The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-07-31

to him and said "It is indecent for you to
be mending that boat when this afternoon
you buried your child" And the fisherman
looked up and said: ''Sir, it is very easy for
you gentlefolks to stay in the house with your
handkerchiefs to your eyes in grief; but, SIR,
ought to let the other five children starve
because one of them is drowned? No, sir, we
maun work, we maun work, though our
hearts beat like this hammer"
You may have had accumulation OF sorrow
and misfortune. They come in f1ocks, they
come in herds upon your soul; and yet 1have
to tell you that this religion can console you
that it can help you, that it con deliver you
if nothing else will. Do you tell me that the
riches and the gain Of this world can console
your How was it with the man who had
such fondness for money that when he was
brought to him, and he put his equity hands
down among the gold pieces, cooling
his hands of in them, and the rattle and
rolling Of these gold pieces were his amuse-
ment and entertainment. All, the gold and
silver, the honors, the emoluments Of this
world are poor solace for perturbe spirit.
You want something better than this
world can give. A young Prince, when the
children came around to play with him, re-
fused to play. He said: I will play only
with Kings. And it might be supposed that
you would throw away all other solace before
this. regal satisfaction, this imperial joy. Ye
who are sons and daughters Of the Lord Al
mighty ought to play only with Kings
The hill OF Zion yields
thousand sacred sweets,
Before we reach tho heavenly fields
Or walk the golden streets.
But my text takes 6. further step and it
SAYS: "Go into the mountain, and fetch olive
branches, and pine branches, and palm
branches" ;" Now, the palm tree was very
much honored by the ancients 1t had three
hundred and sixty different uses. The fruit
was conserved; the sap was beverage; the
stems were ground up for food for camels;
the base Of the leaves was turned into hats,
carried in victorious professions; and from
the root to the top Of the highest leaf there
was usefulness. The tree grew eighty-fve
feet in height sometimes, and it spread broad
leaves four and Eve yards long; it meant
usefulness, and it meant victory; usefulness
for what it produced, victory because it was
brought into celebrations Of triumph. And
oh, how much we want the palm branches in
the churches of Jesus Christ at this time!
A great many Christians don't amount to
anything. You have to shove them out OF
the way when the Lords chariots come along:
We don't want any more Of that kind of
Christians in the church.
The old maxim says: "Do not put all your
eggs into one basket" but have to tell you
ifi this matter OF religion you had better give
your all to God, and then get in yourself;
"Oh," says some one my business is to sell
silks and cloths" Well, then, my brother.
sell silks and cloths to the glory of God. And
some one SAYS: 'sMy business is to raise corn
and carrots" Then, my brother, raise corn
and carrots to the glory of God. And some
one says: "My business is to manufacture
horse shoe nails" Then manufacture horse
shoe nails to the glory of God There is moth
ing for you to do that you ought to do but
for the glory of God. A.,
Usefulness is typifed by the palm tree All,
we don't want in the church any more peo-
pie that are merely weeping pillows, signing
into the water, standing and admiring their
long lashes in the CLASSY spring. No wild
cherry, dropping bitter fruit. We want palm
trees, holding something for God, something
for angels something for man. l am tired
and sick Of this fat, tame, insipid, satin slip.
pered. namby-pamby, highty-tighty religion !
It is worth nothing for this world, and 1t Is
destruction for eternity.
Give me five hundred men and women
fully consecrated to Christ, and we will take
any city for God in three years. Give me
ten thousand men and women fully up to the
ChrlStlan standard; III Ueu yours Ucn ot.oIcs.I
Of them would take the whole earth Tor God.
But when are we going to begin? =,
Ledyard, the great traveller, was brought
before the Geographical Society Of Crest Brit
ain, and they wanted him to make somo ex.
plorations in Africa, and they showed him all
the perils, and all the hard work, and all
tho exposure, and after they had told him
what thev wanted him to do in Africa, they
said to him: "Now, Ledyard, when are you
ready to startw He said: Tomorrow
morning" The learned men were aston
ished; they thought he would take wceks or
months to get ready. We'll, now, you tell
me you want to be earnest for Christ; you
want to be useful in Christian service.
When are you going to begin? On, that you
have the decision to say: To-day, now"
Ga now into the mount and gather the
palm branches. But the palm
branch also meant victory. In
all ages, in all lands, the palm branch means
victory. We ore by nature the servants OF
Satan. He stole US, he has his eye on US, he
Father thatif we will try to break loose from
this doing of wrong, our Father will help us;
and some day we rouse up, and we look tne
black tyrant in the face, and we fly at him,
and we wrestle him down, and we put our
heel on his neck, and we grind him in the
dust, and we say, Victory, victory, through
our Lord Jesus Christ! Oh what q
grand thing it is to have sin under
foot and a. wasted life behind nns
gressiun Is forgiven, and whose SIN Is
covered" "But," says the man, Il feel
so sick and worn out with the ailments Oh
life.n You are going to be more than
conqueror. But" says the man. II
am so tempted, I am so pursued, in
life" You are going to be more than
conqueror. II, who have SO many ailments
and heartaches, going to be more than
conqueror? Yes, unless you ore so self-con-
ceited that you want to manage all tho
affairs of your lfo yourself, instead OF
letting God manage them. Do you want
to drive and have God take back seat!
Oh, 10, you say; / want God to be my leader.
Well, then, you will be more than conqueror.
clans in the noxt room will be talking about
what they will do for you. What difference
will it make what they do for you? You an
going to be well, everlasingly well. Ano
when the spirit has fed the body your friends
will be talking rs to whore they shall bury
you. What difference does it mako to you
where they bury you? The angel OF
the resurrection can pick you OIL!
of the dust anywhere, and and
all the cemeteries of tho earth are in Gods
care Oh you are going to be more than
conqueror. Don't you think we had better
begin now to celebrate the coming victory:
In the old Westinghouse Mt Summerville,
my father used to lead tho singing, and be
had the old-fashioned tuning-fork, and he
would strike it upon his knee and then put
the tuning-fork to his ear to catch the
right pitch and start the hymn. But,
friend don't you think we had better
be catching the pitch of the ever
lasting song, tho song Of vic.
tory when VIC shall be more than conquerers:
Had VIC not better begin the rehearsal OIL
earth? 'They shall hunger no more, neither
thirst any more; neither shall the sun light
on them, nor any heat. For the lamb which
is in tho midst of the throne shall feed them,