The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1892-07-06

| YOU toll me anything about that heavenly
| place? You ask ME thousand questions
| about it that I cannot answer. l ask you a
| thousand questions about it that you cannot
| answer And do you wonder that Paul was
| so glad when martyrdom gave him chance
| blessed country?
I hope some day, by the grace OF God, to
20 over and see for myself. but not now.
No we'll man, no prospered man. l think,
! wants to go now. But the time will come,
think, when 1 shall go over. Iwant to SEQ
! what they do there and want to see how
they do it. do not want to be looking
through the gates ajar forever. l want
them to swing wide open. There ara ten
thousand things want explained-about
you, about myself about the governmental
this world, about God, about everything.
Columbus risked his life to find this con-
tinent, and shall we shudder to go out on
voyage Of discovery which shall reveal
yaster and more brilliant country? John
Franklin risked his life to find q passage
between icebergs, and shall we dread TO ma
a passage to eternal summer? Men IN
Switzerland travel up the heights of the
Matterhorn with alpenstock and guides and
rockets and ropes, and getting half way up
stumble and fall down in O horrible mas
sacre. They Just wanted to say they had
been on the tops of those high peaks. And
shall we fear to 60 out for the ascent OF the
eternal hills which start thousand miles
beyond where stop the highest peaks OF the
Alps when in that ascent there Is no peril!
A man doomed to die stepped on tne
scaffold and said in joy, Now in ten MIN
utes I will know the great secret" One
minute after the vital functions ceased, the
little child that died last night knew more
than Jonathan Edwards or st. Paul hlmself
before he died. Friends, the exit from thi.
world, Ur death, ii you please to call it, tc
the Christian is glorious explanation.
1t is demonstration. 1t is illumination
1t is sunburst 1t is the opening of all the
windows. 1t is shutting up the catechsm
of doubt and the unrolling Of all the scrolls
of positive ana accurate information. In
stead of standing at the foot of the ladder
and looking up it is standing at the top Of
the ladder and looking down. It Is the last
mystery taken out Of botany and geology
and astronomy and theology.
remark again, we ought to have the joy
OF the text, because. leaving this world, we
move into the best society Of the universe.
You see great crowd of people in some
street and you say: "Who is passing there?
What general, what prince is going up
there!' Well, I see a great throng in
heaven. say: "Who is the focus Of all
Jna1 aumraron, who is the centre of that
glittering company" It is Jesus. the cham
pion Of all the world, the favorits Of all
ages.
Do you know what is the first question ths
soul will ask when it comes through thu
gate of heaven? think the first question
will be, "Where is Jesus, the Saviour that
pardoned my sin, that carried my sorrows,
that fought my battles, that won my victor
ies% Oh, Radiant One! how would like to
see Thee! Thou OF the man2er, but without
its humiliations; Thou OF the cross, but
without its psngs: Thou Of the grave, but
without its darkness.
But when meet my Lord Jesus Christ, OF
what shall first delight to hear Him speak?
Now think what it is. shall first want to
hear the tragedy OF His last hours, and then
Lukes account of the crucifxion and Marks
account of the crucfxion, and Johns &C.
count Of the crucihxion will be nothing,
while from the living lips OF Christ the
story shall be told Of the gloom that fell, and
the devils that arose, and the fact that upon
His endurance depended the rescue OF q
race; and there was darkness In the sky, and
there was darkness in the soul, and the pain
became more sharp, and the burdens became
more heavy, until the mob began to swim
away FROM the dying vision OF Christ, and
the cursinz of the mob came to His ear more
family, and His hands were fastened to the
horizontal piece Of the cross, and His feet
were fastened to the perpendicular piecs OF
the cross, and His head fell forward in swoon
as He uttered the last moan and cried, 1T Is
finishedm All heaven will stop to listen
until the story Is done, and every harp vii!
be put down, and every lip closed, and all
ewes fixed on the Divine Narrator until the
story is done and then, at the tap of the
baton, the eternal orchestra will rouse up
finger on string Of harp, and lips to the
mouth Of trumpet, there shall roll forth the
oratorio OF the Messiah, "Worthy Is the
Lamb that was slain to receive blessing and
riches and honor and glory and power, world
without end"
that He endured oh, who can tell,
To save our souls from death and hell!
When there was between Paul and that
magnificent Parsonage only the thinness OF
the shnrp edge Of the sword OF the execu.
tioner, do you wonder that he wanted to 60?
Oh, nv Lord Jesus, let one wave or thai
glory roll over usl Hark! I hear the wed.
ding bells of heaven ringing now. The
marriage Of the Lamb has come, and
the bride hath made herself ready.
And now for little wniie
good by. have no morbid
feeling about the future. But if anything
should happen that we never meet agau. IN
this world, let us meet where there are no
uartiues. Our friendships have been dellgnt,
fulon earth. but they will be more delightful
in heaven. And now l commend you 10 Goo
and the word of His grace. which is able TO
build us up and give an inheritance among
ali Them that are Sanctlhed-