The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-12-15

Of your salvation. lear some Of you that I
know very we'll are making that mistake. A
man may own all the statutes Of the State
Of New York and yet not be lawyer:
treatises ever written and yet not be
physician. A man may own whole libraries
Of works on painting and statuary aud yet
not be an artist. A man may own great vol
umes about architecture and yet not be an
architect And a man may own all the sound
creeds on earth and not be a Christian. 1t
is not what wo have in the head and on
the back, but what we have in the heart
and in our life that decides every
thing. In olden times, in England.
before the modern sire 1T lamp was invented.
it was expe ted that every householder would
hang lantern at his front door in tho night,
and when the watchmen at the eTenti le went
through tile streets they cried: "Ean0 ".e
ur light, hang out yourlight." Oh, brothers
and sisters, instead of angrilY and excitedly
discussing different styles Of lanterns-one
liking this lantern better, another liking that
lantern better-as O watchman on the
wall of Zion this day cry out: "Let your
light so shine before mon that others
seeing your good works may glorify your
Father who is in heaven. Hang out
your light. hang out your light" And, above
all, do not as soma Of you, my friends rear
are doing, excuse yourself from accepting
religion because there are so many dlfereno
kinds of reli 1ionists People say, to me:
"This church believes so, and this otner
church believes so, and am completely be,
wildered about the whole thing, and 50
shall not take this eeligion at all.n Standing
in Westminster Hotel, London, looking out
Of the window. / saw three clocks and as
near as 1 can remember, one was on West
minister Abbey, and another was on the
Parliament House and another was on ST.
Margaret's Chapel, and they were al differ
ent, and one clock said IL: and anothsr clock
another clock said five minutes after IL.
Standing there 1 might just a. well have
said: "Well, there is no such thing as time
because the time pieces differ" as for you to
sit and stand there and say s'there is nothing
in religion because religionists differ and
the clocks in the church steeples
are so different, one saying ons thing
and another saying another thing; M ten
YOU it is about noon, it is about II o'clock OF
the glorious day Of gospel dispensation, and
there is enough light for all-the noon1ay
light. how shall we es:ape If wo neglect so
great salvation. But oh, the glorious thought
comes over ma, that though now our families
are parted in their worship, worshtning
partly in one church and partly
in another, o., worshiplng at ths same
altar th ~ have to!sacrifice their'preferences,
III
perfe It church where all our preferences will
be grati6ed. Great cathedral OF eternity,
with arches of amethyst and pillars OF sap.
phire and floors Of emerald and win
dows aglow with the sunset Of earth and
the sunrise Of heaven. What wide aisles,
spacious enough to allow whole en-
pires to enter What amphtheatre,
with splendor above splenior, gallery above
gallery, princes and princesses, kings and
Queens bending over them. What stupendous
towers, with chimes, angel hoisted and angel
rung. What multtldes Of worShipers, white
robed and coronated. What walls hung
with shields and flags captured by church
militant, now become church triumphant.
What ofiiciator at the altar the great high
priest Of our profession. What do1ology Of
nations. Cornet to cornet, cymbal to cymbal,
harp to harp, organ to organ. Pull out the
tremulant stop to recall the suffering past
Pull out the trumpet stop to celebrate the
victory.
When shall these eyes thy Heaven built walls
And pearly gates behold,
Thy bulwarks with salvation strong
And streets of shining gold!