Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1881-01-20
&eading TOR the Sabbath.
CONDUCTED BY
REV. ROBERT LATHAM.
iOriginal ]
SAFE FOUNDATION.

!Ohglna
SAFE FOUNDATION.
Life is short and uncertain. No one will
call this declaration in question. The aver
age length of human life is but few years,
and there is nothing of which man is possessed
of which he is so easily deprived as his life.
A noxious vapor may produce wasting dis
ease, which. in a short time, may result I'D
death. The most insignificant causes may,
and often do, produce the most fatal results.
A bow, drawn at a venture by the hand of an
unseen STRIPPING. may strike down giant to
the earth. A slight cold may terminate in
consumption. What is 50 precarious as human
life? No one can tell, with any degree of
certainty, what day or an hour may bring
FORTH The smiling bahe may sicken and die
in an hour. The young man rejoicing in the
exuberance of his manhood, or the young
woman, upon whose cheek health has printed
the rose of beauty and sweetness, may, by
some dread, unforeseen accident, be dashed
from time into eternity without moments
warning.
The sense of moral responsibility is easily
developed, and the belief in the Immortality
Of the soul springs up spontaneously in the
human mind. lnseparsbly connected with
the sense of moral responsibility and the
belief in the Immortality of the soul, is the
belief that some persons will be made happy
and others miserable in that world which
lies beyond the grave All men desire hap.
piness, and toll that they may obtain it. On
the contrary, all men dread misery. However
much they may love and practice those things
which produce misery, they do not love the
misery. All men desire to spend eternity in
bliss, and it is not conceivable that any sane
man has no dread of being punished u anoth.
er world for sins committed in this.
Perhaps it would not be saying too much
to affirm that all men, universally, cherish q
hope that it will be we'll with them hereafter
The demon Despair is permitted to fasten biz
faDgs into the vitals of only few. Common
sense, as we'll as the Scriptures, force US to
conclude that all men cannot be saved. This
being the case, the hope of some is delusion
If the plan Of redemption, revealed in the
Scriptures, and, we may add, approved of by
the truly pious in all ages, is the true and
only plan by which sinners can be saved, the
hopes of the multitude are not well founded
In other words if the Bible he true, then the
multitudes are building their hopes of Heav
en- upon the baseless fabric Of their own NOR
bid imagipations.
Every one knows that every superstructure
must have foundation. Something cannot
be built upon nothing. Every one alsn knows
that safe foundation is necessary in order tc
have safe superstructure An unpretend
ing superstructure, built upon firm basis, il
more safe and durable than gorgeous pal
ace reared upon quick sand. Ask this mar
as he nears the borders of another world, if hi
thinks he will he saved. Promptly he replies
"Yes think l will 60 to Heaven" Aa
him what are the grounds of his hope. HI
replies, II have been amember of the church
for so many years. | made profession of re
ligion when was young, and | have giver
the officers of the church no trouble" ASK
that man whose wrinkled face shows the raw
ages of old age and his near approach to an
other world, What are his hopes for better
state of things beyond the grave" 20.
think l will be saved" he replies. Ask hin
why he thinks he will be saved, and he re
plies with apparent satisfaction, 81 never did
much harm and have done great deal ol
gond." Ask that other man what he thinks
about dying and leaving this world He re
plies, II hope to be saved" Ask him why
he thinks so, and he will reply, Il have beer
strictly honest man. | never cheated any
man. l never defrauded any man out of ont
cent, and | have given away as much as any
man in my circumstances"
This suggests to our mind the story Of tht
prince who visited prison with the avowed in
tention of pardoning every one of the inmates
who would frankly acknowledge that he hac
violated the law. Only one confessed that HI
was justly suffering for his evil deeds. Thu
rest all declared that they had done nothing
worthy of death or bonds, and on this grount
plead for an exercise Of clemeucy. To the
surprise of all, the prince turned to him who
confessed his guilt and said, You have liber
ty to depart You are the only guilty mar
in the prison. Your association with these
innocent men would have tendency to cor
rupt their morals" NJ doubt it would be
possible to find an innocent man locked uE
in dungeon, but such thing does not often
occur. Defective as human laws and human
courts are, the innocent rarely suffer. The
guilty much more frequently escape than the
innocent are punished. Generally, he who
pleads his innocence loudest and longest, is
most guilty. When an accused person tes.
titles for himself his evidence should have
very little weight in his behalf, unless it is
corroborated by other witnesses. Usually
there is something of very doubtful propriety
in man who is undergoing trial for his
life testifying in his own behalf Scarcely
any one expects him to tell the truth, the
whole truth and nothing but the truth. In
fact, few men could, under the Circumstances,
tell the plain and unvarnished truth.
When the sinner places the ground of his
hopes of salvation ON what he has done, or
has not done, how can he be truthful? He
will, by law of his fallen nature, make for
himself as good a case as possible He will
magnify all that he thinks is good, and ig-
more as much as possible all that he thinks is
evil.
1t is an awful thing for any man to think
he can work his way to heaven by doing a
great deal of good, and abstaining from do.
ing evil. 1t is more awful thing for man
to say that he has done a great deal of good
and very little that was wrong. Very few
men, much less God, will believe him. Most
persons will promptly conclude he has a bad
case. That man is to be pitied who is so
morally insane, as to believe that he will be
granted permission to enter heaven on cir.
ti6cate granted by any court of the church
militant Much more is he to be pitied who
thinks that because he has never cheated any
of his fellow men, he has not defrauded God.
1t should be ever kept in memory that heaven