DTIObOAB?* 
 
No. 126. 
 
 THE HOSPITAL MADE A BETHEL. 
 
 "I DO SO WANT TO DIE THERE." 
 
 Soldiers! there are many thousand hearts praying for 
 you; but it needs that you pray also for yourselves ; not 
 those of you only who have learnt something of a Sa- 
 viour's love, but every soldier in the ranks? I want 
 every one who reads this to pray that the Lord Jesus 
 would soften his heart, and make him hate sin. Do not 
 any one of you think that you are too sinful to pray. 
 Jesus Christ died for poor sinners, and the feeling your- 
 self to be wretched and deserving of death is the first 
 step in coming to Him. And even those of you who 
 are careless, and are not yet even sorry fur your cold- 
 ness, do you begin by saying a prayer. Say it reveren- 
 tially, even if you cannot do so heartily, and it may be 
 that He who knows tiie weakness and wickedness of 
 your natural frame will answer even your prayers. No 
 heart is too hard for His love to constrain; only look to 
 Him; ask Him to make you love Him. 
 
 1 will tell you of a poor sinner who was brought to 
 feel his vileness, and the power of Jesus to save him. 
 He was ltd to do this by a dreadful accident and ago- 
 nizing pain. Oh, do not you wait for trial to drive you 
 to the feet of your offended God ; but now turn to Him, 
 for He loves rather to draw you to Himself by love and 
 tender mercy. 
 
 William L was a young solder of reckless, disso- 
 lute character. He married a young woman who, like 
 
himself, knew not the Lord. A few short months only 
 had they spent together, when his regiment was ordered 
 away. Sad was the parting to the poor young wife, 
 who was left with her only relative, a very bad uncle, 
 to earn her daily bread. 
 
 William L reached his station in safety, and be- 
 gan his march up country. But one day, in jumping 
 out of a wagon, to take his turn of keeping guard, he 
 fell, and the wheel passed over his neck and chin. He 
 was taken up senseless and brought to our hospital. 
 There for days he remained on the borders of the grave, 
 unable to speak or move ; a most dreadful object to look 
 upon. 
 
 There I saw him the day he was brought in. He 
 was the only man of his regiment left behind, and, 
 therefore, from ignorance of his former character, it was 
 very difficult to know in what manner it was needful to 
 speak to him of gospel truths. 
 
 There was in the same ward a soldier of another re<ri- 
 me'nt, a very earnest Christian, who was delighted to 
 meet a fellow-citizen, and who tended William very 
 kindly. Knowing how little hope the doctors enter- 
 tained of his life, we were both deeply anxious that, 
 though apparently wandering, words of Divine truth 
 should be constantly spoken beside him, and so we read 
 beside him, and breathed earnest prayers that the love 
 of Jesus might cheer that suffering one. After a few 
 days he began to amend ; but before he could articulate, 
 he told us by signs, in answer to our questions, that he 
 had been living without God in the world, but that now 
 the nearness of death made him glad to hear the Bible. 
 
 God was very gracious to him, and spared him awhile 
 to learn a little of his long neglected Saviour. Contrary 
 to all expectation, he was very soon up and about again, 
 
iHb iiuarn ALT MADE A BETHEL. 
 
 as strong as ever. Naturally, Ho was a man devoid of 
 keen feeling, and a long course of sin hardened him to 
 any gentle emotions. Consequently, he found it very 
 difficult to learn to love his Saviour. He was deeply 
 humbled with a sense of his vileness, and came trem- 
 bling to the Cross. There comfort was given him, and 
 he enjoyed a trustful assurance that the blood of sprink- 
 ling had washed away even his sins. He clung to the 
 Saviour as all his hope ; but it was from knowing that 
 He was all his hope, not with any loving realization of 
 his adoption to sonship. As yet he knew not that per- 
 fect love which casteth out fear. He rested on such 
 verses as, " Be Thou my strong habitation, whereunto 
 I may continually resort." "Thou art my strong re- 
 fuge." His countenance was stern, and his extreme 
 dread of again falling away caused him continued de- 
 pression. 
 
 This seemed so strange, though we were very thank- 
 ful to mark his repentance and humility, that our re- 
 joicing over him was with trembling, lest any hidden 
 root of bitterness should be the cause. William was 
 very reserved, yet there was no doubt that he was thor- 
 oughly sincere. His reverence for the Bible, and 
 eagerness to learn more of his Saviour, was marked — 
 there was no half-heartedness about him. 
 
 His recovery was wonderfully rapid. I found him 
 one forenoon in his uniform, with all his arms bur- 
 nished. He said to me, " I 've got my discharge from 
 Dr. , and so I 'm going right away with a com- 
 pany of my own regiment who are passing through 
 to-day ; I 'm very sorry to go." He begged me to read 
 to him once more. We chose Isaiah iv, and then I tried 
 to point out some of the precious thoughts it contains. 
 He was particularly struck with those words, "Shall be 
 
111L HU&P11AL A\UL A iil.llllLL. 
 
 c«//ec/ holy," and told m? that lie felt lie had been 
 washed in the blood of Jesus from all his old filth, that 
 it hail been indeed by sore judgment that he had been 
 led to see the truth, and now he would strive to walk 
 close with his God; but he felt so weak he trembled 
 lest he should be led astimy* He begged me to pray for 
 .him, and promised that he would take this word as his 
 watchword, u called holy ;" but he told me he had no 
 hope ever to be so holy that his companions would be 
 able to call him so. He clung to that word that there is 
 a tabernacle for the tempted ones; a cleft in the rock ; a 
 place of refuse ; where they can, in other strength than 
 their own, stand shielded midst life's temptations. As I 
 shook hands with him he said, " If I could, I would 
 never leave this hospital ; it has been a Bethel to me, 
 and I can't expect now to find any other place the same. 
 I seem strange and cold, and the men all think you are 
 mistaken in thinking so kindly of me ; but 1 'm true for 
 all that, and may be, some time or other, I may come to 
 love the Rock I 'm clinging to." 
 
 I was at the hospital next morning. Campbell came 
 to me in great distress, to say that shortly after I bad 
 left the day previous William had been reading aloud a 
 newspaper on his bed when he called out suddenly, 
 14 1 'm very ill," and fell back. They went to him; the 
 apothecary declared it was cholera, and immediately 
 had him conveyed to a little adjoining room, where he 
 was placed alone for fear of infection. All night he 
 had been crying out in dreadful pain; and still his 
 pleadings for water, which the doctor had forbidden, 
 were very sad to hear. 
 
 Campbell had been as much with him as was al- 
 lowed, and told me William had in moments of con- 
 sciousness expressed his peace and joy in believing; it 
 
had softened all his pain to feel it was his Saviour who 
 was chastening him, and often through the night he had 
 seemed to be speaking with Him. 
 
 He had wished to see me, so I went in. " All I 
 wanted is given me," he said; "I did so want to die 
 here, because I feared my heart would forget again, and 
 I knew up in the front there would be no one to help me 
 to love Jesus." I read to him verses from Romans viii, 
 and 1 John iii. <' I 'm just dying," he murmured ; "oh, 
 give me some water." It was useless now to torture 
 him with refusing, for he was fast sinking. The second 
 illness had broken down even his iron frame. " I 'm 
 clinging to the Rock — I 'm so glad I shall see Him so 
 soon — I 'm not afraid, for I did go just as I was, 
 
 * * * "Without one plea, 
 But that his blood was shed for me." 
 
 He was wandering all the rest of the day. The next 
 morning Campbell would not let me see him; William 
 had become quite black in the face, and Campbell feared 
 the closeness of the room might make me ill. 
 
 William died a few hours after. He had said to 
 Campbell, "I 'ye been praying for my poor wife; may 
 this sorrow lead her to One who Ml be better to her than 
 ever I was." One of the last things he was distinctly 
 heard to repeat was a verse of a favorite hymn — 
 
 " Be with me through the valley, 
 When heart and flesh shall fail ; 
 And softly, softly, lead me on, 
 Until within the veil. 
 
 " Then faith shall turn to gladness, 
 To find myself with Thee ; 
 And trembling hope shall realize 
 Her full felicity." 
 
His last words were to Campbell, u Jesus has come 
 for me now ; I don't need the tabernacle any more, for 
 it will be fulness of Joy in His presence for ever and 
 ever." 
 
 And what of his Sophie? She lives yet in the old 
 town. God took her baby to Himself, and father and 
 child now wait to welcome her. She was broken- 
 hearted when tidings of her loss came, and u thought 
 bitter things of Him who had sent her sucli bitter sor- 
 row." But she thinks not so now. Her William's 
 prayers were answered, and she now looks to meeting 
 him in their heavenly home. She feels they are not 
 lost to each other; the Saviour is all her trust, and she 
 rejoices in His love. Her constant prayer is to be made 
 ready to see Him, and for the hour of her summons she 
 now waits in a loving, trustful spirit. 
 
 I must not talk to you longer, dear soldiers, but I will 
 just ask each of you to learn this fourth chapter of 
 Isaiah; it is very short, and will not take up much of 
 your time. May He, who so blessed it to William 
 
 L , give it power to lead many of you close to 
 
 Himself. Soon you will be lost for ever if that ''taber- 
 nacle" is not your hiding place. It has sheltered many 
 travellers along life's rou^h way. Many a weary, suffer- 
 ing one, who once hid there, lias now entered that land 
 of which it is written, «' There shall be no night 
 
 THERE." 
 
 PUBLISHED BY THE SOUTH CAROLINA TRACT SOCIETY. 
 
 Printed by Evaus & Cogbwell, No. 3 Broad itreot, Charl«8ton, S. C. 
 
LIST OF TRACTS 
 
 r*'BLlSHED BY THE 
 
 SOUTH CAROLINA TRACT SOCIETY. 
 
 No. of Number 
 
 Tract. of pages 
 
 l..Am I Self-Deceived 4 
 
 2.. Have You ? 12 
 
 3. .The Sinner's Friend 20 
 
 4.. The Act of Faith 4 
 
 5.. What is it to Believe on 
 Christ? 4 
 
 6. .Dialogue between the Bible 
 
 and a Sinner 4 
 
 7. .Self-Dedication to God. ... -J 
 
 S.. Why Do We Sit Still 4 
 
 9.. Ye Shall Not Surely Die.. 4 
 
 10. .A Convenient Season 4 
 
 11 . .The Bible the Word of God 4 
 
 12.. Three Words 4 
 
 13.. A Word of Warning 4 
 
 14.. Grieving the Spirit of God 4 
 
 15.. Hinder Me Not 4 
 
 16.. The Soldier's Pocket Bible.10 
 17.. I Don't Like Professions... 4 
 18. .The Bible in my Trunk... 4 
 19. .How to Dispose ot Care. 4 
 
 20.. The Way of Peace 8 
 
 21.. Quench Not the Spirit ... . 4 
 
 22.. Fatal Delusions 4 
 
 2.°... The Sword of the Spirit.. 4 
 
 21 . .Procrastination 4 
 
 25.. The Missionary's Nephew 4 
 
 20.. Lost Convictions 4 
 
 27.. Profane Swearing 4 
 
 88.-. Obstacles to Conversion.. 4 
 
 29.. The Spirit Grieved 4 
 
 30.. Counsel to the Convicted. 4 
 31. .Every Man the Friend or 
 
 the Enemy of Christ. ... 4 
 
 32. .The Soldier's Victory & 
 
 33.. The Wrath to Come 4 
 
 34. .What Are You Fit For?.. S 
 35.. Christ a Covert from the 
 
 Tempest 8 
 
 30.. The Christian Traveller.. 8 
 37. .Napoleon's Argument for 
 the Divinity of Christ and 
 the Scriptures S 
 
 33. .1 Can't Make Myself Differ- 
 
 ent 8 
 
 39.. The Sinner his own De- 
 stroyer 8 
 
 No. of Number 
 
 Tract. of pages 
 
 40. .The Infidel's Creed ; or. The 
 
 Credulity of Infidelity 8 
 
 41.. Alarm to the Careless.... S 
 
 42. .True Conversion 8 
 
 43. .The Christian Olficer 8 
 
 44.. Our War. Our Cause, and 
 
 Our Duty 10 
 
 45.. The Crimean Hero: the 
 
 late Captain Vicars 12 
 
 10.. The Muffled Drum 8 
 
 47.. How Do You Bear Your 
 
 Trials? 8 
 
 48. .How Long Have You Been 
 
 Sick? 12 
 
 49.. Soldier! Do You Believe 
 
 the Bible? 4 
 
 50.. The Long Roll 4 
 
 51.. Mortally Wounded 8 
 
 52. .The Sailor Lost and Found 8 
 
 53. .Captain Deverell ; or, From 
 
 Darkness to Light 12 
 
 54.. A Word from the Ladies of 
 the Soldiers' Relief Asso- 
 ciation of Charleston to 
 
 the Soldier 4 
 
 55.. Col. Gardiner — as a Man, 
 
 a Christian, and a Soldier.24 
 
 56.. The Railway Guide 16 
 
 57.. The Confederate Hero and 
 
 his Patriotic Father.... 16 
 
 58. .The Sailor's Home 8 
 
 59. .Kind Words to a Wounded 
 
 Soldier 8 
 
 60. .TheEventfulTwelveHours; 
 
 or, The Destitution and 
 Wretchedness of the 
 
 Drunkard 16 
 
 61.. The Dying Robber 8 
 
 62. .Do You Pray in Secret ?. . . 4 
 63.. Do You Enjoy Religion?.. 4 
 64 . . I 've Never Thought of Dy- 
 
 ing So 4 
 
 65.. Why Sit Ye Here Idle?... 4 
 
 60.. Come and Welcome 12 
 
 67. .The Sill? Fish 4 
 
 68.. Why Yet Impenitent? 4 
 
 69. . Who Slew All These ? 4 
 
Tmct. 
 
 70. 
 
 71. 
 72. 
 
 73. 
 71. 
 
 7;'). 
 70. 
 77. 
 
 78. 
 79. 
 SO. 
 81. 
 
 82. 
 
 83. 
 84. 
 
 85. 
 86. 
 
 Karabtr I 
 of pages : 
 
 Th^Navy Surirrnn I 'J J 
 
 A wrue Story of Luc know 8 j 
 The Sailor and the SolcJier 8 
 Axe You Not Afraid to Die? 4 
 The Wonderful Esqgpe>. 1 
 
 The Two Soldiers I 
 
 Where Are Von Going?. 
 The Young Officer's Start 
 
 in Life/..j S 
 
 Shew Me Myself — 
 
 Divine Grace Illustrated. 4 
 
 The Christian Soldier S 
 
 Mustered into Service... S 
 Lieul. R. ; or. The Traet 
 
 Read in tJjA Theatre. . . 
 'hvself No Uarnu... 
 
 Do Thy 
 
 Appeal tothe Youth, and es- 
 pecially to the Soldiers of 
 the Confederate SHiles..lb 
 
 Very Short and Very Long, 
 and The Strict Search. . 8 
 
 The Fatal Mi -take; or, 
 The Midnight Shipwreck 
 
 I 
 87.. The Ikiy of Trial 4 
 
 88. 
 89. 
 
 ,My Time is But a Day. . . I 
 • The Substance of the Gos- 
 pel ....<..< • • • 4 
 
 90.. Noah's Carpenters........ 1 
 
 * 91 .""Come and Rest 1 
 
 9<V -A Patriotic Sermon 4 
 
 93. .Discharged — I am Going 
 
 . * Home 4 
 
 94. .Anecdotes for theSoldiers, 
 
 No. 1 24 
 
 95. .Anecdotes tortheSoldiers, 
 
 -No. 2 24 
 
 96.. A Kind Word to the Offi- 
 cers of our Army 4 
 
 97.. Soldiers in Hospital; or, 
 
 Come to Christ 4 
 
 98.. The Old Soldier 4 
 
 99. .A Letter to a Son in Camp 4 
 100.. The Colonel's Conversion 
 
 — A Chief of Sinners 
 made a Chief of Saints. 2 1 
 
 101.. The Muster 4 
 
 102.. The Guard-House 4 
 
 103. .An Appeal to Young Sol- 
 diers 8 
 
 104. .Drinking," Disobedience, 
 
 and Death 12 
 
 10C>.. An Affectionate Entreaty 
 
 — Invitation and Accept- 
 ance 4 
 
 Vn. Of 
 
 Tract. 
 
 io>;. 
 
 107. 
 
 108. 
 109. 
 110. 
 
 111. 
 
 112. 
 113. 
 
 114. 
 115. 
 
 116. 
 
 117. 
 lib. 
 
 119. 
 120. 
 121. 
 
 122. 
 123. 
 
 124. 
 125. 
 
 126. 
 
 127. 
 128. 
 129. 
 
 130. 
 131. 
 
 132. 
 
 Knmber 
 •f pages 
 
 ," Here is my IIeart." etc. .4 
 ,A Help to Self-Dedication 4 
 Triumphant Death on the 
 
 Baille-field 8 
 
 Piety Gives Courage and 
 
 Peace in Death S 
 
 .Military Execution : Sin 
 Pound Out— The Melt- 
 ing Power of Kindness* 4 
 .TheDying Officer in Par- 
 racks — Christ in the 
 
 Valley 8 
 
 .The Sergeant's Story.;.. 4 
 • The Dead March — and. 
 The Dead Coming to 
 
 Life Asa in 8 
 
 .The Brand. Plucked from 
 
 the Fire 4 
 
 ■ The Converted Soldier He- 
 come a Zealotts Mission- 
 ary 8 
 
 .The Major's Account of 
 
 Himself 8 
 
 .The Captain's Speech 2 
 
 .An Account of the Con- 
 version of several Offi- 
 cers at West Point 6 
 
 .Admiral Lord Gaiubier..l2 
 
 .A Word to the Sick 8 
 
 .A Soldier may Die the 
 . Death of tne Righteous. 8 
 
 .The Fight of Faith — 
 
 .The Skeptical Young Offi- 
 cer 8 
 
 .A Happy Release 8 
 
 .The Soldier's Dying Grief 
 
 and Glory 8 
 
 .Tho Hospital made a 
 Bethel— 'I do so want 
 
 to die there" 8 
 
 ."We shoukLlive looking 
 unto Jesus" — The Ser- 
 geant's Story 8 
 
 .The Soldier Boy and his 
 Father — vi Grasping the 
 
 Promises" 24 
 
 .The Colonel Baptized in 
 Presence of his Regi- 
 ment 4 
 
 .Our Da Hirer and Our Duty. 16 
 .The Christian Soldier the 
 
 True Hero 4 
 
 .Patriotism not Religion.. 4 
 
Hollinger Corp. 
 P H8.5