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 I have brought 
 Conf Pam 12mo #567 
 
 DTIDMTeaiO 
 
 W5(i,f 
 
NO. 11. 
 
 I HAVE BROUGHT 
 
 MY LITTLE BROTHER BACK 
 
 3JT REV. "W. M. WINCfATE; OF WAKE FOREST COLLSGS, W. <f* 
 
 *' I have brought my little brother back," said a young 
 soldier, as he gteppedfrom the cars, and took my hand. He 
 could say no more j his heart Wi.s full. It was iLciecd » 
 sad case. This young man had, sorafi two years before, 
 spoken a-lon^ farewell to rtie home of his boyhood, leiv'n^ 
 his mother, sisters, and this '' little brother," aisd bad fOL« 
 to seek his fortunes in the thriving young State of Ttxas- 
 He was at home on a thirty dayvs' furlough. 1 rtmeitb^r 
 well the scene en his return. lie was a most afFtciitcate 
 brother, and tecder-hearted son. He took his fstcily hj 
 surprise, and with his weather-beaten brew, and (he 
 Btrange, half Mexican dress of a Texas Eangtr, vas scarce 
 Jy recognized as the lojg absent boy. " 
 
 ITha joyful greeting is over. Jiut the "little brother' 
 
is not there to mingle glad tears with the happy family. 
 He is away at his post near RichmoBd. Though barely 
 sixteen, he his volunteered for the war, and has already 
 seen much of the stern life of the soldier. There, with 
 the brave array so -soon to be immortal, he awaits the on- 
 set of the invading host. The Western soldier .has gcarce- 
 ly settled himself at home, when the news is borne on the 
 telegraph that the terrible battles around the Capitol havo 
 eommenced. In his military ardor the feeling of home is 
 for the moment forgotten, and he leaves on the first traia 
 that he may see the smoke of battle, and be near at hand 
 to watch the fate of his brother. 
 
 The young soldier has relurned. The battles .around 
 Bichmond are still raging. Oar brave army is steadily 
 driving the enemy from his. long line of entrenchments 
 and multiplied redoubts. He is at last in fall retreat. 
 The Capitol is safe. Victory after victory is gounded 
 through the land. ,Glad voices greet you on every side, as 
 the cars arrive. Cheers rise on the air, and a thousand 
 grateful heartj swell with God'« great, deliverance. Bui 
 here and tliere, amid the happy throng, could be seen one 
 whose sad face spoke a mournful contrast. *Such an one 
 grasped my band, and brushing a tear away, said : ^* Mr. 
 ■ — I have brought my little brother back." , He had 
 fallen. In his first battle, in the firigt fierce encounter 
 around the Capitol of his country, his temples wer© pierced 
 by the fatal Vullet, and now, in a neat case, secured by the 
 Hnd Ciiaplain, he is brought to hi^_home. 
 
 But the worst is yet to come, Listen to me, dear young 
 laan — you who are so brpvely battling for all we hold 
 dear. This noble youth, who had thus fallen for his 
 oountry and his people, was, I fear, not prepared io die*, 
 

 5u 
 
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 What, thought T, aa I made Bay way to the scene of suffer- ^^^ 
 ing allecticrD, lan I say to his mother ? That tnotber I 
 knew well; and knowing her as I did, I knew what alone 
 would comforo her. 
 
 I THOUGHT OT HIS YOUTH. He hai- not indeed made 
 any profession of fait^ in Christ. 'lie had said nothing on 
 the subject to any of hia companions. No occ knew 
 that he had ever been really serious on the subject of Ms 
 fiOuPs interests, gtiii he was so young. Only sixteen brief 
 summers had measured Lis short probation. Was therenot 
 gome hope in this circumstance ? The longest life, the 
 three score years and ten, is full short enouglj to prrpare 
 for vast eternity.' It is as the drop to the ocean. And 
 will not a kind and benevolent Being, as we know God to' 
 be 'allow some mitigation of His law for extreme youth ? 
 He knows with what thoughtlessness we lun along over 
 this petiod of our <iays ; how much of life — buoyant, hopcT 
 ful life — there is in us, and how little we care for the 
 morrow. Will lie not relent — allow some abatement ©f 
 th^ stern sentence against a young man who had ouIt/ too 
 th'oughtlesdif let his precious probation slip from him ? No, 
 dear young man, I fear this plausible view will not an- 
 swer. It is not a long or short life, aa such, that gives us 
 opportunities for final preparation : nor does it take anj 
 specific period for preparation. It is faith in the Lord 
 Jesus Christ, and nothing more; faith that works — wheth- 
 er a longer er a shorter time — by love, and purifies the 
 heart. In this faith- is life. True, youth is thoughtlesB; 
 but youth is susceptible, too, and, as compared with other 
 periods of life, is as favorable for securing salvation as any 
 other. Indeed, the Scriptures would have us infer that, 
 sober and thoughtful as mature age may be, it is not so 
 well fitted for the wQik of preparation as the tender jeais 
 
®f joatli. ''Remember now thy Creator/' writes the mm 
 Btaa, ^^'m tlie d^ys of thy youth, while the evil days com© 
 llc4ynor the years draw nigh, when thou shall say, I have 
 BO pleasure in them." And if they will indulge because it 
 ig their spring time, the same inspired one tells them, for 
 \iarDiDg, "Rejoice. O young man, in thy youth; and let 
 thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk 
 ■in. tke ways of thy heart, and in the sight of thine eyes y 
 feat know thou that for all th^e things God will bring tbee 
 tEio judgment." How could I soothe th* mother, then, on 
 aK^unt of his yoiith ? 
 
 But I THOUGHT OF THE SUDDENNESS OP HIS DEATH. 
 
 The fatal bullet pierced his temples at the beginning of 
 the Eiruggle, and he fell without a word for the stricken 
 OQSg at home. No moment left hina for sober thought. 
 ^0 time for one brief prayer. At once he was summoned 
 into the presence of the Judge. Would not \his mitigate 
 the ease ? Sometimes the kind Judge allows a brief inter* 
 ^&L The wound is mortal ; but, though sinners long, they 
 Easy, and perchance do repent before they die. The dis- 
 ease is fatal; still, time is allowed for some seriousmo-. 
 ments ere the messenger summons them away. But here 
 BO word ; no time for committing the spirit. The solemn 
 datknGss overshadowed him at once. 
 
 But I could honestly see no comfort in this. He had 
 receiyed much instruction at home; had been fully warned 
 of the uncertainty of life. For his country's sake had entered 
 the army at the place of danger. Disease had already taken 
 Btatny from his side, and battle he knew would take many 
 more. Brave, as he was, he expected to stem the leaden hail, 
 and fearlessly charge on batteries Yomiting forth the missiles 
 ©f death And yet, with uU this in, view, he dared to go, did 
 go^ without preparation. Too fearless, he ventured his soul^ 
 not his body only, his soul, upon the fate of battle. Too ad- 
 
venturous, he put his little all at stake, and lost. Alas ! I 
 could see no comfort in this. "Be" not afraid of them that 
 kill the body and after that have no more that tbev can do. — 
 But fear him which after be hath killed, hath power to cast 
 into hell. Yea, I say unto you fear Him." 
 
 But this young MAI? died in defence of his COUNTRIf. — 
 
 They whispered this — the kind friends who were at Lis grave 
 — to his mother. Some told the sisters their brother had died 
 in a noble cause ; and the father's face was IJt up with a mo- 
 mentary triumph as the preacher spoke ot his falling in de- 
 fence of all we hold dear. I thought of this too. A martyr 
 in a noble ca-ji8c. A bleeding victim upon the altar of his 
 country. Well ! if there could be a way for a noble death, in 
 the eye of our Judge, to atone for misspent life, then these 
 friends had ground for consolation. If, from any battle- 
 fields heroes went, by vii tue of their death and noble disdain 
 of danger, to the realms of the blessed, there would then be 
 hope for our dead, fallen on so many crimsoned fields for all 
 we hold dear in life, liberty and honor. But will this suflBce? 
 0, no! There is no comlort here. Earthly comfort there may 
 be. Cause for honest, patriotic pride thei-e may be ; but for 
 the other world, comfort there can be none. For who is He 
 towhosebar we must be bi'ought, and with whom we must 
 contend? No political judge; no military chieftain. The 
 issue with Him is not national, but personal. There is no 
 test of bravery ; the test is faith ; faith in His beloved Son, 
 ■whom He has sent into our world to seek and save the lost. 
 Neglecting Him, no cause can justify, no death can atone. 
 
 But he was a^t amiable young man. Noble, generous, 
 "brave ; full of ardor for his country ; tenderly sensitive of his 
 honor and earnest in the discharge of duty ; such was this 
 son and brother. Was there not comfort in this ? Yes 1 yesi 
 It made his family feel their loss more, tlmade his compan- 
 ions lament his fall. But did it help the young man in the 
 world to which he had gone? Did his many amiable quali- 
 ties plead in his behalf ? I call to mind the amiable young 
 man of thegospels, who came kneeling to Christ, sayiog, 
 
6 
 ' I 
 
 ^^ Good'yiasiQY, whBi\, good thing shall I do ?" Jesus loved 
 him ; and yet "one thing/' said the kind Teiicher,. " thou lack- 
 est:" .1 remember the Scribe v^ho apswered so disereetly 
 th^itthe Saviour said, ',' Thou art not far from the kingdom 
 of heaven.'^ Siill, be was in the kingdom of darkness. — 
 Could Ij then, in this, bring any real comfort to the bro- 
 ken-hearted mother ? No ! Her brave, generous, noble 
 hearted boyhSxi gone! Not far indeed from the kingdom- 
 of heaven, yet not having entered. Amiable and keep- 
 ing many of the commandments; yet lacking one thi!ig, 
 and in this lacking all. How §ad the case of such ! My 
 heart bleeds to think of it. When the profane swearer- 
 
 ^ goes to the place assigned to the wicked, we all feel ^hat 
 tliis is his place. When the whoremonger and the adulilS- 
 rer receive their doom, we feel that this is well. But^^whea 
 noble youth is snatched away, we hesitate and fear to 
 state his case. Bat why sh^'uld we? . He has not loved 
 the blessed and iBamaculatc One. With a mind open to. 
 noble impressions," with a heart susceptible to the- good 
 and pure he has not honored God's own Son. "And this 
 is the sin, the damning sin. Here all dcj)raviiy is found. 
 *'If any man,'^no matter how estimable and honored among 
 his fellows, " If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let 
 him be Anathema Maranatha.'' Let him be accursed vhea 
 the Lord cometh. 
 
 I REMEMBERED THAT THIS YOUNG SOLDIER HAD A PRAY- 
 ING MOTHER. His father, and his sisters, too, were mem- 
 bers of the church, arid doubtles^i pra (5d frequently and 
 fervently f«r the absent and exposed one, that God would^ 
 shi4d him in the day of battle^ and save him in the day of 
 judgment. But his mother was pecivHarly earnest in her 
 prayers. And who has not heard that "praying breath 
 ■was never spent in vain V^ And then, .1 had always felt 
 
that tliere was peculiar- viitue ia a nwther's praf/ei's. In- 
 deed, I.had ofcen said as much to thisaoxious mother, be- 
 cause I knew there was such power in praycrj in earnest, 
 believiug prayer, x But from the very circumstance that 
 this precious truth is Orga-d so frequently, -both in public 
 and in private, I fear that many young persoBs greatly 
 abuse if. I am afraid that this young m3n trustedto his 
 mother's prayers to shield him in the clay of battle. Per- 
 chance he thought ho could not die, till that mothcr^s de- 
 gire was fulfilled. If he did not, I am sure that maui/ do. 
 Away off in the army, around their camp-fires, they think 
 of the protection of a pious mother's prayer?. And the 
 sister write?-, telling dear brother, that all the family join 
 in prayers for his'safety, and as he folds t e letter to his 
 heart, and thinks of dear ones at home, he loves to ' feel 
 that he is shielded. . Eut strange, he will not pray for 
 Jiimself, Trusting to the prayers of others, ho uttCFs 
 none to the loving Father of bis spirit. Well II cannot 
 answer for this. \Yo6ld God tbat none would trust to 'it ! 
 1 only know that this young man had a praying father, 
 praying sisters, and a praying ra ther. 1 know that he" 
 left no •\i\ord of consolation ; sent no nTessage to soothe 
 their stricken hearts ; and that now that mother weeps for 
 him as for a lost sen. Yep, in all his youth and beauty, 
 defence of dearest rightd and a goodly heritage, she fears 
 her noble b.y is losi^ and lo^t forever. Ah, rae ! There, 
 is something c/rea6?/W in that. Why should"^" mother 
 feel it? She said— poor woman ! I thought hcarfc 
 
 would fail m£ as I listened to her — she said, ' x could 
 have watched his sick couch, had God seen .fit to affiicfc 
 him ; I could have nursed his wounds for days and weeks, 
 and seen him scarred and maimed for life. I could havo 
 seen him die, die at h«mo or on the battle-field if I could 
 
■* . 8 
 
 have had hope in his death ; could have caught from his 
 lips some word of j,he better land to treasure up in my 
 heart." 
 
 Ah, well ! I know not how to comfort. This case is sad, 
 indeed.. Young man, dear young man, this is not wr'tteu 
 for her, to open afresh her wounds. God alone" can heal 
 them. I trust she will not see these pages. Under a sol- 
 emn sense of duty, I have penned these line^ for you. Far 
 away in the camps, standing on the night sentry, or tr mp- . 
 ing wearily on the march, I often think of you— you Who 
 
 »are exposing your body, once so uoyant and free, to the 
 cold rains and bleak winds, and to the fnry and 'tempest 
 of battle ; exposing yourself- without a murmur for loved 
 ones at home, and the goodly heritage so dear to us all. 
 Whrit c?n I say to You ? How speak, when I think of 
 your other exposures ? Are you prepared to ^tand there 
 for met When the slow fever comes on, or the chill, OH 
 the night watch, or the whistling bullet; so- 5wc?(/e^^, ARE 
 YOU HEADY? ^- vour armor all bright?" Have you the 
 
 • phic.-l cf fctith, and the breastplate of rii^hteousness, and 
 the helmet of salvation ? Put them on. Let me pray you 
 as I love you, put them on, if you hav^tbem not. Put 
 them on at once. May God bless you, is mj prayer. 
 
 — - -i^cl other pubacatious issued by the Board of 
 
 MissioiK i^-* North Caroiina Baptist State Convention, for 
 gratuitous u;^.:-ibuti on, can be obtained by addressing 
 
 PvEV. N. B. COBB, Cur, 'Secretary, 
 
 Ealeigh,N. 0- 
 
Hollinger Corp. 
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