Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1899-08-05

departure is at hand: | have fought tn
good tight. have finished my course.
have kept the faith q death. where
thy sting: q grave where is thy Viz
tory? ThurkS bc unto tod who giveih
as the victory through our Lord Jesu
Christ"
4 Glorious Dclusion.
O my Lord. my God. what dclusion
what glorious dclusion. Submerge M
with il. ill my eyes and ears " iii il. pa
il under my head for a pillow, this dclu
sion: spread il over me- for canopy. put
il underneath me for an pitSpreading
wing roll il over me ia can Surge> 10.
O0o faih"ms deep. II in'!dcliiy and if
atheism and il humiliation are Il realty
and the Christian religion is dclusion
give mc the deluSion.
The strong con, fusion OF every reason
able man and woman j. that Christianity
producing such grand results cannot be
dclusion. y lie a cheat. Il sw ndlc. y
Authorization. cannot launch such glory
OF the centuries. Your logic aud your
common sense convince you that Il bad
cause cannot produce an illustrious re-
suit Out of the womb of such mon
Stcr me- such angel can be- born. There are
many who began with thinking that the
Christian religion was n STUPID far e VIII
have come To the conclusion that il is
reality. Why are you in the Lords house
today? Why did you sing this song:
Why did You bow your head IN the opcn.
ing prayer? Why lid yau bring Your
family with Won? Why. when II YOU
10 the ending of all trials in the bosom of
God. do there stand tears in your eyes
not tears Of grief. hut tears Of Joy. such
as stand In the eyes Of homcSick children
far away AT school when som" one ks
To- them about going home: Why Is il
that yon can he 81 calmly Suhm sSive II
the death of your loved one about whose
departure you once Were ang V an 81
rcbollious? There is som thing the mat.
ter with won. All your fIicad> h I'VE found
ont Their" il Il great change. ana il som
Of ynu would give your experience you
would give il in scholarly style. AMI 9TH
crS. giVin. their experience. would give il
in broken style hut the onr experience
would hr Just as good rs the other. SOM
OF you have read everything. Ynu are
scientific and You are scholarly. and yet
if | should ask You. What is the mos;
sensible thing You ever did, yon would
was to give my heart q God
But there may lie others who have not
had early advantages and if they were
asked to give their experience they might
rise and give such Testimony rs the man
gave in prayer meeting Mhcn he said:
ION my way here tonight met man
who asked me where ! was going. !
said. ! am going To prayer meeting. He
GafI s'El.p.. a good r..lfssinpS
and think the most Of them are dch-
sions A. 10 the Christian religion. that
is only notion. that is mere notion.
the Christian religion. said To him.
Stranger. You see that tavern over
there? Yes h. said i see it, Don't
You see mr?' Yes. Of course | see you.
New the time was when everybody in
this town knows il | had a quarter Of II
dollar in my pocket could not pass that
tavern without going in and getting a
drink: all the people OF jefferson could
not keep me ont of that place. hut God
has changed my heart, aud the Lord Jc
suS Christ has destroyed my thirst for
strnng drink. aud there is my whole
weeks wages and | have no temptation
10 90 in there. And. stranger. il this is u
notion | want 10 tell You il is mighty
powerful notion. II is II notion that has
put clothes on my chldrcn'~ back. and
II is n n"iion that has put good food an
our table. aud I i, a mott that has ill
cd my month with thanksgiving I" God.
And. STRANGER. You bad better ~ along
with me: y"u riSh .r religion. too: lots
Il people ~" glti,.: ct .'"1 now
We'll. We will ,"u understand il all.
Your ligr anl rinr win s""n bc over.
Mr will Sooa ,,n" 4" the last bar of the
mnsi. 1" the last afi nf the tragedy. IL
the last page "f III" book yea. "a the
las, lnr aud t" III 81 wprd-and To YOU
aud to me it will either hc midn"on or