The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1872-04-17
IN stand in Your category and say from

can stand in your category and say from
experience that these are necessities.
But my sympathies must stand OIL while
! tell you of bigger necessity than all
these. 1t is that the harvest of souls is
, waiting for the rcapers; that men and
women around us arc perishing in the
sense of the stern old scripture doctrine
of eternal damnati@n that Gods suffer-
| ing elect all over this great land are Ian
gushing for the fultilment of this Or
der from above: Comfort We, comfort
We my people," That thousands of the
people of God, through manifold temp
tations, do faint by the way, and there is
none to rally AMI encourage them. And
| wanted to tell you of the necessity
! that we ourselves should make good our
escape from the retributive wrath of
Him who said: because thou art luke
warm, | will spew thee out of my
mouth ~ O, it were sin unpardonablc
to shrug at difficulties in such time
as this when from the deepening combat
of tic church the cry peals above the
din of strife, "come over and help us !"
and in such anss'agc as this, when the
God of Providence is dragging time
along by the seven locks thereof; when
the world is rocking with the throcs of
lcstinics just bulging to the surface of
time. O, men of God, let us no more
say "thcre is lion in the way. l shall
be slain in the Streets" Let us pluck our
hands out of our bosoms let us fasten
our eyes upon something higher than
food and raimcnt. even the glory of God
in the redemption of his elect. Take
your reckoning by the awful grandeur
of your commission: $50 ye into all the
world and preach the Gospel to every
crcaturew The world is looking now
to the Gospel ministry; God and the
blessed angels are looking to the Gospel
ministry; to stand in the breaches made
in the wall to fight with one hand and
build with the other; and skeptics and
unbclicvers are looking on with folded
arms, ready to shout rs soon as we flag
or fail in leading the van of Gods
church. Looking around the whole
horizon and scanning the whole field,
the biggest necessity that shows itself
upon the surface Of the present time,
is earnest pJcdchi1g; and earnest preach
ing cannot be done without prayers,
self denial and exposures. The very
nature of the case "witnesscth, that in
every city'-in every season-labors,
trials, seltde-nials await US. 1t is the
III" Ol ltlt VI '1AS
war. And blessed is he who shall not
he offended in Jesus; who shall not turn
from mean support, and from the cares
and tolls that are shedding untimely
snow upon his head'-the one to his
farm, the other to his merchandise.
Poor John Baptist, when Il year or
more in the prison of Machaerus,
thought it long that Jesus had not Il
crown of gold upon his head and a
sword upon his thigh and he sent two
Of his disciples to ask, "art thou he that
should Gomez" Jesus was toiling on
without crown, healing the sick, rails,
ing the dead, casting out devils. Hold
on, my brother, without the cushioned
study, and the elegant library. "Men
are looking to see how thy Master wouid
bear himself in thy place" 1t WI! pe
better creIong to hear the plaudit:-.,
"WeIl done good and faithful servant, "
than to have the applause and the COM
fort now. Blessed and holy is he who
shall stand before the throne of God
with an army of immortal souls around
him rs stars in his crown of rejoicing.