The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1872-04-17

must speak very earnestly OF we VIII
Inot be needed. All men are deeply il
earnest in their business, and they eX
Ipect us-and very justly expect us
TO be deeply i'll earnest in ours the
business above all others which demand:
all the profound engagementOf the soul
The world may listen politely but vii
not believe what you say if your mes
sage is not delivered with great warmth
Not because the world thinks religion
Of no Importance, but because it REGARDS
it of so great Importance that he who
feels its power will speak with q cores
ponding earneStneSs about it. In trlitl
no man can understand cold phlio-
I sophical religion. 1t is an anomaly II
nature. Religion is 4 subject in whici
there are no perceptions, simply lhtcl
ilectual. There is nota thought or doc
trine of the system which is not address
cd to the soul and intended to move inc
; soul. In ali his revelation God address
es the souI--the being of faith and de-
sires, and hopes and fears, anu all whose
intellectual powers are the outreachlngs
of a nature that moves, like the living
creature that Ezekiel saw, with slmulta'
neOuS and cOnSentancous energy. Re'
ligion objective is the voice of the etcr-
thused like the fabled Minerva spring.
mites; religion subjective is its effect on
the better part of Gods creation, inn
pregning immortal souls with instruct
! i've life. Religion subjective is man en-
ing from the head of lone, not an cn-
thusiasm of degree but of quality-a
consent of humanity. And this age
has gone ahead of its metaphy>icians
and laid hold of the true psychology ol
man. 1t puts the soul to all it does; it
| filings deep earnestncss into its inren-
tionS and improvements into IT'S lnvel-
| tions and Improvements into its banks
i and counting houses; into its railroad
schemes and wonderful engineering. IT
has caught. the important conclusion,
that nothing worthy Of man can be
achieved without the strcnuousness OF
zeal and indomitablc resolution. And
this is the truth. 1t is profoundly true
of the gospel ministry, whose business
is not to bore through q lmonntain, but
! to awaken souls from the sleep of death
| by the heavenly hcraldry ard amid the
din and roar OF Il world in business to
make them hear the voice of God call
ing them from death to life and glory.
This we must do in spite of all the op:
position which the devil, the world and
! the flesh put forth against us. We must
speak quickly; speak loudly, speak
scarnestly. l do not mean that we must
("split the cars Of the g:oundlings," put
spiit their hearts with solemn and lm-
portant thought. Eociferation may, DC
nothing but Doisy breath. SOUND Is
scarcely anything. The roaring O' the
storm is but the complaint of leaves,
and even thunder is nothing but the
ringing of the air. No; rot sound, but
thought that swells the soul, and that
profound love to men which wells up
and ovcrflows all opposition i'll its tor
rent.
s. There is one more argument: 1t
appeals to our manlineSs. AS Il profes-
sion, we are surrounded by 'great
cloud of witnesses" deeply interested
in the result of our work. Could it be
possible to be put upon an arena of ac-
ton upon which SO much of interest is
concentrated Heaven, earth and hell
are looking intently on. ANY degree of
unconcern about the consequences is
treason to the cause Of humanity. No
excuse can restore honor to discomfit-
ure in such q conflict. The sword of
| JeZcLcl was not so terrible as the deli
cate reproach. "Nhst doest thou here.
Elijah ?" was humiiating. He WAS off
the battle field. and what, my brcth-
ren, does this great cloud Of witnesses
mean? What does all this intent gaz-
ing upon the battle field import? It
imports that the upshot Of the contest is
tremendous; that success or failure is
suspended upon human eNertion. Di-
vine certainticS do not Interfere with
human contingencies. 1t imports that
morality and integrity in Il minister Of
tic gospel is the least OF his praises. 1t
imports that lullcwarmness III such 4
man is crime that when the
behests Of human redemption hang
upon his efforts the very virtues
that ere honorable to some men
are damning to him. And it
means more than all this: 1t means
that the true Gospel minister is as anN-
ious in his efforts to save immortal souls
as if their salvation depended upon his
efforts alone and that falling to secure
this great and only legitim ate object of
his life he might fall deeper than the
hsscs Of the spectators could hurl him.
I do not know, my brethren, but what
this age Of positiviSm demands of n Cos
pei minister, is demanded of him also by
God himself. III an aye when duty is so
clear, instrumentalities is so multi
piled, and causes so clearly connected
to effects; when science is achieving so
much and Providence is hurting start
ling events at lis, it may becoming
more than ever the test true commits
sion from God that souls are s0rcd and a
legitimate condemnation of a Gospel
minister that men have not been con-
verted by his labors. Surely such 4
work as this must require all the time,
all the talent and all the heart Of the
gospel minister.
But how, it msy be asked, can he give
all his time and all his heart to it unless
he is adequately supported. You see
your calling, my brother; it is bound
around by destiny. The chirping nest
lings cry all day for food, and when the
weary bird poises her wing to rest =
moment on the margin of the nest it is
but the signal of new Outcries. IS has
been beautifully said: You may have
watched all night with a sick wife or q
dying child; but you will be expected
with morning light, to wipe your eyes,
to SMOOTH your brow and be ready to
answer every knock at your door? Yes,
YOU must keep down the agony OF
your heart,n so long as the distesses OF
humanity call for you. Supported or
not in the ordinary sense of that term,
the cries of humanity continue to meet
your ear, the griefs of humanity appeal
to your heart. You have become a
father and no fruitless lamentations over
the failure Of bread, will stop the cries
of your household or cancel your incrad-
icable obligations. o! will put down
over against your inadequate salary the
walls of dying humanity and say these,
these are the gauge of labors from which
God only can release you.
There has been much said and much
written on the subject of ministerial
support, much unwisely said and un-
wisely written. AS l have been ap-
nointcd to nrcach.. not to private Elem-