Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1893-04-14

SJOndCn OF 10 WdTn SJOckluBlCbS lcCt'
Take bread, take raiment, take medi-
cine as we'll as take prayer. There is
great deal of common sense in what
the poor woman said TO the city mis-
sionary when he was telling her how
she ought to love God and serve him.
"Oh!" said she, "if you were as poor
and cold as | am, and as hungry, you
could think of nothing else"
A great deal of what is called Chris
tian work goes for nothing for the
simple reason it is not practical; as
after the battle of Antietam a man got
out of an ambulance with a bag of
tracts, and George Stuart, one of the
best Christian men in this country,
said TO him, ''What are you distribut-
ing tracts for now? There are three
thousand men bleeding to death.
Bind up their wounds and then dis
tribute the tracts"
We want more common-sense in
Christian work, taking the bread of
this life in one hand, and the bread of
the next life in the other hand. No
such inapt work as that done by the
Christian man who, during the last
wa went into hospital with tracts,
and coming to the bed of man whose
leg had been amputated, gave him
tract on the sin of dancing! | rejoice
before God that never are sympathetic
words uttered, never prayer offered
never Oh istian almsgiving INDUCED
in but it is blessed.
There is n place in Switzerland, i
have been told, where the utterance of
word will bring back score of echoes;
and / have to tell you this morning
that a sympathetic word, a kind word,
a generous word "a he lpful word uttered
in the dark places of the town will
bring back ten thousand echoes from
all the thrones of heaven.
Are there in this assemblage this
morning those who know by experience
the tragedies of midnight in town?
am not here TO thrust you back with
on hard word. Take the bandage
from YOU bruised soul, and put on It
the soothing salvc OF Christs Gospel
and of Gods compassion. Many have
come. | see others coming 10 God this
morning tired of the sinful life Cry
| up the news to heaven. Set all the
bells ringing. Spread the banquet
under the arches. Let the crowned
heads come down and sit at the jubilee
tell you there is more delight in
| heaven over one man that gets re-
| formed by the grace of God than over
ninety and nine that never got off the
track. could give you the history, in
minute, of one of the best friends |
ever had. Outside of my own familyB
| | never had n better friend. He well
coined me TO his home at the West lie
was of splendid personal appearance,
and he had an ardor of soul and
n warmth of affection that made me
love him like a brother ! saw men
coming out of the saloons and gamb-
ling-hells, and they surrounded my
friend. and they took him at the weak
point, his social nature, and | saw him
going down, and mad a fair talk with
him-for ] never yet saw man you
could not talk with on the subject of
his habits, if you talked with him in
the right way. | said to him, why
don't you give mp your bad habits and
become a Christian?" i remember
now just how he looked, leaning over
his counter, as he replied: n wish l
could. Oh! sir, l should like to be a
Christian, but have gone so far astray
/ can't get back"
So the time went on. After awhile
the day of sicknes came. / was sum
moned to his sickbed. FASTENED. 1t
took me but a very few moments TO
get there. l was surprised as | went
in. ! saw him in his ordinary clothes,
fully dressed, lying on the top of the
bed. l gave him my hand, and he
seized it convulsively and said: "Oh!
how glad l am to see you. Sit down
there" i sat down, and he said: "Mr.
Talmage, just where you sit now my
mother sat last night She has been
dead twenty years. Now, don't want
you to think l am out of my mind,
or that l am superstitious; but,
sir, she sat there last night just as
certainly as you sit there now-the
! same cap, and apron, and spectaclcs.
1t was my old mother-she sat there.
Then he turned to his wife and said:
Il wish you would take these strings
off the bed somebody is wrapping
strings around me all the time Iwish
you would stop that annoyance" She
said, There is nothing here" Then
| saw it was delirium. He said: just
where you'sit now my mother sat, and
she said, Roswell, l wish you would
do BETTER wish you would do bet
ter / said, Mother / wish could do
better. try to do better, but can't.
Mother, you used to help me; why can't
you help me now?' And, sir, / got out
of bed, for it was reality, and | went
to her, and threw my arms around her
neck, and l said, Mother, l will
do better, but you must help;
/ can't do this alone!'" / knelt
down and prayed. That night
his soul went to the Lord that made it,
Arrangements were made for the
obsequies The question was raised
whether they should bring him to
church. Somebody said, "You can't
bring such n dissolute man as that
into the church" / said, You will
bring him in the church; he stood by
me when he was alive, and will stand
by him when he is dead Bring him. y
AS stood in the pulpit, and saw them
carry ing the body up the aisle, felt
as if could weep tears of blood.
On one side of the pulpit sat his little
child OF eight years, sweet beautiful
little girl that had seen him hug con-
vulsively in his better moments lie
put on her all jewels, all diamonds,
and gave her all pictures and toys, and
then he would go away as if bounded
by an evil spirit, to his cups and hous
of shame, fool to the correction OF the
stocks. She looked up wonderingly.
| l.. L.. -1...A Ill /.