Connecticut western news., 1894-04-05

mm6 or my uepoffure IS at hand. have fought the good fight; l have finished my | ceorss;~I I have kept the faith. Hence forth there isslaid up for mea crownlof righteousness, which the Lord, theright- eous Judge, will give me-"
 Which of the three spectacles doyou most admireY When the wind of death struck the conqueror and the ihfidel, they were tossed like sea gullssini a tempest, drenched of the wave and torn | of the hurricane, their dismal voices heard through the everlasting storm, but when the wave and the wind of death struck Paul, like an albatross, he made throne of the tempest and one day foated away into the calm, clear summer of heaven, brighter than the dove, it's wings covered with silver, and it's feathers with yellow gold. Oh, are | you not in love with such religions | religion that can do so much for a man while-he lives and so much for 8 man | when he comes to diep
 CONTRAST.
 I suppose you may have noticed the | contrast between the departure of a I Christian and the departure of an in6del. | Diodorus, dying in chagrin because he ! could not compose a joke equal to the | joke uttered at the other end of his table; Zeuxis. dying in fit of laughter at the | sketch of an aged wonan-a sketch | made by his own hand; Mazarin, dying | playing cards, his friend holding his | hands because he was unable to hold | them himself.
 All that on one side, compared with | of fho Scotch mir of | who said to his friends: "I have no in | terest as to whether I live or die. If | die, shall be with the Lord, and if live the Lord will be with me-" Or the last words of Washington, "It is we'll" | Or the last word of Mcintosh, the learn ed and the great, "Happy" Or the last words of Hannah More, the Christian | poetess, "Joyr' Or those thousands of Christians who have gone, saying: "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit! Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly" 70 death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy vic tory?'
 | Behold the contrast Behold the charm | of the one, behold the darkness of the | other. Now, know it is very popular in this day for young men to think there | is something more charming in skepti- cism than in religion. They are ashamed of the old fashioned religion of the cross and they pride themselves on their free thinking on all these subjects. My | young friends, want to tell you what ] know from observation--thatw while skep ticism is beautiful land at the start, il is great Sahara desert at the last.
 AN APT STORY.
 | Years ago a minister's son went of from home to college. At college he formed the acquaintance of young man whom shall call Ellison. Ellison was an infdel. Ellison scoffed at reli zion, and the minister's son soon learned from him the infidelity, and when he went home on his vacation broke his fathers heart by his denunciations of Christianity. Time passed on, and vaca- tion came, and the minister's son went off to spend the vacation and was on a journey and came to hotel. The hotel keeper said: II am sorry that tonight shall have to put you in room adjoin- ing one where there is a very sick and dying man. can give you no other ac- commodation." "Oh," said the young college student and minister's son, ''that will make no difference to me, except the matter of sympathy with anybody that is suffering
 The young man retired to his room, but could not sleep. All night long he heard the grooming of the sick man or the step of the watchers, and his soul trembled. He thought to himself: 'Now, there is only thin wall between me and departing spirit. How If Ellison should know how feel? How if Ellison should find out how my heart fluttersf What if Ellison knew my skepticism gave way?' He slept not.
 In the morning, coming down, he said to the hotel keeper, 'tHow is the sick man?" "Oh," said the hotel keeper, 'he is dead, poor fellow. The doctors told us he could not last through the night" "Well," said the young man, "what was the sick ones name-where is he from?" Well" said the hotel keeper, ''he is from Providence college" Providence college! What is his nameg' Ellison" !" ''Ellisonr' Oh, how the young man was stunned! It was his old college mate dead without any hope.
 It was many hours before the young man could leave that hotel. He got on his horse and started homeward, and all the way he heard something saying to him: Dead! Lost! Dead! Lostp He came to no satisfaction until he entered the Christian life, until he entered the Christian ministry, until he became one of the most eminent missionaries of the cross, the greatest Baptist missionary the world has ever seen since the days of Paul-no superior to Adoniram Judson. Mighty on earth, mighty in heaven Adoniram Judson. Which do you like the best, Judson's skepticism or Judson's Christian life, Judson's suffering for Christ's sake, Judson's almost martyr dom? Oh, young man, take your choice between these two kinds of lives. Your own heart tells you this morning the Christian life is more admirable, more peaceful, more comfortable and more beautiful.
 IN GOOD COMPANY.
 Oh, if religion does so much for man on earth. what will it do for him in heaven? That is the thought that comes to me now. If soldier can afford to shout 'Huzzap when he goes into bat tie, how much more jubilantly he can afford to shout "Huzzar' when he has gained the victory. If religion is so good a thing to have here, how bright thing it will be ill heaveni want to see that young man when the glories of heaven have robed and crowned him. want to hear him sing when all huskiness oi earthly colds is gone and he rises uI with the great doxology.
 I want to know what standard he will carry when marching under arches oi pearl in the army of banners. want to know what company he will keep ir the land where they are all kings and queens forever and ever. If I have in duced one of you this morning to begin better life, then I want to know it. may not in this world clasp hands with