The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-07-11

may be made to hoist the flag of redemption.
But is all this admonition and PRAYER, and
Christian work for nothinga My tex
promises to all the faithful eternal luster.
''They that turn many to Righteousness shall
shine as the stars forever"
As stars, the redeemed have a borrowed
light What makes Mars and Venus and
Jupiter 80 luminousa When the sun throws
down his torch in the heavens the stars pick
up the scattered brands and hold them in
procession as the queen of the night ad-
vances; so all Christian workers, standing
around the throne, will shine in the light bor-
rowed from the Sun Of Righteousness Jesus
in their faces, Jesus in their songs, Jes9s in
their triumph. Christ left heaven once for a
tour Of redemption on earth, yet the
glorified ones knew he would come back
again. But let him abdicate his throne,
and go away to stay forever, the music
would stop: the congregation disperse; the
temples Of God be darkened; the rivers OF
light stagnate, and every chariot would be-
come hearse. and every bell would toll, and
there would not be room on the hill sides to
bury the dead Of the great metropolis, Tor
there would be pestilence in heaven. But
Jesus lives, and so all the redeemed live
with Him. He shall recognize them as His
comrades in earthly toll, and remember what
they did for the honor Of His name and for
the spread of his kingdom All their pray
ers and tears and work will rise before Him
as He looks into their faces. and He will
divide His kingdom with them; His peace
their peace; His holiness-their holiness; His
iov-their joy. The glory of the central
throne reflected from the surrounding
thrones. the last spot Of sin struck from the
Christian orb and the entire nature a-trem-
BILE and a-flash with light, they shall shine as
the stars forever and ever.
Again: Christian workers shall be like the
stars in the fact that they have light indie
pendent Of each other. Look up at the night,
and see each world shows its distinct glory.
1t is not like the confagration, in which you
cannot tell where one flame stops and another
begins Neptune, Herschel and Mercury are
as distinct as if each one Of them were the
only star; so our individualiSm will not be
lost in heaven. A great multitude-yet
each one as observable as distinctly recog-
nized. as greatly celebrated, as if in all the
space from gate to gate: and from
hill to hill, he was the only inhabitant: no
mixing up no mob-no indiscriminate rush;
each Christian worker standing out Illus
trious-all the story Of earthly achieve
ments adhering to each one; his self denials.
and pains, and ser vices, and victories
published. Before men went out to the
last war. the orators told them that they
would all be remembered by their country.
and their names be commemorated in poetry
mond and you will find there six thousand
graves, over each one Of which is the inscrip-
ton, unknown" The world does not re-
member it's heroes: but there will be no un-
recognized Christian worker in heaven.
Each one known by all; grandly known;
known by acclamation; all the past story Of
work for God cleaning in cheek, and brow,
and foot, and palm. They shall shine with
distinct light as the stars, forever and ever.
ofso
the stars in clusters. In looking up, you find
the worlds in family circles. Brothers and
sisters-they take hold of each others hands
and dance in groups. Orion in q group.
The Pleiades in group. The solar system
is only a company Of children, with bright
faces, gathered around one great fireplace.
The words do not straggle off. They go in
mensity.
So Christian workers in heaven will dwell
in neighborhoods and clusters. I am sure
that some people I will like in heaven great
deal better than others Yonder is con-
stellation Of stately Christians. They lived
on earth by rigid rule. They never laughed.
They walked every hour, anxious lest they
should lose their dignity. But they loved
God. and yonder they shine in brilliant con-
stellation. Yet shall not long to get into
that particular group. Yonder is constel-
lation of small hearted Chistians-asteroids
in the eternal astronomy. While soma souls
90 up from Christian battle and blaze like
Mars, these asteroids dart feeble ray like
Vesta. Yonder is constellation Of martyrs.
of apostles, Of patriarchs. Our souls, as they
20 up to heaven, will seek out the most con-
almost merry with the play Of light. On earth
they were full of sympathies aad songs, and
tears and raptures and congratulations.
When they prayed their words took fire;
when they sang the tune could not hold
them: when they wept over q worlds woes,
they sobbed as If healt broken; when they
worked for Christ, they famed with enthu.
siasm. Yonder they are-circle OF light!
Constellation Of joy! Galaxy Of fire! Oh,
transform the worst into the BEST might ct
last sail in the wake Of that fleet and wheel
in that glorious group, as the stars, forever
Again: Christian workers will shine like
the stars in swiftness Of motion. The worlds
do not stop to shine. There are no fixed
stars save as to relative position. The star
most thoroughly fixed flies thousands Of miles
a minute. The astronomer, using his tele.
scope for an Alpine stock, leaps from world
crag to world crag, and finds no star stand.
ing still. The chamois hunter has to fly to
catch his prey, but not so swift is his game
as that which the scientist tries to shoot
through the tower Of observatory. Like
petrels mid Atlantic, that seem to come
from no shore, and be bound to
no landing place-fying, ylng..so
these great aocks of worlds rest not as they
20, wing and wing, age after age, forever
and ever. The eagle hastes to its prey,
but we shall in speed beat the eagles. You
have noticed the velocity of the swift horse,
under whose feet the miles slip like a
smooth ribbon, and as he passes the four
hoofs strike the earth in such quick beat
vour pulses take the same vibration. But all
these things are not swift IN comparison
with the motion Of which speak. The moon
moves fifty-four thousand miles in day;
Yonder, Neptune flashes on eleven thousand
miles in an hour. Yonder, Mercury goes one
hundred and nine thousand miles in an hour;
So, like the stars, the Christian worker shall
shine in swiftness Of motion. You hear
now of father or mother or child SICK
one thousand miles away; and it takes
YOU two DAYS to get to them. You hear
Of some case of suffering that demands
your immediate attention, but it takes
you an hour to get there. Oh, the Joy when
you shall. in the fulfillment Of the text, take
thousand miles an hour. Having on earth
got used to Christian work, you will not quit
when death strikes you You will only take
on more velocity. There is dying child in
London, and its spirit must be taken up to
God: you are there in an instant to do it.
There is a young man in New York to be ar
rested from going into that gate of sin: you
are there in an instant to arrest him.
Wbsther with spring of foot, or stroke OF
wing or by force Of some new law that
shall hurl you to the spot where you would
60. know not; but my text suggests veloc-
ity. AHspace open before you, with moth
ing to hinder you in mission Of light and
love and Joy, you shall shine in swiftness of
motion as the stars forever and ever.