The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1889-11-06

reckleSSly, God builds Tor them ROAD
to travel.
In the Psalms it is said: Gle made a
way for the lightning and the thunder"
Ever since the time of Benjamin Frank
lin the world has been trying TO tame
the lightnirgS, and they seem to be quite
well harncssed. but they occasionally
kick over the traces. But though we
can not master great natural forces God
can and does. and that God is our Father
and best friend, and this thought gives
US confidence.
We are alsoreinforced by the increased
consolation that comes from confratcrn-
ity of sorrow. The people who, during
the last sixteen years sat on the other
side of the aisle, whose faces were IA.
miliar to you, but to whom you had
never spoken-you greeted them this
week with smiles and tears Us You said:
''Well, the old place is gone" You did
not want to seem to CRY. and SO you
swept the sleeve near the corner OF the
eve, and pretended it was the sharp wind
made your eyes weak. All. there was
nothing the matter with Your eyes: 1t
was your soul bubbling over. l tell you
that it is impossible to sit for years
around the same church fireside and not
have Sympathies in common. Somehow
you feel that you would like those peo-
pie on the other side of the aisle, about
whom you know but little, proSpered,
and pardoncd. and blessed. and saved.
Iou feel as # you are in the same boat,
and YOU wait TO glide up the same har-
Dor. and want to diSelnbark at the same
wharf.
ND nd
zine in sufficient heat. they will melt
into conylomeratcd mass: and really
feel that lust Sabbath's fire has fused us
1t seems as if we al had our hands on 4
wire connected with an electric battery.
and when this church sorrow started 1t
thrilled through the whole circle, and
VIC ali felt the Shock. The Oldest man
and the youngest child could join hands
III this misfortune. Grandfather said,
Il expected from those affairs to be
buried" and one of the children last
Sabbath cried. Grandpa, that place was
next to our own house" Yea. we are
supported and confident in this time by
the cross of Christ.
That is used TO the fire. On the dark
day when Jesus died. the lightning
struck it from above. and the flames OF
hell dashed up against it from boGcatn.
That fearful, painful, tender. blessed
cross still stands. On it we hang all our
hopes; beneath it We put down all our
sins: in the light of it We expect 70 make
the rest of our pilgrimage. Within sight
of such q sacrifice. who can feel he has
it hard? In the sight Of such symbol.
who can be discouraged. however great
the darkness that may come down upon
him? Jesus lives. The loving. patient.
sympathizing, mighty Jesus! 1t shall
not be told on earth. or in he'll, or IN
Heaven, that three Hebrew children had
tho Son of God beside them in the fire,
and that whole church was forsaken
By the Lord when they vent through
furnace about two hundred feet wide.
0 Lord Jesus. shall we take out OF Thy
hand the flowers and the fruits, and the
brightness and the joys. and then turn
away because Thou doSt give us one cup
of bitterness to drink? O. no. Jesus! we
will drink it dry But howit is changed.
Blessed Jesus. what hast Thou put into
the cup 10 Swectcn it? Why. 1t has be-
come the wine Of heaven. and our souls
grew strong. | come now, and place
both of m; feetdeepdown into the black
cne3 ashes of our consumed church. and
I CRY out with an eXhilaration that
I never felt since the day OF my
sou1-s emancipation. ''Eictorv. victory!
through our Lord Jesus Christ
Your ha-ps We trembling 81 MS,
Down from the willows take.
Loud To the praise o. lore divine
Bid every string awake
We are also reinforced by the catho-
licity that have already referred to.
We are in the Academy to-day, not be-
cause we have no other place to 60. Last
Sabbath morning at nine o'clock we had
But one church: now We have about
thirty. all at o:<~ disposal. Their pas
tors and their trustr"s say: ''Iou may
take our main audiehce rooms, YOU may
take our lecture rooms, YOU may take
our church parlors. You may bartlZe IN
our baptiStorieS. and sit on our anxious
seats" 0. if there be any larger hearted
ministers or larger hearted churches
anywhere than in Brooklyn, tell mo
where they are. that may go and see
them before die. The millennium has
come. People keep wcnderin.; when 1t
is coming. 1t has come. The non and
the lamb lie down tocethor, and the
tiger eats straw like an OK. l should
like to have seen two Of the old-tlme
bigots. with their swords, fighting
through that great fire on Schermerhorn
street last Sabbath. am sure the swords
would have melted. and they who welded
them would have learned war no more.
| can never say 4 word against any
other denomination Of Christians. L
thank Go3 never have been tempted to
90 it. can not be 4 sectarian. l have
been told ought TO be. and have tried
to be, but have not enough material IN
me to mako such structure. Every
time get the thing most done there
comes fire or something else. and all
is gone. The angels of God shake out
On this air. GLORY to God IN the highest.
and on earth peace. good will toward
men" ! do not know but l see on tn"
horizon the first CLEAN OF the morning
which shall unite all denominations IN
one organization. distinguished only by
the locality as in apostolic times. 1t
was then the Church of Thyatira. and
the Church Of Th"Ssalonica. and the
Church of Antioch and the Church OF
Laodicaa. SO do nct know but that in
the future history. and no, far OF either.
it NAV he simply i distinction Of To-
cality. and not Of creed. as the Church
Of New York. the ChG:cI Of Brooklyn,
the Church Of Charleston, the Church
af Madras. the CA:rch of Constantine
pie. the Church Of America.
Nv dear brethren. we can not atfcrC 70
Lo IL lcNn I
OF the great foes of orr common ChrlS-
tiani.v we wan: 70 put on the whole
arm3r of God and march down in solid
column. shoulder 10 shoulder, one cold
rnandcr, one triuraph.
The trumpet Rvs martial strain
. Israel, grit thee for T. iignt;
Arise. the Coml'E' 10 maintain:
Arise. and PVT thy foes 20 flight
We also feel reinforced by the thought
that We arc On the way to i heaven that
:.an never burn down. Fires may sweep
through ether citics-but1 I am glad tt
know that the New Jerusalem is fire
proof. There will be no engines rushing
through those streets: there will be nt
temples consumed in that city. Coming
to the doors of that church, we will tnc
them open. resonant with songs, and mo-
n WV Snor hrpt bnr. q nC