Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1883-12-13
&eadiug fur the Sabbath.
CONDUCTED BY
REV. ROBERT LATHAM.
Orlslna
CHRIST'S LAST WILL.

drawing to close, they make what is called
their last will and testament. This is an
| instrument of writing in which the proper
ty, of which an individual is possessed, is
distributed in accordance with his desires.
1t is. properly called will, because by it
the possessions of an individual are dis
posed of as he wills or desires them to be
disposed of:
1t is the duty of all persons who own any
property to make will. Were this done,
long and expensive lawsuits would be fire.
quently prevented, and the bitter feelings,
which these produce, avoided.
BY far, the larger number of the human
family, however, when they come to die,
have nothing to dispose of. Like Jon
Thorlakson, the pastor Of Thingvalla, in
Iceland, they can say: "Ever since / came
into this world have been welded to pov-
erty."
When our Saviour was about to leave this
world he made will, in which he be-
queathed to his people an inheritance. This
last will and testament of our Saviour is
very short and easily understood. Some
times men make wills which only lawyers
can understand, but the will Of our Saviour
is expressed in such simple language that
even a child can understand it. In it there
are no provisos, no conditional clauses, no
ambiguous words, and no vague and hard
to-be-understood clauses. The following is
the will of our Saviour: "Peace leave with
you, my peace I give unto YOU" This is,
perhaps, the shortest will on record. 1t is
Certainly the most wonderful will ever
penned.
"When Christ left the world" says Mat
| thew Henry, che made his will. His soul
he bequeatheed to his father, and his body to
Joseph His clothes fell to the soldiers
| His mother he left to the care of John. But
what should he leave his poor disciples,
who had left all for him? Silver and gold
he had none but he left them what was far
| better, his peace"
The will of our Saviour consists of two
clauses. The first is, "Peace | leave with
you," the second is, "My peace give unto
YOU"
The advent Of our Saviour into this world
was announced by "a multitude of the heav-
| to God in the highest, and on earth peace,
good will to men," When he was about to
leave this world, he left peace with his
people and bestowed upon them an inherit
ance which consists of peace. All the world
| ly circumstances by which the disciples Of
| our Lord were surrounded were calculated
to trouble their hearts. They were poor.
So are most of the followers of Jesus Christ.
The worldly prospects of the disciples of our
Lord were dark and gloomy. They had for
saken all and followed Jesus. Friends had
deserted them, and they were exposed to
the ieers and taunts of all classes in society.
Their Lord had told them that "'yet little
while I am with YOU" The thought ran
through their distressed minds, "What will
become of us?" "Let not your hearts be
troubled" said the Saviour. 81 will make
ample provision for you. Twill leave peace
with you. 1 will give you my peace"
This shall be your portion: This shall be
your Inheritance The inheritance which
our Saviour, in his last will, bequeathed his
poor people is more valuable than silver
and gold. "Blessed," says the Psalmist, "is
he whose transgressiOn is forgiven, whose
sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto
whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and
in whose spirit there is no guile" Jesus
Christ procured for his people the forgive
up all their sins, and their iniquities he
charges to his own account. Transgression,
sin and iniquity rob man of all quiet-Of
all peace. Neither riches nor worldly hon
or can fill the guilty soul with peace. "The
wicked arc like the troubled sea, when it
cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and
dirt. There is no peace, saith my God, to
the wicked" Isaiah 81 20-21. He whose
transgressions are carried away into the
wilderness Of forgetfulness can say, II will
both lay me down in peace, and sleep for
thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safe
ty." Psalms 4:S.
What precious inheritance our Saviour
left his people! The world cannot give any
of its votaries what Jesus gives all his peo-
pie. 1t can bestow carnal delights, but it
cannot give them peace of conscience, for it
hasno peace of conscience to beStOW. When
old Samuel Rutherford lay on his dying bed
he was summoned by the minons of Charles
II. to appear before them, to answer to the
charge of high treason. &C.," said he to
the officer, 'tell them have got a summons
already, before superior judge and judica-
tory, and l must answer my first summons,
and ere your day come, l will be where few
kings and great folk come" The Parlia-
ment no sooner heard that ne was dying
than they voted him out of the college of
St. Andrews, in which he was professor of
theology. Lord Burleigh said, "Iou have
voted that honest man out Of the college,
but you cannot vote him out of heaven"
"He that dWelleth in the secret place OF the
Most High shall abide under the shadow OF
the Almighty" Psalm 9l:1.
Property may take wings and fly away,
worldly fame is a bubble which may burst
at any moment; but the inheritance which
jesus gives his people is eternal. In speak
ing of the inheritance Of Christ's people
Paul says it ''passeth all understanding"
to complain; how wicked it is in them to
set their hearts on the things of this world.
1t is like the son of a prince longing for the
rags and poverty of beggar! Who can be
poor, who is an heir and joint heir with the
son of God. No children have so rich
father as the children Of God. He has a
kingdom of grace and a kingdom of glory,
and it is his will that his children shall in
herit his kingdom. To his heart troubled
people he says in soothing tones: "Fear
not, little flock. Call things are yours and
We are Christ's; and Christ is Gods"
There is one feature about the will of our
Saviour which pertains to the will of no
mere man. 1t is this. What Jesus Christ
uuently men will to their heirs what they
have at the time of writing the will, but
when they die and their heirs come to take
possession of their bequests all is gone. No
such misfortune can overtake the children
of God. Jesus Christ has all that he be-
queaths his people and no event will take
place which will prevent their receiving it.
When the last saint is received into the
heavenly mansions, it will be announced
'yet there is room."
Banks may break and titles to real estate
may be discovered to be defective and bring
poverty upon the rich of this world, but the
peace which Jesus Christ left his people is
liable to no such misfortunes. The moth
cannot corrupt it, the fire cannot consume
it, and the floods cannot destroy it.
RELIGIOUS EDUCATIoN.-But beyond all
which schools or universities can teach is a
knowledge of higher order, which per-
tains to the moral nature of man. The