The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1895-09-16


him and some sneer at him and some de-
nounce him and men VINO pretend TO be
actuated by right motives conspire to Grip
pie him to cast him out, to destroy MN,
1 say, stephen stoned.
When | see man in some great moral
or religious reform battling against Srog-
shops, exposing wicBedness in high places,
by active means trying TO purify the church
and better the world S estate. and l ma
that the newspapers mathematics him and
men. even good men, oppose him and de-
nounce him because. though he does good.
he does not do it in their way, | say,
stephen stoned But you notice, my
friends. that while they assaulted Stephen
they did not succeed in killing him. You
may assault a good man, but you cannot
kill him. on the lay of his death Stephen
spoke before a few people in the Sanhe-
orim; this Sabbath morning he addresses
all Christendom Paul the Apostle stood
on Mars Hill addressing a handful of
philosophers who knew not so much about
science as a modern schoolgirl. Today he
talks to all the millions of Chrstendom
about the wonders of Justification and the
glores OF resurrection. John Wesley was
how'ed down by the mob to whom he
preached, and they threw bricks at him.
and they denounced him. and they jostled
him, and they spat upon him. and yet
today. in all lands, he is admitted to be
the great father of Methodism. Booths
bulle. vacated the presidential chair. but
from that spot of coagulated blood on the
! floor i'm the box of Fords theater there
sprang up the life of a nation. Stephen
stoned. but Stephen alive.
Pass on now. anu see stephen in his dy
| ing prayer. His first thought was not how
the stones hurt his head, nor what would
| become of his body. His first thought was
| about his spirit. Lord Jesus, recaive my
| spirit" The murderer standing the
| trap-door, the black cap being drawn over
his head before the execution, may grimace
| about the future; but you and | have no
| shame in confessing some anxiety about
wnere we are going to come out. You are
| not all body. There is within you soul.
l see il CLEAN from your eyes today, and /
see il irradiating your countenauce Some
| times | am abashed before an audience. not
1 | nh N~c1a a nxrE-
sight, but because i realize the truth that l
stanu before so many immortal spirits. The
probability is that your body will at least
| find a sepulchre in some of the cemeteries
| that surround this city There is no doubt
| but that your Ohsequics Will be decent and
respectful, and you will be abb to pillow
| your head under the maple the Norway
spruce, or the cypress, or the blossoming
| fir: but this spirit about which Stephen
| prayed what direction will that take?
| What guide will escort It? What gate VIII
| open To receive it? What cloud viii be
| cleft for its pathway? After it has got be-
yond the light of our sun, will there be
| torches lighted for it the rest of the way?
VIII the soul have to travel through long
| deserts before it reaches the good land? If
| We should lose our pathway will there be
| a castle at whose gate we may ask the way
| to the city? Oh, this mysterious spirit
within us! 1t has two wings. but it is in
cage now. 1t is locked fast to keep it;
| but let the door of this cage open the least.
| and that soul is off. Eagles wings could
not catch it. The lightnings are not swift
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| leaves the body 1t takes fifty worlds at
bound. And ! have no anxiety about it?
| Have you no anxiety about it?
I do not care what You do with Amy body
| when my soul is gone. or whether you
! be lieve in cremation or inhunation. I
| shall sleep just well in a wrapping of
sac kcloth as in satin lined with eagles
| down. But my soul: Before / close this
discourse | will find out where i will land
| Thank God for the intimation of my text
| that when we die Jesus takes us! THAT
answers all questions for me. What
though there We're massive bars between
move them. What though l get weary on
the way-Christ could lift me on Ills on-
nipotent shoulder. What though there
! transport me. Then let stephens prayer
! be my dying litany: Lord Jesus. receive
| be too feeble TO say a long prayer. 1t may
| be in that hour we will not be able to say
| the Lords prayer for il has seven petit
| tons. Perhaps may be too feeble even
| to say the infant prayer cur mothers
| taught us, which John Quincy Adams, sew
| cnty years of age said every night when
| he put his head upon his pillow
Now / lay sne down to sleep.
pray the Lord my soul to keep"
We may be too feeble to employ either
| OF these familiar forms; but this prayer
| of stephen IS SO short, is 50 concise, is 50
! earnest, IS SO compre~ enslVe. We surely
| VIII be able to say that: Lord jesus, re-
! ce!vc my spirit oh, If that prayer is an
| swcred, how sweet il will be TO die! This
I world is clever enough to us. Perhaps 1t
| has treated us great ceal better tuan We
| deserved to be treated: but if on the dying
pillow there shall break the light of that
| better world, We shall have no more regret
| than about leaving small, dark damp
house fOr one large, beautiful and Capa-
! cious. That dying minister in Philadelphia
some years age beautifully depicted 1t
| when, in the last moment, he threw up his
| hands and cried out: Il move into the
| Hrhtr'
Pass on now and 7 will show you enc
more picture. and that is Stephen asleep.
IistT
| the scriptures, the text says Of Stephen:
| "Iic fen asleep" oh" you say, what
| place that was to sleep. y hard rock under
| MN, stones falling down upon MN, the
| blood streaming, the mob bowling. What
| a place ii was to Sleep" And yet my text
taAes that symbol OF sImber TO describe
| his departure sweet was it, SO content
| ed was 1t, 50 peaceful was IL. stephen had
| lived a very laborious life His chief work
| had been to care for the poor. How many
| loaves of bread he had distributed how
| many bare feet he had sandalled, how
| many cots of sickness and distress he had
| blessed WIN ministries OF Kindness and
| love DO not know, yet from the way he
| lived and the way he preached and the
| way he died | know he was a laborious
| Christian. But that is all over now. He
| has pressed the cup TO the last faintinE
| lip. He has taken the last insult from his
| enemies. The last stone to whose crushing
| weight he is susceptible has been hurled.
| stephen is dcadi The disciples come! They
| take him up! They wash away the Good
| from the wounds. They straGhten out the
| bruised limbs. They brush back the tam
| glcd hair from the brow and then they pass
| around TO look upon the calm counte-
| nance Of him who had lived for the poor
| and died for the truth. Stephen asleep
| / have seen the sea driven with the hur-
| ricane until the tangled foam caught in
| the rigging, and waive rising above wave
| seemed If about to storm the heavens
I and then have seen the tempest drOp and
the waves crouch and everything become
| smooth and FURNISHED as though a camp
| ing place for heaven. So I have seen n
| man whose life has been tossed and driven,
| coming down at last into an infinite calm,
| in which there was a hush of heavens
| lullaby. stephen asleep!
| l saw such an one. He fought all his
days against poverty and against abuse
They trIduced his name. They ratified at
the dooTknob while he was diving with
| duns for debts he could not pay: yet the
peace OF God broodcd over his pillow. and
while the world faded. heaven dawned.
and the deepening twilight of earth's night
was only the opening twilight of heavens
morn. Not a sigh Not a tear. Not
struggle. Hushi Stephen asleep.
| ] have not the faculty as many have to
tell the weather. | can never tell by the
setting sun whether there viii be 4 drought
q" not | cannot tell bv the blowing Of
the wind whether II will be fair or foul
on the morrow. But l can prophesy. and
! viii propNesv what weather II will be
when you. the Christian. come to die. You
may have il very rough now. IL may he
this week one annoyance. the next another
annoyance. 1t may be this year be-
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