The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-12-09
WORK AMONG THE LOST.

In Ballington Booths new book, "From
Ocean to Ocean, occurs the following
which is well worthy of q place here: Q
that something which we could say would
impress upon NIL in the Salvation Army and
the Church of God at large the direct gain'ot
the faithful visitation OF the poor and lost!
Generals Mcclellan, Sherman, Grant and
where their men lay wounded, MANNED and
dying, saw afresh the necessity Of striking q
Secisive blow to end the bloody ana disas-
trous war. Is there not a great hospital,
COMPOSED of the wounded, bruised ana
shattered souls of men and women, lying
close to our doors. and have not all VINO
have visited 1t received q fresh insight TO the
harm and blight done by the great enemy OF
man, and gone forth with fresh nerve ana
something to say to the people from our
platformI We could gain from the depths
Of these broken and agonized hearts stories
chat would move to tears the tends OF hell.
How much blessing and profit, also, such
yisitations would be to us individually 1t Is
impossible to measure. l remember the
visit, as though 1t were yesterday, that l
made, of which the mere recollection spurs
me onward in our work of saving, the out
whom the Army had reached and saved
from an abyss of sorrow and woe. l groped
INV way into the shade Of a dimly-lighted
parret, where q poor, weak and dying woman
iay on q miserable bed. / bad heard that
abe was very near the border line. The
poyerty without formed q striking contrast
to the wealth OF grace within, for she was
saved. Though It was with difficulty that
the necessaries which the doctor had ordered
could at times be purchased, yet we did NOS
require to spend many moments gazing on
her h~eayenly-lit face to understand that she
had the wine and milk which could be p,ur-
chased without money and without price,
having been bought for her by His blood.
"Ah, he has come" said she, as l sat down
on one of the much-worn bits OF furniture,
she has come" .
"They tell me you are very happy and
very near the kingdom" ] said.
"Happy!" said the dying woman, as the
tears ran down her faded, shriyeled face.
''Happy! All, why shouldn't be-? How
could / be otherwise when the Lord is with
me and I am so fully His, and In Him dying
means only living"
"Take my placc-my place among the
angels" she said afterwards, half aloud and
half to herself. There was a small broken
window near the bell and the fading light
| fell upon her face. but q far brighter light
than that was reflected there-the light OF
the Sun Of ELECTROMAGNETIC sun that
never sets.
Not many months before, one wet, cold
night, this poor woman was attracted into
one Of our halls by the singing OF y song 1t
was not the song, but it was the officers face
that led TO her soul-stirring, and so deeply
was she convinced that q that young woman
possessed as well as talked salvation, " that
She came forward herself to receive it. o,
how she had loved and increasingly praised
Christ since, and sought to win all around
her to His feet.
Death entered the little garnet and seized
its feeble yet fearless victim, and the poor
nav, ricl-womaD was dying in contcntment,
counting up the jewels that she had won to
God since she herself had hcnn won. A little
longer watching and patient waiting, and
/ she died. Yet, no; to use her own words
I she did not die. hut passed. from denth unto
life. I came down from that room into the
busy whirl of city life, and | thought, o.
that these woebegone, weary-hearted ones
around us. when brought to the same border
line, might prove the same rest from care
and peace in God as the heir to heaven who
had died a few moment ago in that lone
some garnet.