Cheraw gazette and Pee Dee farmer. [volume] (Cheraw S.C.) 1838-1839, 1839-04-05
From the London Christian Observer.
THOSE WHO ARE HEARERS ONLY.

ua,ura! face in glass percelSlng on 1t
sHo;s AID blemishes which should be remor-
ell bu, when he turns from the view, his
mind is SO pre-occupied with other objects
aud o;he, thoughts, that he s,raishtway tor.
gote,h what manner of man he was ana
suffers these desormities 10 remain, wi:nou'
adopting a?y measures for their removal.
And Why is it that the word oi truth, when
IS able 10 save The soul, DO not produce It's
designed effect on all Because all will not
took INTO This mirror, for the purposes OF con-
vic,ion and instruction in righteousness.
Few indeed Voluntarily turn TO 1t. Few
hear more of" the word of truth" than 4"
ob,ruded upon their attention by the differ
cnt services of Gods house. 10 which Gus.
tom brings them: and they come to It win
minds SO unpreparcd. that the SEED so"n
cannot strike root with hearts so Prc.oc-
eupied by worldly interests and ahecilons'
tia. the word preached cannot proht tneH: H.
The most awakening, impressive, ana an,
sc,ino declarations of "the word OF trulh
strike upon hearts which have oeen h'aoe q
hard aud beaten thoroughfare to the wor'd
and its vanities, and can make there no I'M.
preston. They can hear Christ himself
declare in his vor '" Except ye repent We
shall perish unless man be born again ne
cannot see the kingdom of God" "Ihey
can hear that word of truth declare, that
wi hou, holiness 20 man can see The Lord:
and no, only do these awfGlly awakening
declarations fail in bringing them TO exam.
inc whether hey have been themselves, the
subjects of ,hostl Important charges, without
which this his'. and most lnfallble uu.
,hori v has pronounced that their destiny
shall be everlasting perdition, but they fail in
exciting even a transient curiosity to know
what those mysterious, and 10 them unlntel'
ligible. charges mean, while ye, they are
nronouaced mus essential to their salvation.
/, is true that hey thus escape all painful
convictions of sin, all the horrors of dis
.urbed conscience, all distressing fears about
the future but oh remember that this
apathy of soul is but as The dead calm OF
nature which precedes the bursting OF the
earthquake or volcano that it is but the STU
por of moral death ; that it is out the awful
stiffness and the dark ciouding ofthe gath
erng tempest, from which the thunders OF
an angry heaven will shorty burst, and
which will enwrap the wreck Of desolated
soul in the blackness of darkness for ever.
Blu, there are some in whose minds the
hearing of" the word oftruth" awakcns tran.
sien, convictions, which yet are as the grass
growing upon the house-top, that wilhereth
afore it groweth up. Instead Of studying to
cherish and deepen these impressions ; con.
verting every conviction into prayer for
per>evering grace reducing every good to
practice, so shat it may become a habit oi
mind and life, they return into the world,
dissicpa.e every serious feeling in levity and
worldiness. Thus they live on, now con.
vinced and repenting, the next moment un.
convinced and SHINING each flowing wave
which the world pours in upon their minds
celebrating the faint characters. which, dur
ing its ebb. "the sword Of the Spirit" had
traced upon their hearts. There are bu. few
minds formed of such firm materials az to
retain an impression through unfavourable
and opposing circumstances. To most, the
last speaker, who speaks with power suffi.
cient TO impress them, gives the tone and
character. And, therefore, it would
be wise, as it is bu, decent and seem
ly that in our meetings for public worship
the las, speaker should be the minister o.
God the last voice which each hears in the
house of God that which has implored upon
hun he blessing of the sacred Trinity anc
that the spiritin which he returns 10 his home
should be that calm serenity, that holy peace
that unworldly spirit Of communion with
God, with which ,ne minister of God dIsmls.
sed him. Instead ofthis, il is too generally
the case, that greeting and salutations, the
news of the day. the business ofthe morrow
cares or pleasures, levity or worldness in
whatever gulse, d;ssi pate the impressions
which the services Of Gods house were dc.
signed TO produce. Upon meeting iu
which God has promised His especial pre-.
sence, another meeting isgrafied by Salan
in which every man pre- aches vanity to hi.
neighbour; and. like the fowls of the air.
picks Up the good seed sowni his heart; lesI
he should believe and be saved. When our
public services have closed, all should sep
arate as soon as propricty permits. Each
should return to lis respective home, and
. seek TO carry With him the spirit and the
impressions which they produced. He
should retire to his closet, and shut 10 the
door, nd mediate upon HE word spoken,
and pray his Father which is in secret.
He should plead with him His own prom.
ises .or a blessing upon His own word and
in :he strength of this spiritual meat, he
should enter upon his daily walk of life will,
renewed vigour, and with renewed purpos.
es OF patient and active obedience. Then
will he be, no, a hsarer only,-no,a forget