The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1872-04-17
Interesting Reading.
OFT Of TIE DEPTHS.


The sermon preached at the Church Of
the Messiah, by the pastor, Rev. J. II.
Haywood, was based upon the words in
the 130th psalm: "Out Of the depths
have cried unto Thee, 0 Lord"
The train Of thought presented was
this:
That in uttering these words the
Psalmist spoke from his own experience,
and in thus speaking he spoke for all hu-
manity, for it is out Of the depths Of suf-
fering, sin, sorrow, joy, trial, triumph,
that the human heart has most earnestly
cried unto the Lord. That the grandest,
profoundcst natures have always most
kcenly felt the need Of God That "deep
callclh unto deep is the law Of our bcing;
that prophets and prophetcsses, psalm
lists, patriots, the men and Women ac-
quainted with gricf,thc self denying ones
who have borne vicariously great bur
dens for kindred, Or country, or human
kinG !; fathers, mothers, brothers, Sis
ters, who have swcetly, patiently taken
upon themselves the heavy loads Of care
and suffering hcaped up by errins sons
and daughters, Or other fondly-loVed rel
atives-all such natures, deep IN them
selves, or made deep by self-sacrfcing
sympathy, have felt their need of God,
and have cried out to Him with real soul
longings.
But it does not follow that the deep
natures, which are capable of intensest
experience, are generally or pcrvadingly
sad. We have no idca that the grandest
OF all grand natures, He who bore the
heaviest of burdens, though the man Of
sorrows and acquainted with grief, was
habitually melancholy. lie tells US him
self of his peace and joy, and little chill
dren were resistlessly drawn to him, and
they are not drawn by the sad and soul-
bre. If We had been permitted to know
the Saviour personally, to have accompa-
MED him from day to day, have sat table
with him and listened to him in public
and private, we should doubtless have
seen bright, kindling eye, winning
smile, and heard an animating, cheering
voice, should have found ourselves face
to face not with gloomy, austere asce-
tie, but with the manifest of men, over
flowing with tender sympathy and full
Of life, nerve and vigor.
Grea. and true natures, however,
though not pervadingly or commonly
sad, are always deeply in earnest, spirit
ually thoughtful, morally, religiously
alive. No spirit which is not truly Sc.
rious, no life which is not essentially
earnest, can be of service to God or
man, Of any real account in the world
Life must have strong, resolutc, noble
purpose animating and pcrvadins it, Civ.
ing it its key note and character, or it is
not life according to any high, genuine,
Christian ideal
Life has its depths of sorrow, suffer.
! ing, sin, to which any life.travcler may
sink. This is one great fact, and the
correlative facts are that the life-pilgriu
thus exposed needs friends, true angel;
Of God, to help him out Of the depths
and that every pure, earnest, resolute,
consecrated man OF woman is such .
! friend, divine angel, indeed and that
the church which has most of such ange
friends, in which is the greatest tender.
ness, the profoundest reverence, the
sweetest sympathy, the most active be-
ni6cence, the most Ch.ist-like love, the
! greatest eagerness 10 rescue and save the
wandering and the lost, the church tho:
attcsted and characterized, whether or
thodox or heterodox, approaches mos
nearly to the true, the living church o
! Christ, and has greatest power to take
men out of the depths of hopelessncs:
and despair and help them onwards t(
the heights Of duty, happiness, heaven.