The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-04-25
gou he has shelterad Vol. he watched you

! you, he has sheltered you, ne Watcned you
last night, he will watch you tonight. he
wants to love you, wants to help you, wants
to save you, wants to comfort you. He was
your fathers God and your mothers God.
He has housed them from the blast, and he
wants to shelter you. Will you spit in his
face by an imprecation Will you ever
thrust him back by an oath.
| Who is this Jesus whose name l heard IN
the imprecation! Has he pursued you all
your life long. What vie thing has he done
to you that you should so dishonor his name
Why, he was the Lamb whose blood SIM
mered in the fires of sacrifice for you. He is
the brother that took off his crown that you
might put it on. He has pursued you all
your life long with mercy. He wants you
to love him, wants you to serve him de
comes with streaming eyes and broken heart
and blistered feet to save you. On the craft
OF our doomed humanity he pushed out into
the sea to take you off the wreck.
Where is the hand that will ever be lifted
in imprecation againa Let that hand, now
blood tipped, be lifted that may see it. Not
one. Where is the voice that will ever be
uttered in dishonoring the name OF that
Christi Let it speak now. Not one: Not
one. Oh, am glad to know that all these
vices of the community. and these crimes OF or
bettered. The word by the powerof Christ's
gospel is going to be saved, and this crime,
this iniouity, and all the other iniquities will
vanish before the rising OF the sun or right
eousness upon the nation.
There was one day in New England memoir
able for storm and darkness. hardly ever
saw such an evening. The clouds which had
been gathering all day unlimbered their bat
teries. The Housatonic. which flows quietly,
save as the paddles Of pleasure parties rattle
The oar locks, was lashed into foam, and
the waves hardly knew where to lay them
selves. -,
Oh! what time it was! The hills Jared
under the rumbling Of Gods chariot. Blind
ing sheets of rain drove the cattle to the
bars, or beat against the window pane as
though to dash it in. The grain fields threw
their crowns of gold at the feet of the storm
king. When night came in it was double
night Its mantle was torn with the light
nines, and into its locks were twisted the
leaves Of uprooted oaks and the shreds OF
canvass torn from the masts OF the beached
shipping. 1t was such night as makes you
thank God for shelter and open the door to
let in the spaniel bowling outside with terror.
We went to sleep under the full blast OF
heavens great orchestra, the forests with up
lifted voices. in chorus that filled the noun
tains, praising the Lord. We woke not until
the fingers of the sunny morn touched our
eyelids We looked out the window and the
Housatonic slept as quiet as an infants
dream. Pillars Of cloud set against the sky
looked liked the castles of the blest built for
heavenly hierarchs on the beach of the azure
sea All the trees sparkled as though there
had been some great grief in heaven, and
each leaf had been God appointed to catch an
angels tear. 1t seemed as if our Father had
looked upon the earth, His wayward child ,
and stopped to her tear-wet cheek and kissed
it, So will the darkness OF sin and crime
leave our world before the dawn Of the morn.
ing. The light shall gild the city sp:re and
strike the forests Of Maine and the nlaStS OF
Mobile, and all between. And one end rest
ING on the Atlantic coast and the other rest.
ing on the Pacific beach, God will spring a
great rainbow arch Of peace. in token OF
everlasting covenant that the world shall
never more see deluge Of crime.
But" says some one, preaching against
the evils Of society will accomplish nothing.
Do you not see that the evils 60 right, on" l
answer, we are not at all discouraged.
1t seemed Insignificant for Moses to stretch
his hand over the Red sea. What power
could that nave over the waters? But the
east wind blew all night; the waters gath
cred into two glittering palisades on either
side. The billows reared as Gods hand
pulled back upon their crystal bits. Wheel
into line, oh Israel! Marchl March! Pearls
crash under their feet. The shout OF hosts
mounting the beach answers the shout o.
hosts mid SEQ, until, as the last line Of tho
Israelites have gained the beach, the shields
clang and the cymbals clap, and as the wa
ters whelm the pursuing foe the swift fin
gered winds on the white keys Of the foam
play the grand march Of Israel delivered,
and the awful dirge Of Egyptian overthrow:
So we 90 forth, and stretch out the hand Of
prayer and Christian effort over these dark
boiling waters of crime and sin. AHA
Aha!" says the deriding world. But wait
The winds of divine help will begin to blow;
the way will clear for the great army. OF
Christian philanthropists; the glittering
treasures Of the worlds beneficence will line
the path of our feet; and to the other shore
we will be greeted with the clash of all
heavens cYmbals; while those who resist
sea, and there will be nothing left Of them
but here and there, cast high and dry upon
the beach, the splntered wheel of chariot,
and thrust out from the surf. the breathles
nostril of r;derless charger.