The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-11-05

with the Jew, giving him water whenever
he felt thirsty and turning his pillow when
ever it got hot, and in the morning before
the Samaritan started on his journey he
said, Landlord. now I am obliged to 60
Take good care Of this man, and Will De
along here soon again and pay you lot all
YOU do for him. Meanwhile here IS some
thing to meet present expenses. Inc t%o -
pence" he gave the landlord sounds small,
hut It was as much as ten dollars here and
now. considering what it would there ano
then buy of food and lodging.
As on that December noon we sat unoer
the shadow Of the tavern where this scene OF
mercy had occurred, and just having passsd
along the road where the tragedy had nap
pened. could, as plainly as / now see the
nearest man to this platform, see that Bible
story re-enacted, and I said aloud to our
group. under the tent: Zone drop OF Prac-
tical Christianity isworth more than tenn
pleful Of ecclesiasticism, and that good "a
maritan had more religion In five minutes
than that minister and that Levlte had IN q
i;Setimn and the most accursed thing on
earth Is national prejudice, and | bless GOD
that live in America. where GENTLE and
Jew. Protestant and Catholic can live to-
gether without quarrel. and where In the
great national crucible the differences OF sect
and tribe and people are being nodded into
great brotherhood, and that the question
Which the lawyer flung at Christ, and which
brought forth this incident of the good pa
maritan-'Who is my neighbor? is bringing
forth the answer, My neighbor is the first
man I meet in trouble and wound close at
hand calls louder than temple seventeen
miles off, though it covered nineteen acres.
saw in London the vast procession which
one day last January moved to st. Paurs
Cathedral at the burial Of that Christian
hero Lord Napier. The day after at Hawar-
den, in conversation on various themes,
asked Mr.. Gladstone if he did not think that
many who were under the shadow of false
religions might not nevertheless be at heart
really Christian. MI. Gladstone replied:
'sYes; my old friend Lord Napier, who was
Yesterday buried, after he returned from his
Abyssinian campaign, visited US here at
Havarden, and walking in this park where
we are now walking he told me very beau
tiful incident He said: After the war in
Africa was over we were on the march, and
We had soldier with a broken leg
who was not strong enough to 60 along
with us and we did not dare to leave
him to be taken care of by savages, but we
found We were compelled to leave him, and
we went into tho house of q woman who was
said to be very kind woman, though Of the
race Of savages, and we said, Here is
a sick man, and if you will take care
Of him till he gets well we will pay
you very largely" and then We offered
her FIVE times that which would ordi-
pay to secure for him great kindness. The
woman replied: II will not take care Of him
for the money you offer. I do not want your
money. But leave him here, and Twill take
care of him for the sake of the love Of
God."'" Mr.. Gladstone turned to me and
said, "Dr. Talmage, don't you think that
though she belonged to race Of savages that
was pure religionT And answered, "Ido;
I do" May God multiply all the world over
the number Of good Samalftans!
In Philadelphia young woman was dying.
She was wreck. Sunken into the depths
Of depravity, there was no lower depth for
her to reach. Word came to the midnight
mission that she was dying in haunt Of
iniquity nsar by. Who would 60 to tell her
OF the Christ Of Mary Magdalen? This one
refused and that one refused, saying, II
dare not go there" A Christian woman,
said, II will 60 and will 60 now" Shs
went and sat down by the dying girl and told
of Christ who came to seek and save that
which was lost. Firs. to the forlorn one
came the tears of repentance, and
then the smile, as though she had
begun to hope for the pardon Of Him
who came to save to the uttermost. Then
lust before she breathed her last she said to
the angel of mercy bending over her pillow,
''Would you kiss me." II will" said the
Christian woman. as she put upon her cheek
the last salutation before, in the heavenly
world, I think, God gave her the welcoming
kiss. That was religion! Yes, that was re-
ligion. Good Sararitans along every street
-
the road to Jericho.
But our procession of sightseers is again
in line, and here We pass through deep
ravine, and cry to the dragoman: david,
what place do you call thisp' and he re-
piled: This is the Brook Cherith, where
Elijah was fed by the ravens" And in
that answer he overthrow my life long
notions of the place where Elijah was waited
on by the black servants Of the sky. A
brook to me had meant slight depression
Of ground and stream fordab!e, and per-
haps fifteen feet wide. But here was ehasm
that an earthquake must have scooped out
with its biggest shovel or split with its
mirhtiest battle az. Six hundred feet
which, when in full force, is silver wedge
splitting the mountains into precipices. The
feathered descendants Of Elijah's ravens still
wing their way across this raviue but are
not like the crows we supposed them to be.
They are eas large as eagles, and one OF them
could carry in its beak and clinched claw at
once enough food for half dozen Eiijahs.
No thanks to the ravens; they are carniv-
erous and would rather have pickle out the
eyes Of Elijah, whom they found at the
mouth of the cave on the side Of Cherith
waiting for his breakfast, having drunk his
morning beverage from the rushing stream
beneath, than have been his buffers and
purveyors.
But God compelled them, as He always has
compelled and always will compel black ami
cruel and overshadowing providences to
carry help to His children il they only have
from the seeming adversely, toe greatest
blessing always coming not with white wings
but black wings. Black wings Of eonvic-
ton, bringing pardon to tho sinner. Black
wings Of crucifi1ion over Calvary, bringing
redemption for the world. Black wings OF
American revolution, bringing free institu-
tions to continent. Black wings Of
American civil war, bringing unifica-
ton and solidarity to the republic.
Black wings Of the judgment day
bringing resurrection to an entombed
human race. And in the last day, when all
your life and mine will be summed up, we
will find that the greatest blessing we ever
received came on the wings of the black
ravens Of disaster. Bless God for trouble!
Bless God for sickness! Bless God for perse-
cutionl Bless God for poverty! You never
heard of any man or woman Of great uss to
the world who had not had lots Of trouble.
The diamond must be cut; the wheat must
be threshed; the black ravens must ay. Who
are these nearest the throne? .'Theso are
they who come ont OF great tribulation, and
had their robes washe.l and made white In
the blood Of the Lamb"
But look. Look what at4 o'clock in the
afternoon bursts upon oar vision-the plain
of Jericho, and the valley Of Jordan, and the
Dead Sea. We have come to place where
the horses not so much walk as slide up on