The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-05-26
ed out upon human souls; and the man who

"TllOugl ! beStOW al my 8OOus 10 lceo Lle
poor. and though | give my body To the burn,
ed Though | have zeal. and enthusiasm, and
pluck, and courage. and willingness to stand
by my colors. in defeat or success. no matter
what comes,) and give all my G9ous toieeu inc
poor, and huvc not love positive. energetic,
organizing love- 1t protlteth lie nothing
1t is not, then. that VIC belong to amy sect,
high or low: 1t Is not that we are generally
moral, conforming ourselves to the time ana
age in which We live; II Is not that we nave
had Il dramatic wrench or revolution OF some
kind by which we were very inuch rent, thaL
mukcs us good Christians; 1t Is that We have
had u change take place In us such that, In
stead of pride or vanity, or nny othcr sehli-
ment, the central power In US becomes DGneV-
olence-love toward everything tbnt llfcs,
high or LOWRY which we nre 1eought INTO
direct affinity with what Is good. by which we
arc led To ha We compassion on things That are
not good. and about which everything plays
in Mlrmony and obedience.
Now, I remark, In view OF these incts, tnht
this will be much greater In some men thhn
In others, because some are nearer 10 the kine-
dom of God than others. All NEIL are alike
sinners; but aamI Ill me men " Ma nU' ,s stTni by their he ' in.
herited traits, take on instruction OF go0d
more easily than in other ways. Where chill
dren arc reared by Christian parents, ana are
taught to love and fear God, TO be pitlfni TO-
ward men, and to discharge the duties or iife
In the spirit of love, there Is but u mere line
between them and II true Christian lie. All
that Is lacking Is that they themselves snail
accent Christ by their own personal v~olitioii.
There are men In this congregation VINO hard-
~ knew whether they believe IN the inspir1t'
ton OF the Scriptures or not; but wnol never
thclcss, are very near to the Christian IRE;
| The inspiration OF the Scripture IL an lido
| with some. There are those who VIII hight
for 1t who will not allow themselves 10 oDey
1t. They do not care Tor inc conIchts {, IT,
but they do cure for the doctrine about IL:
| And there are men who nrc not orthodoX, ana
who are not churchmen, In my proper sense
of that term, but who arc men thnt are max
D. al tn nIr tChnln
life by the spirit OF Christ. They may see men
AS trees walking; they may notbe able 10 Tree
tho truth from technical theology or inc
church's Interpretation OF II; they may h 2.
but they are yearning for that spirit IN ~hlcn
| they shall treat every man as II he were q
| brother. They have never had any great rap
ture: they have never hau %9nuSrtui vapt.
led with and east into the pit, anu brought OUT
by flaming ungelso of hope and JOY; but they
ure cndeavoring, with all their strength. nc
cordlng to the measure OF their knowledge, 10
live life which shall justify the doctrine Of
Christian love; and / say to every. such man,
You are not far from the kingdom Of God.
Not only are you In sigh OF the truth, put
you IRE walking on tho very line or II; ana ~
Is but for you to stand on TINT ground and
sly, II accept this unnunciation OF the lIoru
Jesus Christ rs the law Of my life: and. GOD
helping me, If this Is being q disciple OF Cnrist
1 ain CIrlst's disciple" and do not wait for u
church TO crown you and authenticate you.
You are more than any church. You are all
empire, before God. Such Is the majesty OF
human life that oil outward organizations Of
time are dwnrfed In the comparison. soul,
having no bounds or horizons, once spring
ing into life flies on as long rs God endures.
The soul of IL single mnn Is OF more Faiue
than my institution. institutions are o Ut
man that can say, In verify, II am willing to
endeuvor, by all the strength that Is In me,
from this day forth. to organize my lie ana
character about the principleo OF i9Vea,oVe 10
wherever l meet thcm"-thcn he has u right
say, "Baptize my forehead, and let the face OF
Christ shine out from the water drops" anu
you urc Christ's. n aman have not inc splr,
It of Christ he Is none OF his; but If q mai
have the spirit OF Christ he Is his, and all the
world cannot tear them asunder.
If these views that 1 have opened arc true
slight thins-that it is u radical thing. l have
spok en- of the work which takes place In men
that stand very near to the Kingdom OF goo:
but there are men who are far from IT. There
nre men who bear the sins OF tnelr ancestors
There are incn who come Into l!le with an In
tiammablc temper, that. with gigantic power,
comes up Us the sirocco comes, and sweeps as
a tornado sweeps; and when the insanity Is
them; and when it subsidies they sit as In a
desert, and nre full OF anguisliful !amenfn-
lions. 1t Is organic, constituted md educaI
n mans being by which it shall he controlled
IS NO easy thing. IL is n very hard thing to do.
There IRE men who nrc so uVnrlclous that
their very bones. If you could dissect down 10
them, would be found To have the color OF
gold in them; and 1t Is the result OF forty years
of trimming; their hands IRE like Vultures
claws that cannot open, but thnt can smut;
and do you suppose that they c"i DC trnnSo
formed out of that In II moment, or IN " day
And that 1t Is an easy process? Iherc are
men whose imaginatiOnS are set OH nrc Oh
hell: to them there is solicitation In the air,
almost; and do they not need chehgeI are
change In them which substitutes for ori@inal
power the principle of purifying love ana
bounty and blessing: that purlfics others as
is like n birth, or like rising from the dead?
Men who are endungeonod In themselves;
men who are bond-SlnveS 10 Satan; men VINO
sleep and dream OF iniquity, and wake ana
and 20 with steps beating like drums to DAM
nation-is there no need OF change In them?
And II. there shall come n change to such
men Is 1t not revolutionary?
Christian life from that side or development
suppose that there Is any such transporting
transforming grace Of God Us moro thnn sets
not burn out the chat. 1t does not take the
nluce of education. 1t stimulates character
building; it inspires 1t, II guides 1t; but rs
the work OF u mans life: IL Is IKE city-Dullu.
Ing: it is like housc-buiiding; 1t il the most
important architecture that is known; and
mon no foundation can we build a right
character except upon the IDEA OIL the l9ra
Jesus Christ-aS Of q living force as ulstln-
guishrd from Il ritunlistic, an ecclesiastical or
any other form. When Jesus Christ ~ pre-
sented TO us as the one only way IN when we
can attain unto God the idea is this: that II
scious OF, that We ctn look W to. that broods
upon US In our infrmity every dny WIN IN
finite compassion and love. that can help US
to get out OF tiff there Is such IL power IN
"a or,l nNnn on avail fnrlnS0lveS
of it, then tire worst man can be saved, ana
the lost can be rescued from going lower anu
assisted To take q step forward. II u man Is
MAR of from the kingdom OF Cod nc can DC
reoencratcd by his own cndeavor, BY the IN
finencc OF the institutions OF society, or ny
the motives which springfrom the ordinances
OF human life, for still Ut every step nc Is
| obliged to turn buck to his own strengtI ot
TO the strength Of Ills own surroundings Dut
IL there be- one who cares for him: ii IN me
darkness Of the night lie Is conscious OF inc
divine presence; II he has the realization Oh q
Saviour who loves him, even in his SIN, ana
r. sorry for him because he has sinned, and
| feels toward him as Il mother docs toward
r~ecreunt child; and atoneS for MN; IL ne hhs
the consciousness Of u living power nat nc
can take hold Of. md that he knows VIII take
hold of him and tnke care of him then tncre
if no condition, no matter how deploraDic IL
may be, out of which he cannot come. mere
il 10 be faith in the Lord Jesus Chrlsl: put
there are multltuds VINO nave hoI thn. i''t ~
HUI i uV NV u ttbS
! them except by bringing near. to the con
sciousnrss of their souls the love OF christ.
If they have Il realization of that love they
are safe, and not otherwise,
Examine yourselves, my brethren. Exam,
Inc yourselves in the morning, ut noon ana
1T night. Exuinine your whole conduct to,
ward those that are beneath you ana toward
those that are superior TO you. Those thatdo
YOU harm: those that pGrsecute you; those
that with venomou zeal follow after you, and
never rest from tormenting you-havc you o
spirit of love toward them: a you pray
for those that dcspitefully use you? vt;xaln-
Inc Yourselves, not as to whether you Ike to
read the Bible, as to whether you love sun;
day, or US TO whether You ars fond nI,t , OF go 200
fnr AWAY Incidents. Are you lovers of men,
and do You love God day BY duy? AND does
the love of man teach you better how to love
God Here Is the royal test: Ii any man
have not the spirit OF Christ lie Is none OF his.
NJ. r...% for Hnrnrnnps