The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-07-01


must take q teaspoonful or tablespoonful,
and whether before or after meals, let the
nations suffer and groan and die. Save the
bottles by all means, if you cannot save any
thing else.
Now, what part shall you and I take in
this controversy which fills all Christendon
with clangor? My advice is, take no part
In time Of riot all mayors OF cities ADVISE
yood citizens to stay at home or in their
5laces of business and in this time Of relig-
ious riot advise you to 60 about your regu-
Lar work for God Leave the bottles on the
higher shelves for others to fight about, and
take the two bottles on the shelf within
easy reach, the two bottles which are all
this diving world needs; the one filed with
potion which is for the cleansing Of all sin,
the other filled with potion which is for
the soothing of all suffering. Two Gospel
bottlesl Christ mixed them out OF His own
tears and blood. In them IS no human
admixture. Spend no time on the
mysteriesl You, a man only five or
six feet high, ought not to try to wade
an ocean a thousand feet deep. MY own
experience mas been vivid. l devoted tne
most of my time for years IN trying 70 un'
derstand Gods eternal DEGREES, and was de-
termined to find out why the Lord let SID
~,
the doctrine of the Trinity, and with yard
stick to measure the throne Of the Infinite
As with all my predecessors, the attempt was
a dead failure. For the last thirty years
have not spent two minutes in studying the
controverted points Of theology, and il live
thirty years longer will not spend the thou
sandth part of second in such exploration.
I know two things and these l will devote
all the years Of my life in proclalmlng-Jod
will through Jesus Christ pardon sin, and
He will comfort trouble.
Creeds have their uses but just now the
church is creeded to death. The young men
entering the ministry are going to bs
launched in the thickest fog that ever set
tied on the coasts. As I am told that in all
our services students OF Princstol an I'm
ion and Drew and other theological semi.
naries are present, and as these words will
come to thousands of young men who are
soon to enter the ministry, let me say to
keep out Of the bewildering, belittliug, de-
The questions our doctors Of divinity are
trying to settle will not bs settled until the
day after the day Of judgment 1t is such
years in trying to fathon the unfathomable,
when in five minutes In heaven we will know
oil we want to know. Wait till We get our
throne. Wait till the light OF eternity
flashes upon our newly assembled
spirits It is useless for ants on different
sides of mole hill to try to discuss the COM
parative heights Of Mount Blanc and Mount
Washington. Let me say to all young men
about to enter the ministry that soon tho
greatest novelty in the world will be the un-
adulterated religion Of Jesus Christ Preach
that and you will have crowd. The world
Is sick to regurgitation with the modern
swinging of from the old Gospel but it will
swing back, and by the time You young man
20 into the pulpits the cry will be coming up
from all the millions OF mankind, "Give US
the bread Of life; no sweetened bread, no
bread with sickly raisins stuck here and
there into it, but old-fashionei bread as God
our mother mixed and baked i'll"
Now, what is the simple fact that you in
the pew and Sabbath-school class and re-
formatory association and we in the pulpits
have to deal with? Is is this: That God has
somewhere, and it matters not where, but
somewhere, provided great heaven, great
for quietness for those VINO want quiet; great
for vast assemblage for thoss who like null
titudes; great for architecture for those who
like architecture; great for beautiful land
scape for those who like beautiful landscape;
great for music for those who like music;
great for professions for those who
like armies on white horses, and great
for anything that ons especially desires in
such a rapturous dominion; and through the
doings of one who was born about
five miles south OF Jerusalem and died
about ten minutes walk from its east
ern gate all may enter that great heaven
for the earnest aud heartfelt asking. Is
that all? That is all. What, then, is your
work and mine? Our work is to persuade
people to face that way and start thither-
ward aud finally go in. But has not rei-
gion something to do with this world as well
as the next? Oh, yes; but do you not ses
that If the people start for heaven on their
They will at the very start OF the journey
get 50 much Of the spirit of Christ, which is
a spirit Of kindness and self sacrifice and
generosity and burden bearing and helpful
ness, that every step they take will resound
with good deeds. Oh, get your religion of
Of stills! Get it down out Of the high tow
ers! Get it on q level with the wants and
woes Of our poor human racet Get it out OF
the dusty theological books that few people
read, and put it in their hearts and lives.
Good thing is it to profess religion when
you join the church, but every day, sons
how, wa ought to profess religion.
A peculiar patchwork quilt was, during
the Civil War, made by a lady and ssnt to
the hospitals at the front. She hal a boy in
the army, and was naturally interested in
the welfare of soldiers. But what PATCH
work quilt she sentl On every block OF the
quilt was passage Of Scripture or verse
Of hymn. The months and years Of the
war wentby. On that quilt many wounded
man had lain and suffered and died. But
<k~AL ~
under the blanket kissing the figure OF q leaf
in the quilt, and ths nurse supposed he was
only wandering in his mind. But no; he was
The son OF the mother who had made the
quilt and he recognized that figure OF a leaf
as part Of gown his mother ussd to wear.
and it reminded him Of home. do you know
where this quilt cams from" he asked The
nurse answered, II can find out, for there
was card pinned fast to 1t, and will find
that" Sure enough. it confirmed Whist he
thought. Then the nurse pointed to passage
of Scripture in the block of the quilt, the pas
sage which says, when be was yet great
ways off his father saw him and ran and fell
on his neck and kissed him." Yes" said the
dying soldier, 81 was great way of, but
God has met ma and had compassion on me-"
"Shall write to your mother and tell her
that the lost one is found and the dead is
alive again. He answered, II wish you
would, il it would not be too much trouble"
Do you suppose that woman who made that
quilt and filled it with scripture passages had
any trouble about who Melchizedek was or
how the doctrine Of Gods sovereignty can
be harmonized with mans free agency, or
Mo wrote the Pentateuch or the inconsis-
tencies Of the Nicene creed? No, no; 60 to
work for God and suffering humanity and
all your doubts and fears and mysteries and
unbeliefs put together will not he heavy
enough to stir the chemists scales which
is accustomed to weighing oae-iftieth part
of grain of chamomile flowers. Why stop
a moment to understand the mysteries when
there are so many certitudes' Why spend