The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-09-23


wrote on his book until the clock struck
four, when he folded up his man
uscript and, by his own hand
concluded his earthly life. There are men
here who are perfectly discontented. Un-
happy in the past. unhappy to-day, to be un-
| happy forever. unless you come TO this
Gospel well. This satisfies the soul with
high, deep, all-absorbing,, and eternal
| satisfaction. It comes and it offers the
most unfortunate man so much Of this
world as is best for him, and throws al!
heaven into the bargain. The wealth OF
Crssus and OF all the Kothschilds is only
q poor miserable shilling compared with
the eternal fortunes that Christ offers you
to-day. In the far East, there was king who
used once year to get on scales. while on
the other side the scales were placed gold
and silver and gems; indeed, enough were
placed there to balance the king; then.
ures were thrown among the populace
But Christ to-day steps on one side the
scales, and on the other side are all the treas
ures Of the universe, and He says: "All
are yours-all height, all depth, all length,
all breadth, all eternity; all are yours"
We don't appreciate the promises Of the
Gospel. When an aged clergyman was
dying-a man very eminent In the church
a young theological student stood BY bis
SlQ6, 6uu Guo dS00 LAou AoOACA uP ahA o$o
I to him: "Can't you give me some comfort
man: II can't talk to you on this subject;
you know all about 1t, and have known It go
long" "Well," said the dying man, 'Just
recite to me some promises" The young
man thought moment, and he came to this
promise: "The blood OF Jesus Christ cleans
eth from all SIM" and the old man clapped
his hands. and in his dying moment said:
~ bo b,o,,
for. The blood Of Jesus Christ cleanssth
from all sin.'" Oh. the warmth, the gran
deur, the magnihsnce Of the promises!
Come, also, to this Gospel well, all ye
troubled. I do not suppose you have
ESCAPED. Compare your view OF this life
at fifteen years Of age with what your view
OF it is at forty, or sixty, or seventy. What
e great contrast Of opinion! Were you
right then, or are you right now? Two
sweet cup the other sour cup. A cup Of
ioy and cup of grief Which has been the
nearest to being full, and out Of which have
you the more frequently parsakenr What
q different place the cemetery Is from
what it used to be. Oncs 1t was to
you q grand city Improvement and you
went out on the pleasure excursion, and
you ran laughingly up the mound, and
you criticised In light way the epitaph:
But since the day when you heard the bell
toll at the gate as you went in with the
procession, it Is a sad place, and there Is
food Of rushing memories that suRuse the
eye and overmaster the heart Oh, you
have had trouble, trouble, trouble. God
only knows how much you have had. 1t IS
a wonder you have been able to live through
it. It is wonder your nervous system has
not been shattered and your brain has not
resled. Trouble, trouble II could gather
all the griefs, Of all sorts. from this great
audience, and could put them in ons
scroll neither sia.t?o' man nor angel could sat en-
do you want' Would you like to
as Christian man, Il was becoming AFRO.
CANT, and think that is why the Lord took
itaway. I don't want to have my property
back" Well, would you have your departed
friends back again9 "No," you say, II
couldn't take the responsibility OF bring
ing. them from a fearless realm to
do it." Well, then, what do You
cry out: Comfort, give US comfort" For
that reason have rolled away tho stone
from the wells mouth. Come, ally wound
ed OF the hock, pursued by the wolves, come
to the fountain where the Lords sick and
and bereft ones have come.
"Ah," says some one, you are not Old
enough to understand my sorrows: You
have not been in the world as long as have.
tunes in the time Of old age" Well have
Know know : how w thsy feet about thsir falling
friends, and about the loneliness that some:
times strikes through their soul. After
two persons have lived together for forty
or fifty years, and oas of them is taken
! away, what desolation! I shall not for
get the cry Of the late Rev. DR.. De Witt, OF
New York, when he stood by the open
grave of his beloved wife, and, after the OBJ
seuuies had ended, no looked down into the
omen place aud said: Farewell, my hon
ored. faithful and beloved wife. The bond
that bound us Is severed. Thou art in glory,
and I am here on earth. We shall meet
again. Farewell! FarewslT To lean on
prop for fifty years, and then have it break
under you'll There were only two years
father and mother. After my mothers
decsass. my father used to 60 around as
though looking for something; and he
would often get up from one room without
any seeming reason, and 60 to another room,
and then he would take his cane and
start out, and some one would say: Faith
er, where are you going" and he would
answer: II don't know exactly where l
am going" Though he was tender-heart-
ed man, I never saw him cry but once,
and that was at the burial Of my mother.
After sixty years living together 1t was hard
to part And there are aged people to-day
who are feeling just such pang as that l
want to tell them there Is perfect euchant-
ment in the promises Of this Gospel; and
come to them and offer them my arm, or
take their arm and I bring them to
this Gospel well. Sit down. father,
or mother, sit down. See if there is
anything at the well for you. Come.
David, the Psalmist. have you ANYTHING
encouraging to offer them? YES" says
the Psalmist; "They shall still bring forth
fruit in old age, they shall be fat and -four
ishing; to show that the Lord is upright; He
is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness
in Him." Come, Isaiah, have you anything
to say out of your prophecies for those aged
people? YES" says Isaiah; down to old
age am with thee and 10 hoary hairs will
carry thee" Well, il the Lord is going to
carry you, you ought not to worry much
about your failing eyesight and failing
limbs.
But some one says, in the audience:
Notwithstanding all you have said this
morning, find no alleviation for. my trou--
bles." Well, I am not through yet. I
have left the most potent consideration for
the last. am going to soothe You with the
thought Of heaven. However talkative we
may be, there will come time when the
stoutest and most emphatic interrogation
will evoke from us no answer. As soon as
we have closed our lips for the final silence
no power on earth can break that tacitur-
nifty. But where. o Christian, will be your
spirit? In scene OF infinite gladness. The
Of baoyv vpop