Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1877-08-02

CONDUCTED BY
REV. ROBERT LATHAM

REV. ROBERT LATHAM
From the Christian Observer.
"WAs NOT WITH THEM WHEN JESUS
CAME"
By REV. ROBERT H. WILLIAMS.
These words are recorded of Thomas, when
Jesus appeared to his disciples after His res
direction. What difference that appear.
ance of Jesus made to the disciples! The
other apostles met Thomas, and believingly,
joyfully, hopefully, enthusiastically, exclaim'
ed: "We have seen the Lord" But the ab.
sent one doubted, and wanted evidence of the
minutest character, and declared, Except l
shall see in his hands the print of the nails,
and put my fingers into the print Of the nails,
and thrust my hand into his side, will not
believe"
This scene is repeated in modern times
with similar results Many are away from
the prayer meeting and other services OF
Gods house when Jesus comes, and those who
meet him are filled with delight and hope
and those who are absent doubt what they
hear of his presence, and question the evil
dence, and will not believe until they receive
even more evidence than they can reasonably
expect.
Thomas wanted more evidence than the
others received. And so many in our day,
who are very forgetful of God, want more
evidence than others receive, and by refusing
what God in mercy bestows according to bis
usual method, greatly dishonor God. The
great truth that God is in the ordinances of
his house is disesteemed, and being disesteem-
ed, it is soon disbelieved.
The prayer meeting is a sort of spiritual
index or thermometer of the condition of the
Church, and when the attendance is small, it
indicates low degree of piety. And when
there is a low condition of religion among the
professed followers of Christ, there is but lit
tie concern among the impenitent. What a
sad reflection it must be to think that by
neglect of Gods house, we cherished and
cultivated skepticism in our own hearts, and
delayed the conversion of our fellow.men. II
we had attended faithfully the house of God,
we might have had clearer convictions of the
truth, and been the means of bringing bles.
sings to others around US.
But this is not all. The duties of religion
are related, and depend largely upon one
another. The neglect of Gods house had led
to the neglect of other important duties. 1t
led to the neglect of the Bible, and family
prayer, and private prayer. Then besides,
we promised, among other things, that we
would attend to the public duties of religion,
when we were admitted to the church. We
may say with the Psalmist, "Thy VOWS are
upon me, O God" And we feel sometimes at
least, that when we have vowed unto God, we
should mot defer to pay it"
The Christian feels his wants as an individ.
ual, and he goes to God in private with them.
The congregation, in its collective capacity,
has wants, which find their best expression
only when that congregation meet together
for worship. 1t needs love, and sympathy,
and unity, and enthusiasm, and hopefulness
in doing the Lords work, and it best expresses
its desire for these when all are met together
for worship. And such services are of Gods
And being his ordained means
for the benefit of the individual and the con.
we have reason to suppose, that he
will bless those who attend upon them in the
proper spirit.
"PARDoN FOR NOTHING" Some time ago
when visiting an old man who seemed anx-
ious about salvation, l found great difficulty
in making him understand that pardon is the
free gift Of God, through the precious blood
of Christ
At last I said to him: "Now, suppose
were to 60 to a shop, and buy something for
you and pay for it, and send it to you, need
you pay any money for it ?" --e---r'-r,r'
mo-" said the old man, Frightening up
"it would be paid for" =
"Need you make any promise to pay at
some future time ?" then asked.
NO." he replied; 81 should have it for
nothing"
"So," Icontinued, "it is with forgiveness of
sins-the Lord Jesus has paid the full price
for it. He has had the groans, the sighs, the
tears, the wrath, the pain, the punishment,
yea, all that sin deserved. He bore it all.
He paid the whole. Yes, He bought forgive.
ness with his precious blood, and now He
gives it as gift to all who will accept it."
"Yes," said the old man, as his eyes filled
with tears, ri see it now; it is pardon for
nothing! Christ has bought it, and gives it
to me"
Dear reader, you may also believe that
Christ alone saves that neither your tears
nor groans, nor prayers, nor works, can secure
forgiveness for you Christ alone has secured
that by the shedding of his blood, and you
must accept it in faith believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved"
---------< - <-----------'
WATER.-some years ago ship sailing in
the South Atlantic saw another making sig.
mails of distress. They bore down toward the
and hailed them.
"What is the matter2" cried the captain,
through his trumpet
eve are dying for water" was the feeble
response.
"Dip it up, then !" shouted back the aston
ished captain, "you are in the mouth of the
Amazon river"
And sure enough, there those sailors were,
with parched lips and swollen tongues, sup
posing that there was nothing but the oceans
brine around them, when they we're in the
mouth of the mightiest river on the globe,
with three hundred miles of fresh water all
around them.
Thus are we, poor thirsty souls, sailing on
the boundless ocean Of Gods love, needless of
the Divine voice which saith, eff thou knew.
est the gift of God, and who it is that saith to
thee Give me to drink, thou wouldst have
asked of Him, and he would have given thee
living water"
EVIL ExAMPLE.-A man of cool head and
strong limbs was one day climbing danger
Gus precipice, and when he had reached one
specially perlous point, his heart grew cold
q 1 l. -. L: