The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-10-17
THE SOUTH CAROLINA SYNOD.
The First Days Work. Together With
List of Some Of the Delegates.

city last night at S o'clock, and after the usual
devotional exercises the opening sermon was
T. Thompson, D. d., Of Charleston which was
closely listened to from the beginning to the
ed below.
The text chosen was Revelation, vi; II:
| "For the great day Of His wrath is come; and
who shall be able to stand?"
| After q few Introductory remarks, the
speaker said that under the tutilage Of n
mawkish, monstrous sentimentalism, the
tendency OF our age is TO adore refined con-
ception Of what has no counterpart In the
heavens above, or the earth beneath, and In
direct opposition to the explicit statements Of
the Divine word.
| 1t is the conception of a God with but q sim
| gle moral attribute-the attractive attribute
/ OF love. No one rejoices more than myself
that God is love. No man delights more In
making proclamation Of this Infinite affec-
| tion in the ears of perishable transgressors
But as the Bible is true, our God is o God Of
| wrath. 1t is not for the preacher to be infiu-
enced by what may, or may not please the
multitude, by the prejudices Of his fellows, by
what they may approve or disapprove, but by
1 the inf1eXible obligation of his office he Is
called upon to deliver message as he has re-
ceived It., whether men will hear or not
| whether they bless or curse him.
And so against dangerous and widely.
spread conceit, I emphasize the fact that
while merclful and gracious He is God OF
anger, and will by no means clear the guilty
| His wrath Is not that weak and sinful passion
which disfgures man and heightens the
wretchedness of his condition, but the ex-
preston Of infinite righteousness, in view of
outraged law. tbs the omnipotent assertion
witness in this matter, and he cries: "Rebuke
me not in Thy wrath
Paul declares "the wrath Of God cometh up
with superneturaliy strengthened vision,
peering into the distant future, exclalms-
1.-THE great day of His wrath has come"
] Not only 50 but we have concrete instances
I 1off oy,6 ,ofjxy rnl,.
deluge is an instance. Sodom and Gomor-
rah, the death of tho first-born in Egypt, are
also instances.
That was day OF wrath when a hand Of
fire flashed upon the vision of the jewellers In
Babylon, and, amidst an acting silence, traced
upon the palace wall those mystic characters
SSG% Of Persian see sDs
king and prince and noble until that impious
BANQUET ran blood instead Of wine, and the
king of Terrors presided as master Of the
| feast.
But there is time approaching In its man
| ifestations OF Divine dlSpleasure. 1t Is called
by way Of distinction. THAT day." "ths last
ana as | IN the W words Of the sH ss1 she
great day OF His wrath"
| There is q rational presumption that there
will be such day. Conscience admonishes
| us that such time must be.
The Bible confirms this conclusion Of rea-
son, this admonition Of the conscience, and
the day Of wrath is the day OF judgment.
1t tells us that 1t will come suddenly, at
tended by appalling terrestrial and celestial
phenomena. Men will be buying and selling,
eating and drinking, marrying and giving In
marriage.
arrest the world. The earth will stagger like
q drunken man, the Heavens will pass away
with great noise, and the elements melt
ries i viii rise; sinIess angels Will muster on
the azure plains and he'll bursting, belching
forth her blazing seas, will pour Its sombre lie.
| giors upon the dread arena. But 1t will not
swarrning hosts Of spirits, good and bad, or
| the ghostly congregation Of the risen dead,
that will engross attention.
One form will rtvet our gaze-the Lamb
once sent In love now comes in wrath-the
Lamb upon the great white throne.
The question OF all questions will then be:
"Who shall be able to stand?" Some say all.
This cannot be for 1t Is shocking blasphemy to
word wrath has no significance If 1t is not
righteous anger.
ff not all, "who shall be able to stand?"
Some say the moralist, whose brightest pri13.
| low men. But If his record, however admira-
BILE, Is the basis Of his hope of divine accept
ance interminable disaster awaits him, since
shall Hs be no eSS JUSTIFIED Just In E His ssh Sight, ''''
If not the moralist, then "who shall be able
| to stand2" Some say those who are sincere.
To sincerely believe that wrong is right does
not make 1t so, or that sin 1s not sin does not
relieve 1t Of its guilt. To sincerely believe
that God is not angry with the wicked every
day does not disarm Him OF His wrath. To
sincerely believe that there is no hell does not
empty It's gloomy prison or extinguish its
This being so, with an infinite emphasis the
question once more recurs: "Who shall be
able to stand?" Whence shall we obtain an
answer? From man. given to resistance,
piled by temptations, with moral perceptions
blunted, with Judgment biased by a corrupt
have offended and who is to be our judge9
And then I address the question TO the
Lord. In gracious condescenslon He replies:
"He that believeth In the Son has everlasting
not see life, but the wrath Of God abideth on
What weight attaches to the most elaborate
ldeliverances on the subject from the most
The simplest "Thus saith the Lord"
Let God be true and every man liar. If
cannot plead before His throne the answer he
has furnished, what can plead?
Oh, the folly Of him who treats with levlty
| or adjourns to more convenient season the
determining Of this question.
Yes, men and brethren, God Is love. In
love He has given this revelation Of His char
In love He sent His son into the world to
die. In love He hangs great danger signals
upon the front OF the advancing future: In
| love He portrays the epoch Of the judgment
with its eternal issues. In love He exhorts,
beseeehes, commands you to escape the wrath
to come, and in love He clearly tells you how
this may be done.
His entire treatment OF the sinner is radi-
ant with measureless affection. Then. sinner,
shall it be His love and heaven, or His wrath
and-hell?
o, to be constrained to justify the Almighty
in your condemnation! To hear the lips that
uttered the pathetic invitation: "Come unto
Me, all ye that are heavy laden, and I will
| give you rest" declare because have called
and ye refused, I have stretched out my hand,
and no man regarded, but ye have set at
naught all my counsel and would none OF my
reproof. I, also, will laugh st your calamity.
will mock when your fear cometh."
Brethren OF the Synod Of South Carolina,
under the conviction OF these momentous
truths, and our solemn obligation as the am
bassadors Of Jesus Christ, shall we by any
thing in our teaching or our conduct, defeat
our mission, betraying at once our Master
and destroying our fellow men?
Indulge me In word Of earnest exhorta-
| ton. Let us "preach the word, reprove re-
buke, exhort with all long-suffering and doc
| trine, and make full proof of our ministry"
1--WE are living, we are dwelling
In grand and awful time,
In an age on ages telling
To be living is sublimei
Worlds are charging. Heavens beholding,
Thou hast but an hour to fight
Now the baZoned cross unfolding,
Obi Right onward for the right!
On let all the soul within you
For the truths sake 60 abroad,
Strikel Let every nerve and sinew
Tell in ages; tell for God"
ELECTING MODERATOR AND CLERK.
After the benediction the roll was called
when So clergymen and 65 lay delegates an
that the first business in order was the cleo
ton Of moderator. Rev. w. w. Mills NOM
mated Rev. j. w. Mccoy, of Sumter, and DR..
.: E. Frierson nominated Rev. J. NJ. Rose.