 the elrdle!
Cau human voice charm open maven
gate? Can human hands pilot us through
the narrows Of death into heavens harbor!
Can an earthly friendship shield us from
the arrows of death and III the hour wDcn
satan shall practice upon US ms lhlerlla ',.
archery? No, no, no, no! Alas. poor cor
soul. if that is all. Better die III the
Wilderness far from tree shadow ana tar
from fountain, alone. vultures cTchhs
through the air waiting Tor our body, u!o
known to men, and to have no burial, II
only Christ could say through the solltudeS,
Il will never leave thee, l VIII never tor
sake thee" From that pillow OF stone a
ladder would soar heavenWard, angels
coming and going ; and across the solitude
and the barrennesS would come the sweet
notes of heavenly minstrelsy.
Gordon Hall, far from home. ,dying; in
the door of a heather temple, said: Glory
TO Thee o Godr' What did dying vii
berforcc say to his wife? Come and sit
beside me, and let US talk OF heaven; !
never knew what happiness was until l
found Christ" What did dying Hannah
Moore say? "To 90 to heaven, think what
that isl To go to Christ, who died that
| might live! Oh, glorious grave! On, what
Of Christ, the love of Christi What did
Mr.. Toplady, the great hymn maker, say
in his last hour? ''Who can measure the
depth of the third heaven? o, the sunshine
that fills my soul. l shall soon be gone,
for surely no one can live III tins Norld
after such, glorles as Uod mas lnanlleS'eo
to my soul" ,x
What did the dying Faneway say? i
can as easily die as close my eyes or turn
my head in sleep. Before few hours have
passed ! shall stand on Mount ZION WIN
the one hundred and forty and four thousand
and with the just men made perfect, and
we shall ascribe riches and honor, and
glory. and majesty, and dominion unto God
and the Lamb" DR.. Taylor, condemned to
burn at the stake, on his way thither. broke
away from the guardsmcn and went bound
ing. and leaping and jumping toward the
fire. glad to go to jesus and to die for him.
Sir Charles Hare, in last moment, had such
rapturous vision, that he cried Upward,
upward, upward" And great was the
peace of one of Christ's disciples that he
put his fingers upon the pulse in his wrist
and counted it and observed it; and 50
great was his placiditY that after a while
he said: stopped" and his life had ended
here TO begin in heaven. But grander
than that was the testimony of the worn
out first missionary. when, in the Mamar
tine dungeon, he cried: Il am now ready
to be offered, and the time of my departure
is at hand [ have fought the good fight, /
have finished my course, l have kept the
faith; hencetorth, there is laid up for me q
crown of righteousness, which the Lord
the righteous Judge, will give me in that
day, and not to me only, but to all them
that love his appearing" Do you not see
that Christ is above all in dying alleyia-
tons?
Toward the last hour Of our earthly resi-
dence are speeding. When / see the
sunset, I say: Zone day less to live" When
I tl,D