The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-01-22

tellX. In either case 1t was great way OH
from Jerusalem. To get from there to Jeru-
with bandits, and go across blisteriug
deserts Why did not the Queen Of Sheba
/ stay at home and send committee to in
luire about this new religion, and have the
delegates report in regard to that religion
! and wealth Of King Solomon? She wanted
to see for herself, and hear for herself. She
could not do this by work of commit
tee. She felt she had soul worth ten thou
sand kingdoms like Sheba, and she wanted
robe richer than any woven by Oriental
shuttles, and she wanted q crown set with
the jewels Of eternity. Bring out the camels.
tut on the spices. Gather up the Jewels OF
the throne and put them on the caravan.
Start now; 10 time 10 be lost. Goad OH the
camcls. When I see that caravan, dust COW
cred, weary and exhausted, trudging on
across the desert and among the bandits
until it reaches Jerusalem, say: "There is
al earnest seeker after the truth"
But there are great many who do not act
in that way. They all want to got the
truth, Tut they want the truth to come to
them; they do net want to so to it. There
are people who fold their arms and say: Il
am ready 10 become q Christian at any time;
if l ain to be saved shall be saved and if
am to be lost I shall be lost" But Jerusalem
will never ccme to You; you must go to Jeru-
salem. The religion CT the Lord Jesus Christ
will not come tO you; you must 60 and get
religion. Bring out the camcls put on all
the sweet spices, I'll the treasures Of the
feart's affecticr. Start fer tho thronc. Go
in and hear the waters or salvation dasning
in fountains all around about the throne.
Sit down at the banquet-the wine pressed
from the grapes Of the heavenly Eshcol, the
angels of God the cup bearers. Goad Oh tho
camels. The Bible declares it: "Ihe
Queen of tho south"-that is, this
very woman I am speaking of-"the
Queen Of tho south shall rise up
in judgment against this generation and con.
denim it; for she came from the uttermost
parts of the earth to hear the wisdom Of
Solomon; and. behold! greater than Sol
omon is here" What infatuation the sitting
down in idleness expecting to be saved
'Strive to enter in at the strait gate
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye
shall find; knock, and it shall bo opened to
YOU" Take the Kingdom OF Heaven by vlo-
lence. Urge on the camels!
Again, my subject impresses me with the
fact that religion is surprise to any one
that gets it. This story Of the new religion
in Jerusalem, and of the glory Of King Solo
mon, who was type Of Christ-that story
rolled on and on, and was told by every trav-
elar coming back from Jerusalem. The news
goes on the wing Of every ship and with
every caravan, and you know story en-
largcs as it is retold and by the time that
story gets down into the southern part OF
Arabia Felix and the Queen of Sheba hears
it, it must be tremendous story: And yet
this Queen declares in regard to it, although
she had heard so much and had her antici-
pations raised so high, the half-the half was
not told her.
So religion is always surprise to any one
that gets it. The story of grace-an old story.
Apostles preached it with rattle of chain;
martyrs declared it with arm of fire; DEATH
beds have affirmed it with visions of glory,
and ministers of religion have sounded it
the chapels, and the cathedrals. 1t has been
cut into stone with chisel, and spread on the
canvas with pencil; and it has been recited
in the doxology Of great congregations And
vet when man first comes to look on the
palace of Gods mercy, and to sec the royalty
of Christ, and the wealth of this banquet and
the luxuriancc Of His attendants, and the
lovcliness of His face, and the JOY OF His SER
with sighs, with triumphs: "The half-the
half was not told neW
appeal to those who are Christians COM
pare tho idea you had of the Joy, of the
Christian life before you became Christian
with the appreciation Of that Joy you have
now since you have become Christian, and
you are willing to attest before angels and men
that you never, in the days of your spiritual
bondage, had any appreciation OF what was
to come. You are ready to-day to answer
have made Of the mercy and the grace and
the goodness Of God: "The half-the half
was not told men
Well, we hear great deal about the good
time that is coming to this world when it is
to be girded with salvation. Holiness on the
bells Of the horses. The lions name patted
by the hand Of babe. Chips of Tarshish
bringing cargoes for Jesus, and the hard,
dry, barren, winter bleached, storm Scared,
thunder split rock breaking into floods of
bright water. Deserts into which dromeda-
ries thrust their nostris, because they were
afraid Of the simoon-desertS blooming into
carnation roses and silver tipped lilies.
1t is the old story. Everybody tells it.
Isaiah told it, John told it, Paul told it,
Ezekiel told it, Luther told it, Calvin told it,
John Milton told it-everybody tells it; and
yet-and vet when the midnight shall fly the
hills, and Christ shall marshal His great army,
shall hear tho voice of God and wheel into
line; and India, destroying her Juggernaut
and snatching up her little children from
the Ganges shall hear the voice Of God
and wheel into line; and vine covered
Italy. and wheat crowned Russia, and oil the
nations of the earth shall hear the voice of
God and fall into line; then the Church,
which has been toiling and struggling through
the centuries, robed and garlaned like bride
adorned for her husband, shall put aside her
veil and look up into the face of her Lord the
King and say: 1.-The half-the half was not
told mew
Well, there is coming greater surprise TO
every Christian-a greater surprise than
ANYTHING I have depicted. Heaven is an old
story. Everybody talks about it, There is
hardly hymn in the hymn book that does
not refer to it. Children read about it
in their Sabbath-school books. Aged men
put on their spectacles to study it.
We say it is harbor from the
storm. We call it lone. Wc say it
is the house of mahy mansions: we
weave together all sweet, beautiful, delicate,
e1hilarant words; we weave them into let
and amaranth. And yet that place Is going
to be surprise to the most intelligent Chris
tian. Like the Queen Of Sheba, the report
has come to us from the for country, and
many Of us have started. 1t is desert march,
but we urge on the camels. What though
our feet be blistered with the way? We are
fastening to the palace. We take all our
loves and hopes and Christian ambitions,
as frankincense and myrrh and cassla, to the
great King. We must not rest. We must
not halt. The night is coming on, and it is
not safe out here in the desert. Urge on the
ca,nels. I SEQ the domes against the sky,
and the houses Of Lebanon and the temples
and the gardens. See the fountains dance in
the sun and tho gates fash as they open to
let in the poor pilgrims.
Send the word up to the palace that we
are coming, and that wo are weary OF the
march of tho desert. The King will come out