The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1885-04-15
~ETHE Last JUDGMENT.
a Grand Discourse bY the Rev. DR.,
G~ieAFdeou.

Its said that Massilon, tbs great French
pulpit orator. was called upon at ono time to
conduct the fansrsl obsequies Of . King who
aud PsEeantHy Of earthly ROYALTY. Tbs church
was crowded, the sable en,blemis VI . nations
grief cast = gloom over the ~surr0ubdings, the
organ sobbed under the touch NJ . master
hand, the vast assemblage sat in unbrokcn ST.
ience. At last the preacher xrUse. his eyes
rexed npoen the bier, and impressed With the
awful s~oiennity Of tho occasion he cried.
There ~ nothing great but Gnd l" Such
was the feeling which pervaird the immense
congregation which filed the First Preshyte-
rian Church last night. Every seat In the
body OF the church, in the galleries and in the
organ loft was filed. The aislcs were crowd
ed with people who sat nn chars, the stem. of
the pulpit were filled with eager Listeners, and
the vestlbule WAS packed with several hun
The occasion. of 81 large a gathering was
the preaching Of sermon by The Rev, Dr.
Girafdeau, the most distinguished Presbyte-
rian clergyman in South Carolina md one Of
the most powerful pulpit orators in. the Unit-
Cd States. The pulpit was: occupied by Dk
tirnrdcau, the Rev. Luther Nc Kinpon, Of Co
!ambia, the Rev. DR.. Bracket Of the Sesond
fresbyterian Church aud the Rev. DR.. Tho1lp-
son OF the First Presbyterian Church.
ihe subject OF DR.. Girardeau's discourse
thians Y, 10: "For We must all APPEAR before
the judgment seat Of Christ, that eysyy one
may receive the things done in bis bod sc.
cording to that he hath done,- whether Il be
god or bad = The sermon was al unsnswer-
able argument in favor of the doctrine Of a
hnsl Judgment. The time of its arrival. fhp
place ofthe assembly and the duration Of En-.
trial are matters that have not been revesled:
put thht there will be a Judgment most men
suppose, and there will bea definite day il
be at once aud forever settled. There are two
independent but concurrent lines Of argument
which furnish y powerful rational presumn-
ton in faver of \ future judgment: First. the
decisions OF conscience are felt not to be ulti-
pervading conviction is that the solemn san-
fences of console . will be..rati6ed by = bI, b.
er judge and carried into execution by an I'M
vincibis arm. There ARISES out of the denths
OF our moral nature an awful testimony to the
Second, the fact that q moral povernment'
embodylng In itsef As an integral element the
distribution Of rewards and punishments "a
begun but not cOnsummated in the pressnt
y must not be overlooked. These powerful
presunpttons of reason in favor Of the fact
Off future Judgment are amply sustained hw
numerous aud explicit testimonies Of Seripf.
.urs, .
ssd that Jesus Christ will be the final Judge
.egrai part II is scheme Of rsdempsio s' . md
VII DO the closing sst 10 the history Of lie
Piication: Jesus should b. tLe Hn5i iudvs
because He is the Son Of Mar and possesses
the nature which ,isto be srraigped at the bar
aesh experin,entally knew their ,empt.tiuns.
thongh hiniself wi'k.a,t xln, aud Lr uctmal
OBSERVATION ~ y nnn anl"ng them is aequain.
TED with their constitution, motives and weak.
nesses. their circumstance and chances. Il
y at 'hs. Chri.t shonld DO The Judge because.
aus session "n the Judgment ihrune and the
exercise OF the Judicial p~rsrogasiys ars part
during The discharge of His msdiatoriai wori.
ana inlrdcr that the person and claims Of ~
o,shnpofed SAVER may be vindicatsd bsf0re
an assembled world. y:
In The third plaee, DR.. Guardian scr.,s.,.
Cd some at the awful circumstances vhieh
VIII aceonpauya the coming Of the last dav of
secount. IL viii bone without 'prsmSaiS;cs
nRCn tee WORLD With q! IT. sins, It's sorroSs,
Righteous viii 81 Into svefiAstips HS - -
wicked Into svesisstiuk death.