The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-10-30


! his virtues.
There never was but one Being fit to copy
| A few centuries ago He came out through
| humble surroundings, and with gaitand man
ner and behavior different from anything th,
world had seen. Among all classes of peopl
He was a perfect model. Among fishermen
! He showed how fishermen should act Among
taxgatherers, He showed how taxgatherer'
should act. Among lawyers, He showed how
lawyers should act. Among farmers
He showed how farmers should act
Among rulers, He showed how ruler:
should act. Critics tried to find
in His conversation or sermons some
thing unwise or unkind or inacculate
but they never foupd it. They watched Him
oh how they watched Him! He never went
INTO mouse but they knew It, and they knew
how long He stayed, and when He came out,
and whether He had wine for dinner. Slander
twisted her whips and wagged her poisoned
tongue and set her traps, but could not catch
Him. Little ch!ldrenrushed out to get from
Him kiss, and old men tottered out to the
street corner to SEQ Him pass.
Do you want an illustration of devotion,
behold Him whole nights in prayer. Do you
want an example of suffering sec His path
across Palestine tracked with blood. Do you
want an example of patience, see Him abused
and never giving one sharp retort. Do you
want an example of industry, see Him with
out one idle moment. Do you want specl.
men of sacrifice, look at His life of self de.
NAL, His death of ignominy, His sepulcher OF
humiliation. Oh what an example! His feet
wounded, yet He submitted to the journey.
His back lacerated, and yet He carried the
cross. Struck, He never struck back again.
Condemned, yet he rose higher than
His calumniators, and with wounds
in His hand and wounds In
His feet and wounds on His brow and wounds
in His side, He calculated: 'Father forgive
them, they know not what they do" All,
my brethren, that is the pole by which to set
to steer, that is the light by which to kindle
your lamps, that is the example that we
ought all to follow. How it would smooth
out the roughness in our disposition, and the
world would be impressed by the trans
formation and would say: II know what is
the matter with that man. he has been with
Jesus and has learned of Him."
Alexander was going along with his army
in Persia and the SHOW and ice were so great
that the army halted and said: 1--WE can't
march any further" Then Alexander dis
mounted from his horse took pickax, went
ahead of his army and struck into the ice
and snow. The soldiers said: "If he can do
that we csn do it." and they took their picks
ana soon the way was cleared and the army
marched on. So our Lord dismounted from
His glory, and through all icy obstacles hews
q path for Himself and path for U.s. saying:
"Follow Mel I do not ask you to go through
any suffering, or fight any battles where l
do not lead the way! Follow MeP'
Again remark, that we are to look to
Christ as sympathizer Is there anybody
in the house to-day who does not want SYM
pathy? do not know how any one can live
without sympathy. There are those, how
ever, who have gone through very rough
paths in life who had no divine arm to lean
on. How they got along do not exactly
know. Their fortunes took wings in some
unfortunate investment and flew away The
bank failed and they buttoned up penniless
pocket. Ruthless Spectators carried off tho
fragments Of an estate they were twenty
five years in getting with hard work:
How did they stand it without Christ?
Death came into the nursery and there was
an empty crib. One voice less in the house
hold. One fountain less of joy and laughter.
Two hands less busy all day long In sport.
Two feet less to 60 bounding and romping
through the hall. Two eyes less to beam with
love and gladness. Through all that house
shaaoW after GhsSf9 afHw o aftsr s t5sv SsSde cs
through it? do not know. They trudged
the great Sahara with no water in the goat
skins. They plunged to their chin in the
slough of despond and had no one to lift
them. In an unseaworthy craft they put
out into black Euroclydon. =.
My brother, my sister, there is balm that
cures the worst wound. There is light that
will Lindle up the worst darkness. There is q
harbor from the roughest ocean. You
need and may have the Saviours sympathy.
You cannot get on this way. see your
trouble is wearing you out body and mind
and soul. come on no fools. errand
to-day. come with balm that can
heal any wound. Are you sick? Jesus
was sick. Are you weary? Jesus was weary.
Are you prosecuted? Jesus was prosecuted.
Are you bereaved? Did not Jesus weep over
Lazarus? Oh, yes, like roo on the mount
aims Of Bether Jesus comes bounding to your
soul to-day. There is not one passage of
Scripture, every word of which is heart
throb: "Come unto Me, oil ye who arc
weary and heavy laden, and 1 will give you
rest" Then there is another passage just as
good: "Cast thy burden on the Lord and
He will sustain thee" Oh, there are greer
pastures where the heavenly shepherd leads
the wounded and sick of the flock.
The Son of God stands by the tomb of Laza-
rus and will gloriously break it open at the
right time Genesaret cannot toss its waves
so high that Christ cannot walk them. The
cruise Of oil will multiply into an illimitable
supply. After the orchard seems to have
been robbed of all its fruit, the Lord has one
tree left, full of golden and ripe supply: The
requiem may wall with gloom and with death;
but there cometh after while song,
chant, an anthem, a battle march, a jubilee.
a coronation. Oh, do you not feel the breath
Of Christ's sympathy now, you wounded
ones, you troubled ones? If you do not, l
would like to tell you of the chaplain in the
army who was wounded so he could not walk,
but he heard at distance among the dying
a man who said: ''Oh, my GodT He said to
nluselr: Il must neIp tnat man though !
can't walk"
So he rolled over and rolled through his
own blood and rolled on over many of the
slain, until he came where this poor fellow
was suffering and he preached to him the
comfort of the Gospel, and with his own
wound he seemed to soothe that mans
wound. 1t was sympathy going out to-
ward an object most necesSitous, and
one that he could easily understand. And
SO it is with Christ, though wounded all
over Himself, He hears. the cry of our
ment. the cry of our poverty, the cry of Our
wretchedness, and He says: II must 60 and
help that SOUL" and He rolls over with
wounds in head, wounds IN hands, wounds in
feet. toward us, until he comes just where we
are weltering in our own blood, and He puts
His arm over us-and see it is wounded
arm, and it is q wounded hand-and
es He throws His arm over us hear Him
say: II have loved thee with an everlast-
ing love-"
Again, we must look to Christ as our final
rescue We cannot with these eyes, however
good our sight may be, catch glimpse Of
the heavenly land for which our souls long
But have no more doubt thai beyond the