The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1885-12-16

Sermon Preached in the Presbyterian
Church at Mt. Carmel After Communion
Service on Sunday, December s, 1855
by Rev. J. O. Lindsay, D. D.
This sermon was written after it was dc
livered, and of course it was not possible tt
reproduce exactly the spoken discourse
Something of what WAS said is omitted, ano
q good deal Is here written which for want OF
time was not spoken. Yet, it is mainly tie
same sermon. It is here printed with the
hope that it may reach some for whom 1t was
intended, but who failed to hear 1t because
they did not"G to church, and with the
further hope that it may do good to all who
read it. The Doctor, after the usual prclln
mary services, in substance, said:
The services to-day have not been tedious,
and ask your attention for twenty minutes
longer wish to preach Il short sermon Upon
Il subject Specia Is appropriate now ana nCT'.
I viii take a text not found in the BiUir
There is no law human or divine requiring a
minister to preach from Il text. \ large dlS-
c.etioa is allowed him as to the meth11 o1
obeying the injunction "Prtach the wori. l
mean NJ dlSrespcct to the liihle in selecting a
text from another source. The SCRIPTURES are
Gods own blessed Word, inspired and ina.;l'
be, the only perfect thing in this Imperfect
word Wills; the words Of my text are not
In the Bible, the sentiment they contain is
f,uni there in many passages. The text IS q
short one, having only three words anu all OF
them monnsyl abss 1t b, is rao;S reGe1,, mer.
over it Is easily understood. sometimes i5l-
Bile tex,s have to be carefully s'uilcd IN their
context and the scope OF the writer, win
many helps as concOrdancrS, commentaries
and other books, and after ali this, the mean
ing is only partially apprehendcd or may he
wholly mistaken. but the meaning OF my
text cannot possibly be misunuer,to,no. ine,e nc
clear as the sunlight OF this bright SaDbaih
day. Give me your attention NOW and | will
give you my text It's: $50 to church! 20
In speaking from these words. faithfuness
wil, require me To- say some hard things, y%t
! will not say them in unkinincSS. l shall
utter no reproof for the majority or the mem.
Lcrs of this church whose appreciation OF and
attendance upon the services OF the sanctuary
are worthy Of highest praise, but Will be COM
PEELED to speak in no soft words OF those VINO
d;shouor God by making Il mere convenience
OF going TO His hOuSe-thOSc WHO go only
. when they cannot tinI the sembance OF an eN-
cuse for staying away. here arc many IN
this audience to-day, and many who might
have been here, but are not, vino need u pom
der carefully the command, go to church,
IL is q command Surcharscd with divine au-
thority, having all the binding force oi me
upon the tables Of stone 10y the finger or the
Great God. The MN is Il rebel against the
Governor of tnc world WHO does .lot "Go to
church"
Muny people, no doubt, have good rcaa-
sons for stayins 2. away. They may be sick
or invaiids, they may have to attend TO chli.
dren, or the aged, or the sick, and there n @ MAJ,
am not now to speak. But there are many who
bring guiltt,upon their souls By falling to go
10 church.
know any community wnere the command OF
the text is SO recklesSy and cpmmonly dis
obeyed as in this community. Why we have
people here who never, never go 10 church;
Some who don't come TO this church, ana
don't 60 to any other church. Some who
have wealth, property, intelligence ana m
tluance. and yet for Yeas have tranp!ed un-
der foot the comm lllu OF the blessed Gou 10
"Co to church.
They derive a thousand blessings every day
from Christianity; they feast upon these bless
ings in their richness aud fulneSS, yet Tor them
they never express or even entertain one
grateful feeling. But for this Chrl"tian rell-
gion ther night be saVuSes or cannlDalS, Je'
they never 20 t. the house of the One TO
whom they owe SO much, t. worship. or
thank Or praise HiSgraclous nalHe. They i've
in constant, wilful neglect Of heavens great
command go to church"
Like The rest of US, these people are sinners,
and if they ever escape the damnation of hell
it will be through the grace ana merits ot Je-
sus Chris, the only saviour. But they Gon
have any respect to this saviour, they don t
him They nave, however, in their hearts
and lives more than q NEGATIVE side to TINS
Saviour. They show feelings TO him that are
positive; they hate him, they hate ms people'
nariccs they hate lis house, they provoke
him, they defy him, they insult him, they
hasphe'ne his worthy name, in that they DO
uot "Go to church"
One day in the coming future these people
will stand up In the presence of the universe
before the Judgment scat of this same Sa-
T,,nn
will rest upon them. Their Whole earthly
life will come up before his mind. He will re-
call their sins, secret and open, their many
provoea ions, their gross insults, tle.r horriu
blasuheinies, and from his gentle lips will
come the sentence that c)nsisns them TO their
"own place" a"d at his nod the angels Will
seize the doomed and damned anu cast them
into everlasting punishment, and this VIII pc
the last stage In the career of those who do
Let me recall briefly our history. rs a
church. Some two months since Il Preshy-
tcrian Church WIS organized in this hall: y
cool dc .rce Of interest and even some enthu-
eiaSm was shown by those vino were present.
We have had several services since that oc-
caSion and at least one third Cf those who
were present at, and assisted in the or.,an lE;l'
ton have never been with US since. Some OF
those may have good reasons for absence.
know some are without excuse. Some are
not here even at our first communion SER
vice. Can we reasonably expect Gods bless
ing upon us when we thus dishOn)r Him in
ut this matter calmly for moment. People
make great mistakes in this world from
thoughtlessness; they even lose their souls nc.
cause they don't think. Did you everything at
what u disadvantage church Is placed that
has such q large proportion of nOnattend.
ance? If even amajoriiy do their duty, huiid
up q church character that is commemorate
and influential, Il power for good, the Greatesl
god in the community. then what does the
minority effect? The question Is not hard To
answer. They pull down what others build
up, they derange what the others put IN or
der, they weaken what the others strengthen
class for gool is counteractcd, and crippled
and opposed by the other. What are sucll
people worth to the Church? How much dc
tAey help in it's various enterprises? why
they don't help at all. They hinder AND
frustratc and defeat. They dontgiye money
for they are not here when II collection Is
taken up. ItiS not likely they pray for 1t
If they don't feel interest, enough to az
tend the public services Their influence is
away from the church, is for the world, is
against the church. Their names are written
upon the roll of the church, it Is true; they
ndd so much to its membership, and whcI
the statistics are gathered up their names are
counted. One of the greatest driwbacks
which the Church has to encounter IN every
period of its history is more names IMAM ell
cient workcrs-a mass of unworthy mem
bcrs hip that add nothing to its mor;
strength, nothing to its financial strength
nothing to its reSpcclability. nothing TO III
efficiency in any regard. And YET lhese pco
ple have something else than mere negative
character. They not only do nothing i0r lht
Church, they do much against IT. lhatEnurct
which God purchased with HIS own Dloou
for which His Son died; through WhIcn e a."il' ,na
lost sinners can he saved; by which God doe
all His works Of grace, at least IN thlS "oriu
in behalf of which al the holy Syinpa1tnie:
and energies Of the universe are cnisleu; ina
church which, in special sense. IS IN the very
heart of the great and blessed God; IN whlci
the honor of His gracious name Is bound up