The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-08-15

of those who have only q dollar in their
pocket, and give twenty-five cents to some
body else; and or that father who wears
shabby coat, and Of that mother who wears
faded dress, that their children may be well
apparelled You call them paupers, or
ragamuffins, or emigrants. I call them
heroes and heroines. Iou and Imay not know
where they live, or what their nams is. God
knows, and they have more angels lowering
over them than you and have, and they
will have higher sat in heaven.
They may have only cup of cold water
TO give q poor traveller, or may have only
picked q splinter from under the nail of a
child's frger, or have put only two mites
into the treasury, but the Lord knows them
Considering what they had, they did more
than we have ever done, AMI their faded
dress will become q white robe, and the
small room will be an eternal mansion,
and the old hat will be coronet Of vic
tory, and all the applause Of earth
and all the shouting of heaven will be drowned
out when God rises up to give his reward to
those humble workers in his kingdom, and to
say to them: "Well done, good and faithful
servant" You have all seen or heard Of the
ruin of Melrose Abbey. l suppose in some
respects it is the most exquisite ruin on earth.
And vet, looking at it was not so impressed
you may set it down to bad taste-but
was not so deeply stirred as was at tomb
stone at the foot of that Abbey-the tomb
stone placed by Walter Scott over the grave
Of an old man who had served him for good
many years in his house. The inscription most
significant, and 1 defy any man to
stand there and read it without tears coming
into his eyes. The epitaph: "Well done,
good and faithful servant" Oh! when our
work is over, will it be found that because
of anything we have done for God, or the
church, or suffering humanity, that such an
inscription Is appropriate for US? God grant
it.
Who are those who were bravest and de-
served the greatest tmonument-Lord Claver-
house and his burly soldiers, or John Brown,
the Edinburgh carrier, and his wife! Mr..
Atkins, the prosecuted minister Of Jesus
Christ in Scotland, was secreted by John
Brown and his wife, and Claverhouse rode
up one day with his armed men
and shouted in front Of the house.
John Browns little girl came out. He said
to her: ''Well, miss, is Mr.. Atkins here~
the minister Of the Gospel "Han Clever
house said, s'then you are chip of the old
block, are youa T have something in my
pocket for you. It is a nosegay. Some peo-
pie call it thumbscrew. but 1 call it nose
gay" And he got Off his horse, and he put
it on the little girls hand, and began to turn
1t until the bones cracked, and she cried. He
said: "Don't cry, don't cry: this isn't thumb.
screw; this is nosegay." And they heard
the child's cry, and the father and mother
came out, and Claverhouse said: "Ha! 1t
seems that you three have laid your holy
heads together determined to die like all the
rest of your hypocritical, canting. snivelling
crew: rather than give up good Mr.. Atkins,
pious MIR. Atkins, you would die. have
telescope with me that will improve your
vision and he pulled out pistol Now"
he said, ''you old pragmatical, lest you
should catch cold in this cold morning Of Scot
land, and for the honor and safety Of the
king, to say nothing Of the glory Of
will proceed simply AMI in the neatest
and most expeditions style possible to blow
your brains out" John Brown fell upon his
knees and began to pray. "Ahw said Claver-
house, 'look out, if you are going to pray;
steer clear Of the King. the council and
Richard Cameron" "Ol Lord" said John
Brown, ''snce it seems to be Thy will that
should leave this world for world where l
can love Thee better and serve Thee more,
put this poor widow woman and three help
less, fatherless children into Thy hanis. We
have been together in peace a good
while, but now we must look forth to
q better meeting in heaven, and as
for these poor creatures blindfolded
and infatuated, that stand before me, con.
vert them before it be too late, and may they
who have sat in Judgment in this lonely place
on this blessed morning, upon me, poor, de-
fenseless fellow creature-nay they, in the
have refused to me, Thy most unworthy, but
faithful servant. Amen" He rose up and
said: "Isabel, the hour has come of which ]
spoke to you on the morning when proposed
hand and heart to you; and are you will.
ing now, for the love Of God, to let me
die2" She put her arms around him
and said: "The Lord gave, and the
Lord hath taken away. Blessed be the name
Of the Lord!" stop that snivelling," said
Clayerhouse. II have had enough Of it.
Soldiers, do your work Take aim! Firer'
and the head of John Brown was scattered
on the ground While the wife was gather
ing up in her apron the fragments Of her
husbands head-gathering them up for
burial-Ciaverhouse looked into her face and
said: "Now, my good woman. how do you
feel about your bonnie man" "Oh" she
said, 81 always thought weel of him; he has
been very good to me; had no reason for
thinking anything but weel OF him, and |
q s grand nd thing it will be in the
Last Day to see God pick out his
heroes and hero:nes Who are those
of eternity trudging off from the
gates of heaven? Who are they? The LORD
Claverhouses and the Herods and those who
had sceptres, and crowns, and thrones, hut
they lived for their own aggrandisement,a and
they broke the heart of naticns. Heroes Of
earth, but paupers in eternity. / beat the
drums Of their eternal despair. Woo! woe!
woe!
But there is great excitement in heaven.
Why those long professions. Why the
booming of that great bell in the tower' 1t
is coronation day in heaven.
Who are those rising on the thrones, with
crowns Of eternal royalty! They. must have
been great people on earth, world renowned
Is that ala That is all. Who are those way
ing sceptres of eternal dominion9 Why, they
are little children who waited on invalid
mothers That all? That is all. She was
called Little Mary" on earth. She is an en-
press now. VINO are that great multitude
on the highest thrones Of heaven?
Who are they! Why. they fed the
hungry, they clothed the naked, they healed
the sick. they comforted the heart. broken:
their head down on the pillow OF the
sepulchre. God watched them. God laughed
defiance at the enemies who put their heels
hard down on these His dear children; and
one day the Lord struck His hand so hard on
His thigh that the omnipotent sword ratt ed
in tue buckler, as he said: 81 arm their God.
and no weapon formed against them shall
prosper What harm can the world do you
when the Lord Almighty with unsheathed
sword fights for you'
I preach this sermon for comfort. Go
home to the place just where God has put
you to play the hero or the heroine. Do not
envy any man his money, or his applause, OF
his social position. Do not envy any woman
her wardrobe, or her exquisite appear
arce Be the hero or the heroine. If
there ba no flour in the housa anl you do