The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-04-27
Easter Services at our Churches.

Last Sunday was an unusually inter.
csting day our churches. Nearly every
one Of them had services Of more than
usual interest. Several Of them were
very prettily decorated and all had good
congregations. The day was q typical
Faster Sunday and spring costumes
added to the beauty Of the day. The
pulpitS Of all our Churches were occu
pied except that Of the Baptist congre
cation.
The Presbyterian Church.,
Rev. j. Lowrie Wilson, pastor, filled
the pulpit and took for his text
"Who is she that lookcth forth rs the morn
ing, fair rs moon, clear as the sun, and ter.
rible MS an army with banners ?"--Song OF
: Solomon, WHO.
This passage So highly poetic, refers
to the church-pittu ing her beauty in
Christ's esteem, her lefty mission. and
her equipment for accomplishing it.
The entire Song is but n setting forth
the relations between Christ and His
people. On no other hypothesis can it
lie entitled to Il place in the canon scrip
ture.
The text is.but a life painting of the
Lambs Bride" the church, in which
her gifts and graces, her conflicts and
her triumphs, are penciled with conSum-
mate skill. Nature, in its most impress
sive phenomena Is made to illustrate her
relations to Christ and the world.
Two lines Of thought. appropriate to
the present occasion, are suggested by
it: |. The general design and nature
Of the church And II. Her thorough
equipment FOR engaging in the work be-
fore her.
|. AS to its general design and nature.
The church is the appointed agency for
communicating the knowledge Of Christ
to the p%erishing Of the earth. Like the
''path Of the the sun" her light is to
shine brighter and brighter unto the
the perfect day !; she ''looketh forth into
the morning. Her attitude is that Of
expectancy. She is to respond in the
name and by the authority Of the bless
ed Lord to the "Maccdonian cry'' OF dy-
ing nations. "Advancc," is therefor,
her watch-word, the battle order Of her
great Captain. That flag of the bloody
Gross is to be planted on the "banks
Of ancient rivers" and con many n palmy
pluin.'' Her mission is to gather to-
gcther into the fold Of the One Shep.
herd His blood-bought flock, and there
IA uaiify them for His service both here
nd in glory.
gsxSThc nature Of the church appears in
sSsAGtA relation she sustains to Christ and
aXA&ssFld "Fair rs the moun." The
sSs&en is not n luminous body, but de-
UMI 80 or, fhn ~ for tvnr, h,,,> &l,.k
& sz5>8yeS Just so with the church.
Emo light in herself, but. such as
H&$6sd upon her BY Jesus the "Son Of
righteousness" She gives only what
herself receives and is therefore but n
r%ctlectio on of His glory. 10 set herself
above the Word Of God, and to bind the
conscience by doctrines and ordinances
of her " devising is to ursup the
authority Of Christ her King. Like the
s'moon'' she is Opaque and cannot origi-
nate light. When the moon passes be-
tween the earth and the sun, it throws
the litter into eclipse. and darkness en-
sues. So when the church gets between
Christ and the conscicnccS Of men it
throws Him into eclipse, and spiritual
darkness is the result.
The church has only to do with j Jesus
and the souls Of men !; no entanelinr
alliances to form with the Kingdoms of
this world-no LISTING after temporal
dominion. A union of church and State
would be but the marriage Of the
"Lamb's Bride" to Cesar" Not more
remote from each other are the "mooa"
and the ''earth,'' than are the heaven
fixed lines between the ''church'' ard
the State" Their two orbits are total
" distinct. Were there any point in com.
mon collisions might be imminent and
the safety imperiled.
Not less to be avoided are worldly in
fiuences upon the church. Nothing is
nose detrimental to her influence
When the earth gets between the sun
and the moon it throws the latter into
eclipse. So when the world gets in be-
tween Christ and the church it throws
the church into eclipse, and shuts off
the light ofJesus from her. She ceases
under such condition to be a reflection
of His glory. A proper angel Of refec-
ton must therefore be maintained to-
wards Christ and the world !; for thus
only can she appear "fair as the moon.'
IL. Her equipment for the great work
before her: "Terrible as an army with
banners"
The first glance reveals the unity
of the church. Its unity is that of the
rainbow. whose colors, though MANY
form but one bow. The UNITY Of the
ocean "distinct as the billow. yet one as
The sea-" Every denomination of Chris
tians that holds to the '.hcad-ship OF
Christ" and classification by faith
through His atoniDp blood" is entitled
therefore to recognition as an integral
part Of the one army.
A second glance reveals her magnf,