The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1892-02-18

in heaven that no ordinary saint can oc-
cupy, and by extraordinary trials ho has
prepared that Christian soul for extra
ordinary glory. God will not keep you
IN the furnace one moment too long.
just as soon as Paul had met with
enough Imprisonment and scougings he
reached up and plucked his eternal
crown. Goa will keep us no longer un-
der the hammer and on the stocks than
Is necessary to fit us for entrance into
the heaven OF eternal rest. Glory be to
The divine grace that, as soon as our
afllIctlonS have accomplished their mis-
sion, they are arrested.
The defeats and sorrows OF life have
sometimes been the greatest advantage.
1t was because Dante failed as a States
man that he gave up politics and wrote
his immortal ''Divina CONNIE edia." 1t
was violent thunderstorm that first
set Martin Luther seriously thinking
aud the thunder Of this worlds disaster
has started many reformation. James
Simpson went from surgeons op-
Grating table to experiment aud sec if
he could not find something that would
alleviate human pain, an he kel.t on
uutll he had discovered chloroform as
an aesthetic, and the story of distress
has almost always been followed by the
story Of rescue.
For many years after Shakespeare
death his work was so little appreciated
that in 1866 there was only one edition
OF his works, and that Of only three
hundred copies in existence, aud that
edition was nearly all burned in the
great London fire. But forty-eight
copies had been sold out of the city,
nrfU OF irrhf
shakespeare for all nations and all time.
Your suppression on "a smaller scale
may last good while, but for all you
are worth you will yet shine out on
earth or in heaven.
Again, learn from my subject that
connected with the most distressing
judgments of God there are DISPLAYS Of
divine mercy. God might Justly have
left Nebuchadnezzar in the field, but
Infinite compassion brought him back
TO the palace. No sooner was Eden
blasted than blessing followed on the
heels OF the curse promising the COM
ing OF one who would destroy sin and
make the whole world a paradise. Tie
deluge descends, but not until Noah
had invited the people into the ark.
The destroying angel comes uron
Egypt for the shifting of the first born,
but left unmolested every house whose
door was sprinkled with the blood of
sacrifice.
Fiery tempests bear down upon So
dom, but not until two angels have
warned Lot and his family 20 flee from
Ihe destruction. Jerusalem was utter
~ destroyed, but not until Jerimiah had
sounded an alarm bidding them turn
from their denominations. On the dark
est cloud of wrath there is a rainbow O.
mercy. Zechariah i'll his prophetic v!s
on Deheld four chariOts, Symbolical of
| Gods government.
| Ihe first chariot was drawn by red
| horses. They indicated the wars that
were coming. The second chariot was
drawn by black horses. They Indicated
the coming of famine and pestilence.
The third chariot was drawn by white
horses. They indicated the spotIess
purity OF his conquests. But mark
by horses "grizzled and bay" denoting
that mercy was mixed with all the des,
olatlng judgments of God. Sinai can
not thunder so loud as to drown the in
Vitations Of Cavalry. The Lord utters
the admonition THE wages of sin is
death" but eXhauStless mercy responds.
Deliver him from going down to the
pit for have found ransom"
Hide thee quick in the rock, Christ
Jesus Let not this insignificant "now"
absorb thee more than the great hereaf-
ter. The path leading to this side of the
grave Is only few furlongs, but the
PAIN winch commences at the other side
nf IT Is without end. The powers Of
darkness gather about your soul and
the temptations of an evil heart and
the allurments of the world 1 know are
trying to drown the voice of the preach
er; but taking hold of the silver trum.
pet OF the Gospel which made Felix
tremble, and at the Pentecost brought
three thousand souls out OF their sepul-
cher, [ would blow one long, loud blast.
crying, "Whosoever will, let him
come"
Take this goodly religion which has
done SO much for me that l can COM
mend 1t to all. Without it should have
gone the whole downward career.
Stolld and phlegmatic natures going
astray do not 60 SO far, but natures
like mine, sanguine, intense, emotional,
optimistic, social to the last degree, and
echoing to all the heights and depths
OF mirth, If they get off track. they go
with one wild leap to hell. AS to the
restraining power of this religion upon
a mercurial temperament, | testify.
IhlS is not abstraction or something
gotten from books. | speak of what [
know. 60 out and ask all who have
tried this religion and ask them how it
| works.
| Three young men in a factory came
out on the Lords side, but two Of them,
oVercomce by the jeers of their COM
rades, went back and joined the scoffers.
The one held on to his Christian hope,
ana one day when they pressed him
1ard, and were telling how much inf
dellty had done for the world, and that
Christianity had done nothing, the per-
secuted Christian turned upon them,
ana pointing to Henry and George,
VINO had for q little while followed
Chrlst and then turned back, he said:
ou have tried your principles on
them, and know what they have done
f0r them. When they tried to serve
Christ they were civil, good tempered,
KIND husbands and fathers. They were
cheerful, Industrious and ready to
0blige. What have ycu made them /?
LOOK and see. They are cast down and
cross; their mouths are full of cursinp
and iiithiness; they are drunk every
week; their children half clothed. their
wives broken hearted thair bon,os