The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1892-06-23


have thought that perhaps the followers
OF Christ sometimes allow this religious
literature to take their attention from
Gods word, and that there NAV not be
as much Bible reading as there ou,bt
to be.
How Is that with your own expert.
enCc? Just calculate in your mluds
how much religious literature you have
read during the year, and then how large
portion OF the Word Of God you have
read and then contrast the two and au =
swer within your own soul whether YOU
are giving more attention to the books
that were written by the hand of man
or that written BIZ the hand of God.
Now you go to the drug store and you
get the mineral waters, but YOU have
noticed that the waters are not 80 fresl,
or sparkling or healthful as when YOU
get these very waters at Saratoga and
Sharon-getting them right where they
| bubble from the rock. And have no.
ticed the same thing in regard to tho
truth OF the Gospel; while there is q
good deal of refreshment and health OF
the Gospel OF God as it comes through
good books, [ find it is better when |
come TO the eternal rock OF Gods Word
and drink from that fountain that bub-
blcs up fresh and pure to the life and the
retreshmcnt and the health OF the soai.
Head the Bible and it brings you into
The association OF tho best people that
ever lived. You stand beside Moses
ana learn his meekneSs, beside Job and
learn his patience, beside Paul and
catch something of his enthusiasm, be,
SIDE Christ and you feel his love. And
yet now strange it is that a great many
men have given their whole lives tC
the assaulting OF that book. | cannot
understand it. Tom Paine worked
against mat book as though he received
large wages, and was inspired by the
very powers of darkness, confessino o
that all the time he was writing he did
not have the Bible anywhere near him
How many powerful intellects have en-
deavored to destroy it.. Hume, Boiling
broke, Noltaire have been after it. Ten
| thousand men now are warning against
the truth of Gods Word. What do YOU
think Of them? think it is mean, and
will prove it. l will prove it is the
meaneSt thing that has ever been done
In all the centuries.
But can think Of IL meaner thing
than that, and that is an old man going
along on the mountains with staff in
one hand and lantern in the other.
Darkness has come on suddenly. He
Is very old, just able to pick his way
out amid tho rocks and preciplces. lean
ing on his staff with one hand and
guiding himself with the light in the
other. You come up and say: Father,
you seem to be lost. You are a long
way from home. YES" he replies.
AND then you take him by the hand
and lead him home. That is very kind
OF you. But suppose instead of that
you should snatch the staff from his
hands aud hurl it over the rocks, and
snatch the lantern aud blow it out :?
Ihat would be dastardly, contemplate
until there Is no depth of contempt be-
Meath 1T. If you have Il better staff,
give it to him. If you have Il better
light, give it to him.
When God has put the staff Of the
Gospel III our hands and the lamp of
God'S word to light our feet, are YOU
going to take from us our only support
and our only illuminationp | love the
sting OF the wasp and the rattlesnake
better than l do the man who wants to
clutch the word of God from my grasp.
There are people here who have been
reading it good while. It's precious
book to their souls. 1t has been so in
time OF darkness and trouble. There
was soldier who fell in battle, and af-
ter he had fallen he said in Il feeble
voice to his cOmrade, "Glve me drop"
HIS c0mrade replied, "rheIe is not a
particle OF water III my canteen." "Oh, ,"
he said. Il didn't mean that. Look IN
my knapsack aud you VIII find a Bible
there. Get out that old Bible and Just
give me drop out of that" And his
colnrade found the Bible and read a
ieW passages. The dying soldier said,
"Oh, George, there is no hing like that
IS there, for dying soldier -
Cling TO your Blb!e. If this Bible
should be destroyed, If AL the Bibles
that have ever been printed should be
destroyed, we could make up Bible
right out of this audience. From that
Christian mans experience take one
cluster OF promises, and from that old
Christian mans experience another, |
put them all together, and think
would have Bible.
on see, my friends. | have not tried
to hide the fact that have large exDec
tatlOn of you who have entered the
Christian life. DO not be discouraged.
l'ress on toward the prize, God beside
you and Heaven before you. Keep your
up. Look in thirty years from
now upon this church. Another man
In the pulpit. Other faces in the peWs.
Another man leading the song. Others
carrying around the aims boxes of the
church. All changed. Thirty years
have gone, and ! look into the faces of
the people, and l say: "Why, it seems
To me l have seen these people some
where, but cannot exactly say where.
On, yes, now | begin to think. These
were the converts in 1892 and 1890.
Why, how you have changed"
ION. yes they say. "of course we
nave changed. Thirty years make a
great change" l say, allow many
wrinkles there are in your faces! "Oh,
yes, they say. thirty years make
great many wrinkles" "IIave you
kept the faith ?" "Yes, we have kept
he faith" "Where are those people
who use to sit in the pew with you?"
All gone" Then | say, "Well, ] feel
onely; come, let us sing one of the old
hymns we use to sing thirty years ago,
n 1892, on communion day. Any of
you know the old tune? Some one
lum it. Yes, that's it, that's it. Now.
altogether, let us sing, just as we did
n 1892: