Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1899-08-11


am going to the front" dying tel
graph operator on a battlefield Of yir-
ginia, what have you to sayY "The
wires are all laid. and the poles are up
from Stony Point TO headquarters"
"Dying Paul. what have you to sayT
Il am now ready to be offered. and the
time Of my departure is at hand: !
have fought the good fight. I have fin
ished my course. have kept the faith.
o death. where is thy sting? o grave.
where is thy victory? Thanks be unto
God who giveth us the victory through
our Lord Jesus Christ"
o my Lord. my God. what delu-
sion, what a glorious delusioz! Sub
merge me with IL. I'LL my eyes and
ears with 1t. put 1t under my head for
pillow-thls deluslon-spread II over
me for canopy. put 1t underneath me
for an outspreau wing-rOll II over me
in ocean surges 10000 fathoms deep.
If lnfidelity. and II atheism. and II an
Inhalation are a reality and the Chris
tian religion Is delusionp give me the
delusion.
Grand Results.
The strong conclusion OF every rea-
sonable man and woman Is that Chris
tianity producing such grand results
swindle, hallucination cannot launch
such a glory Of the centuries. Your
logic and your common sense convince
you that n bad cause cannot produce
an illustrlous result. Out OF the womb
Of such a monster no such angel can be
born. There are many who began with
thinking that the Christian religion
was a stupid farce who have come TO
the condbpslon that It Is reality. Why
are you in the Lords house today?
Why did you sing this song? Why did
you bow your head In the opening
prayer? Why did you bring your faml'
ly with you? Why. when ] tell you OF
the ending OF all trials In the bosom OF
God, do there stand tears la your
eyes-not tears Of grief. but tears OF
10y. such as stand In the eyes OF home
sick children far away at school when
some one talks to them about going
home? Why Is 1t that you can be 80
calmly submissive to the death OF your
loved one. about whose departure you
once we're so angry and so rebelliousE
There is something the matter with
YOU. All your friends have found out
there is a great change. And if some
Of you would give your experience
YOU would give it In scholarly STYLE
and others giving their experience
would give 1t in broken style. but the
one experience would be just as good
as the other Some Of you have read
everything. You are scientific. and you
are scholarly. and yet II ! should ask
vou What Is the most sensible thing
you ever didT you would say. The
most sensible thing ever did was to
give my heart to God"
But there may be others who have
not had early advantages. and If they
were asked to give such experience
they might rise and give such testi-
mony as the man gave In a prayer
meeting when he said: "On my way
here tonight met a man who asked me
where was going. l SAID. / am going
TO prayer meeting He said. There
are a good hany religions, and think
the most of them are delusions; as to
the Christian religion. that Is only
notion. that is mere notion. the
Christian religion | said to him,
Stranger. you see that tavern over
thereY Yes he said. I see It. Don't
you see mef Yes, Of course. see
you. Now, the time was when every
body In this town knows II ! had
quarter Of dollar in my pocket could
not pass that tavern without going Ia
and getting a drink. All the people OF
Jefferson could not keep me out OF that
place, but God has changed my heart,
and the Lord Jesus Christ has destroy
ed my thirst for strong drink. and
there is my whole weeks wages, and i
have no temptation to 60 In there. And
stranger, II this Is notion want to
tell you 1t Is a mighty powerful notion;
it is a notion that has put clothes on
my children's back. and 1t Is a notion
that has put good food on our table,
and 1t is a notion that has hlled my
mouth with thanksgiving to Cod"
Well, we will soon understand II all
Your life and mine will soon be over.
We will soon come to the last bar OF
the music. to the last act Of the trage-
ly. to the last page OF the book-yea,
10 the last line and to the last word
md to you aud to me 1t will either b
nidnoon or midnight!