The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1891-04-23
revealed, God will ask you what YOU did

revealed; God will askyo what you did
There is another layer of poverty and
aestitutlon, not so squalid but almost as
nelPiess. You hear theincesss ant wall
ing 1or bread and clothes and fire. The;r
eyes are sunken. Their cheek-bones
stand out. Their hends are damn with
SLOW consumption. Their flesh is puffed
up with dropsies. Their breath IS like
That OF the charnel-house. They hear
the roar OF the wheels uf fashion over
head, and the gay laughter of men and
nlaidens, wonder why God gave to others
80 much and to them 80 little. Some of
tAem trust into an infidelity like that of
the poor German girl who, when told in
The midst OF her wretchedncss that God
was good, said: "No, no good God. Just
look at me. No good God"
In this cluster of cities, whose cry of
want interpret, there are said to be-, as
Tar as l can figure it up from the reports.
ABOUT 800 900 honest poor who are de-
pendent upon individual, city, and state
charltles. II all tl,eir voices could come
up at once, 1T would be a groan that
would shake the foundations of the citv
ana bring all earth and heaven to the
rescue. But, for the most part, it suf-
fers uneXpressed. 1t sits in silence.
gnashlng Its teeth, and sucking the blood
OF Its own arteries, wa ting for the ,udo-
ment day. On. l should not wonder if on
that day 1T would be found out that some
OF lis had some tuings that belonged to
thcmj some extra garm, mt which might
nave made them comfortable in cold
days; some bread thrust into the ash
oarrel that might have appcased their
hunger Tor a little while; some wasted
candle or gas-iet that might have kindlcd
up their darkness some Ircsco on the
ceiling that would haYe given them a
root; some jewel which, brought to that
orphan girl in time, might have kept her
from being Gro ,dcd off the prccipices of
anuclean life; some New Testimcnt that
would have told them ofHim who ''came
TO seek and save that which was lost"
On, this wave of vagrancy and hunger
and nakcdness that kashcs sadly against
our front door step! If the roof of all
the houses of destitution could be lifted
so we could look down into them Just as
God looks, whose nerves woulh be strong
enough to stand it? And yet there they
are. The fifty thousand sewing women
III these three cities, some of them in
hunger and cold, working night after
night, until some times the blood spurts
from the nostrll and lips. How well
their grief was voiced by That dcspairing
woman who stood by her invalid hus-
band and invalid child and said to the
city missionary: 81 am down heart. d.
Everythng's against 'us; and then there
are other things" "What other thing?"
said the city missionary. "O," she re-
piled, "my sln." "What do you mean
NV ToI1
hear or see anything good. It's work
from Monday morning till Saturday
night, and then when Sunday comes [
can't go out, and l walk the floor, and
1T makes me trcmblc to think that | have
got to meet God. o sir, it's so hard for
us. We have to work so, and then we
have so much trouble. and then we are
getting along so poorly; and sec this zee
little thing growing weaker; and then to
think we arc not getting nearer TO God,
but floating away from him. O, Sir.
DO wish l was ready to die"
| should not wonder if thev had good
deal better time than we in the future, TO
make up for the fact that they had such
a bad time here. 1t would be lust like
Jesus to say; Come up and take the
highest seats. You suffered with me on
|
en-" o thou weeping One OF Bethany!
o tn III dying One of the cross! Have
mercy Oh the starving, freezing, home
less poor Of these great cities.
L have preached this sermon for four
or five practical reasons: Because |
want you to know who arc the uproot-
ing classes of society. Because l want
you to be more discriminating i'll Your
charities. Because | want your hearts
open with generosity and YOU hands
open with charity. Because 1 want you
to be made the sworn friends Of all city
evangelisation, and all ncwsboy's lody-
ing houses, and all childran's and So
cictlcs, and Dorcas societies, under the
skllllul manipulation Of wives and moth.
crs and sisters and daughters; let the
spare garments Of your wardobcs be fit
ted to the limbs Of the wan and shivcr-
| ing. | should not wonder if that hat YOU
give should core back a .ieweled coronct,
or if that garment that you hand out
from your wardrobe should mysterously
be whitcned, and somehow wrought
into the Saviour's own robe, so in the
last day he would run his hand over IT,
and say: 81 was naked, and yc clothed
me-" That would be putting your gar
mcnts to glorious uses.
But more than than that, | have
preached the sermon because thought
IN the contrast you would see how very
kindly God had dealt with you, and |
thought that thousands of you would
go to your comfortable homes, and sit
at your well filled tables, and at the
warm registers. and look at the round
| faces Of your children. and that then
you would burst into tears at the re-
view of Gods goodness to you, and
that you would go to your room and
lock the door, and kneel down. and say:
80 Lord, | have been an migrate; make
me thy child. O Lord, there are 50
many hungry and unclad and unshel-
tered to-day, | thank thee that all my
life thou hast taken such good care Of
me. o Lore, there are so many sick
and crippled children to-day. / thank
thee mine are well. some of them on
earth; some of them in heaven. Thy
goodness, o Lord, breaks me down. |
Take me once and forever. Sprinklcd |
as | was many years ago at the altar,