The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-08-28
ASKING THE WAY 10 ZION.

ASklNd THA WAY TU hlUN.
STRAIGHT AND NARROW IS THE WAY,
AND FEW THERE BE THAT FIND IT."
Sermon by Rev. G.. II. Scott, OF Newber.
ry. y. c.. Delivered at the AbbeyiIle
Baptist Church August Is, 1889.
jeremiah 5O:5. W.
"They shall ask the way to Zion with their
The Prophet jeremiah commences this
chapter by foretelling the destruction Of Baby
lon, cue Of the most magnificent cities OF the
ancient world. Babylon, with its massive
walls, beautiful gardens, costly. palaces,
srnm6e srrD % and dec dscayWato % beecome bees heaps, @
dwelling place for dragons, an kissing with
out an inhabitant. It was to become desc
late; and owls, bats and hideous reptiles
were to tenant there" True to prophecy,
"the beauty of the Chaldean's excellencies''
is no more. Where is she? Ask the wanderer
as he gropes his way amid the ruins, or at
tempts to decipher the inscription, half legi-
BILE. onlsome broken arch. Where is Babylon,
refuses to pitch bis tent there, and the shep-
herds who neither make their folds there
Behold the wild beasts OF tile desert as they
lie there, and the satyrs as they dance in the
the wild. beasts in the desolate houses, and
the hideous yell OF dragons in the pleasant
palaces. With preternatural voice they re-
spond: "HoTl, gate cry, city; Ba6yion p
broken in pieces" The prophet refers also in
this chapter to the redemption Of Isreal In
Language no less emphatic than to the destruc.
tion Of iRasEl2n 99rtext refers primarily Il, Il to
ty. W The jews were-under The yoke OF bond,
age and were crushed by tyranny ana oP
preston; but the captives are to be liberated
and the violence Of the oppression is to DC
visited upon his own head. me @ nitimate ns aao
is TO the gathering Of scattered and despised
people-the people Of Gods loving choice-to
Himself. We are not Ign GRANT OF the Ingenious
and sceptical, though learned attempts OF
some critics to demonstrate the imposslbility
of such an event as that Of the redemption ol
the Jews. It Ia confidently affirmed by them
tuat q large number Of the tribes belonging
to the original twelve have been utterly lost
tnat the passing sephyrs sing perpetual re
Without pausing, men and brethren, to state
and refute these cavils, we will let their au.
thors refine and argue and "oarken council
by words without knoWledgsii,, gi,,,;G There Is
authoritative than the puny whisper OF petri
fed skeletons taken from the mausoleum O1
ages; 1t is the voice Of God In revelation which
can give no uncertain utterance declaring
faces thitherward," ,",saying, "come and let Us
Join ourselves to the Lord in perpetual COW
enant that shall not be forgotten" They are
now as sheep wandering on the mountain
Unknown pastures. They are 70
be found In every nation, kindred, tongue
and tribe under heaven, every where wealthy
but desplsed and without power. The time is
the To eNms Wandering s jews rom a the north, the
south, the east, the west, from every nation
and cline, FROM city and rural districts shall
turn their longing hearts towards their own
lied. They will fill the air with tho inspiring,
ravishing harmony Of the Lords song which
they could not sing In strange land. "They
shall ask the way to Zion with their faces
on Carmel and Bashan," and their souls
ashaIl be satisfied on Mount Ephratrn and
Gileadw We will now detach the text from
all connection with the jews and apply Its
instruction to the wants OF Gods modern
tians task the way to Zion with their faces
thitherward." They have their faces thither-
ward, or In that direction, but are not salts
fled about the way. They appear to be crop
unhealthful atmosphere which Is poisonins g
their spiritual vitality. Doubling castle is
their trying abode, and giant despair Is tan
talizlng and tyranizing over them. The
clouds hang In lowering clusters about them;
roll. Their faith does not hear the voice OF
authority and love, above the howl OF winds
and roar Of waves, exclaim: Peace, e.still!''
This conditionis sometimes the result Of great
mental depression. The mind is perplexed
in relation to some transaction Of vast i'm.
portance which is about to fail, increasing
personal liabilities and involving endorsers.
Men perplex their minds about and brood
over their poverty, their loss OF property, ag.
ricultural pursuits, mercantile business, fall
in speculations, losses, loans and stocks. They
think too much about themselves, about their
temporal or spiritual conditions, attempting
can accomplish, and the mind becomes dark
unstable, and doubts arise. Under the influ-
enee OF this mental instability on
insanity most mad, men Imagine they have
more tenn mptations that are harder TO resist,
that they fall into error oftener, and are less
spiritual minded than other men, and some
lingering, permanent physical disorder may
increase the uneasiness ana unsteaalness OF
that they only see the dark side OF every ques.
tion concerning life as to this and the future
world. They never sing new song but per.
petually sing THAT old, old song OF doubt and
They have their faces in the direction Of Zion,
but the scene are not familiar and the way
Is obscure. Such have lost sight Of Jesus, who
Is the Sun to rule In joyous hours, and the
Hesperus TO light the trembling footsteps in
what 1t Is to be Satisfied with marrow and
fatness,n to "praise God with joyful lips
and have 'their youth renewed as the eagles.
They never soar in joyful and rapid wing to
far of regions Of spiritual thought, and bathe
their plumage In rays OF the Sun of Righteous
ness, but hover near, with trembling plnion,
in the murky atmosphere Of doubt and sing
in dolorOus tune: t's
"Where is the blessedness knew
When firstI saw the Lord?
Where Is the souls refreshing view
OfJesus and His word"
Cowper and Martin Luther as illustrations
of this class Of Christians. TO this doubling,
trembling, halting class Of Christians would
say, mourn over your mfsfortunes no longer;
east your burden on the Lord your God. When
you are brought low He Will raise you up;
He can give spiritual Joy, which is more to be
desired than great riches. You have treas,
ures more lasting: than anything temporal.
Empires, Kingdoms and dynasties rise,
cumulations take unto themselves wings and
fly away, but your POSSESSIONS spiritual
10y, hope, love, and the peace OF God Whlch
passes all understanding, are as enduring as
Gods throne. and while He exists they will
remain. The infinite resources Of heaven are
beuueathed by God. to the saints ''all things
are yours, and ye are Christ's and Christ Is
Gods" "Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous,
and give thanks at the remembrance OF HIS
loving Kindness "lrom the land Of Jordan,
and OF the Hermonites, from the Hill Mizar,
exclaim with the Psalmists In penitent tears:
GWhy art thou cast down, o my soul. and
why art thou disquleted within me? hope
thou In God; for shall yet praise Him who
is the health of my countenance and my
God y and He will guide you In "the way OF
Monn~the way everlasting. FPS. 42) Men and
brethren we often, from worldly mindedness
and from yielding to temptation, have to
"ask the way to Zion."
The way to Zion according to scriptural teach
are other ways connecting with 1t at various
points. and the temptation to turn into them
is hard to resist. We have our faces heav-
Srbidden. We are too apt to long for the
flesh pots of Egypt. IsreaIs march is in the
direction of Zion; many hearts beat high
with hoVe and Joy rs rivers Of waters enrich
w W " ~ .oSraSh theiT souIs They suddenly an