The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1892-05-11

| never read the Bible, and II they appear II
church can be distinguished in an audience
Of thousand by their hstlessness, for they
are too lazy to hear. 1t is uot 80 much
among occupied merchants, industrious me-
chanics and professional men always busy
| that you hear the religion OF Jesus
maligned, as in public lounging places given
up to profanity and dissoluteness. They have
no sympathy with the Book that says Let
him that stole steal no more; but rather let
which Is good, that he may have to give to
him that needeth."
| never knew q man given up to thorough
idIeness that was converted. Simon and
Andrew were converted while fishing, and
Lydia while selling purple, and the shepherds
| Of Bethlehem watching their focks heard
the voice Of angels. and Gideon was thrash.
Ing on rne thrasnlng moor, but no one wa!
| ever converted with his hands in his pockets
| for him either In this world or In the world
which Is to come. II the Son Of God. VIII
owned the whole universe. worked In tht
carpenter shop Of Joseph, surely we. whc
own 80 little yet want 80 much, ought to bt
busy. The redeemed in heaven are nevel
idle. What exciting songs they singl
On what messages Of love they fly through
all the universe, fulfilling Gods high behests
AMI taking worlds in one circuit; rushing
cruelty and oppression, and making the
gates Of hell to quake at the overthrow Of
the principalities Of darkness, and in the
same twinkle Of an eve speeding back to
their thrones with the news of sinners re-
pentant. The River Of Life Is ever flowing,
and the palms ever waving, and the hallelu-
iahs ever rising, and the harps ever sound
ing. and temple always open, and the golden
streets always a-rush with'chariots Of saliva
tion, and the last place which you ought
ever to want to go to Is heaven, unless you
want to be busy.
Alas, my hearers, that in this world there
should be 80 many loungers and 80 few
workers. We 60 into the vineyard of the
church and we hear the arbor .groan under
ing down, large and thick and ripe, cluster
and cluster, fairsr than the bunches Of
Eshcol and Engedi and at touch they will
turn into wine more ruddy than that OF
Libanus and Helbon. But where are the
men to gather the vintage and tread the
wine press? There comes to your ear q
sound Of thousand wheat fields ready for
the sickle. The grain is ready. 1t is tall, it
is full, IL Is golden. It waves in the sunlight.
It.rustles in the wind. It'would I'LL the
barns. it would crowd the garners. After
a while it will lodge, or the mildew and the
rust will smite it.
Oh, where are the reapers to bind the
sheayes! The enemies of God are mar
shalei You see the glitter Of their buck
lers. You hear the paving OF their chargers,
and all along the line Of battle is heard the
shout Of their great captain, and at the
armies Of the living God they hurl their de-
fance. They come, not In numbers like the
hosts Of Sennacherib, but their multitude Is
like the leaves OF the forest, and the sound OF
their voices like the thunder OF the sea.
Mailed in hell's impenetrable armor, they
advance with the waving Of their banners
and the dancing Of their plumes. Their
ranks are not easily to be broken. for the
batteries of hell will open to help them and
ten thousand angels Of darkness mingle IN
the fight. Where are the chosen few VINO
will throw themselves into the jaws OF this
conflict?
King James gavs to Sir John Scott, for
his courage q charter OF arms with mum.
''Rsadyi aye, readyr' and yet, when God
calls us to the work and the cause demands
our espousal and interests dreadful as the
Judgment and solemn as eternity tremble In
the balance, how few OF us are willing to
throw ourselves into ths breach, crying,
'Readyl aye, readyP'
Oh. [ should like to ses God arise for the
defense Of His own cause and the disenthral-
ment of world In bondage! How the fet.
ters would snap and how the darkness would
fly, and how heaven would sing. You nave
never seen an army like that which too
shall gather from the four winds OF heaven
to Rght His battles. They shall cover every
hilltop and stretch through every valley and
man the vessels on every sea. There shah
neither be uproar nor wrath nor smoke nor
bloodshed. Harvests shall not lie waste In
the track nor cities be consumed. Instead
Of the groans of captives shall come the
song Of those redeemed.
Yet the conquest shall be none the less
complete, for II In that honr when all should
be yigilaut the church Of God should neglect
to seize the prize and the cause should seem
to fall from the graveyards and csme.
teries OF all Christendom the good and raitn-
full of the past would spring to their feet In
time to save the cause, and though the sun
might not again stand still above Gideon, or
the moon in the valley Of Ajalon, the day
would be long enough to gain decisive VIC
tory for God and the truth.
but INV text is descriptive also OF those
who hunt for opportunities, and when they
get them do not use them. The rabbit they
overcome by an early morning tramp lies
for weeks uncooked In the dooryard. Inc
deer that they brought down after long and
erhaustine pursuit in the Adirondacks lies
on the doorsill undressed, and the savory
yeuison becomes malodorous carcass They
roast not that which they took In hunting.
OPPORTUNITIES laborously captured, yet use
less. and that which came in invittngly, like
a string Of plover and quail and wild duck
hung oyer hunter shoulder, turns TO some
thing worse than nothing.
So with Agrippa when almost persuaded
to be Christian. 80 with the lovely young
man who went away from Christ very sor-
rowful. 80 with tens OF thousands who
have whole hands full, whole skies full OF
winged opportunities which profit them
nothing at all. because they roast not tnat
which they took in hunting. Oh, make out
of This captured moment banquet for eter-
nifty. The greatest prize in the universe to
Be won is the love and pardon OF Christ.
Win that and you can say:
Now have found Friend
Whose love shah never end.