The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1892-03-16

herself. She could not do this by work
Of committee. She felt she had soul worth
ten thousand kingdoms like Shebs, and she
wanted a robe richer than any woven by
oriental shuttles, and she wanted crown
set with tbe jewels Of eternity. Bring out
the jewels Of the throne and put them on the
caravan. Start now. No time to be lost.
Goad on the camels. When see that cara
van, dust covered, weary and exhausted,
trudging on across the desert and among
the bandits until it reaches Jerusalem, say,
''There is an earnest seeker after the truth"
But there are great many Of you, my
friends, who do not act In that way. You
all want to get the truth, but you want tbs
truth to come to you; you do not want to 20
to it. There ara people who fold their arms
and say: Il am ready to become Christian
at any time. II am to be saved shall be
saved. and lii am to bs lost shall be lost"
All! Jerusalem will never come to you; you
must 60 to Jerusalem. The religion Of the
Lord Jesus Christ will not come to you; you
must 60 and get religion. Bring out the
camels. Put on all ths sweet spices, all the
treasures OF the hearts affection. Start for
the throne. Go in and hear the waters of
salvation dashing in fountains all around
about the throne. Sit down a the banquet
the wine pressed from the grapes Of the
bearers
Goad on the camels; Jerusalem will never
come to you; you must go to Jerusalem.
The Bible declares it.: 1.-THE queen Of the
south"-that Is, this very woman am speak
ing of-"the queen OF the south shall rise up
in Judgment against this generation and
condemn it; for she came from the uttermost
parts Of the earth to hear the wisdom OF
Solomon, and, behold greater than Solo
mon is here" God help me to break up the
intatuation Of those people who are sitting
''Strive to enter In at the straight gate.
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye
= shall find; knock, and 1t shall be opened to
you" Take the kingdom Of heaven by vio-
ience. Urge on the camslsI
Again, my subject impresses me with ths
fact that religion is surprise to any one
that gets it. This story Of the new religion
in Jerusalem, and of the glory of King Solo.
mon, who was type Of Christ-that story
rolls on and on and Is told by even traveller
coming back from Jerusalem. The nsws
goes on the wing Of every ship and with
every caravan, AMI you know . story en-
larges as 1t is :ssold, and by the time that
story gets down into the southern part Of
II, 1t must be tremendous story. And yet
this queen declares in regard to it, although
she had heard 80 much and had her antici-
pations raised 30 high, the half-the half was
not told her.
So religion is always q surprise to any one
that gets It. The story Of grace-an old
story. Apostles preached 1t with rattle Of
chain; martyrs declared 1t with arm OF fire;
deathbeds have affirmed 1t with visions Of
glory and ministers Of religion have sounded
1t through the lanes and the highways and
the chapels and the cathedrals. It has been
cut into stone with chisei and spread on tho
canvas with pencil, and it has been recited
in the doxology OF great congregations.
And yet when man first comes to look on
tho palace Of Gods mercy and to see the
royalty Of Christ, and the wealth OF this
banquet, and the luxuriance Of His attend
ants, and tho lovliness Of His face, and the
joy Of His service, he exclaims with prayers,
with tears with sighA with triumphs, "The
haIf-the half was not told ms~
I appeal to those in this house who are
Christians. Compare the idea you had Of
the Joy Of the Christian life before you be-
came Christian with the appreciation OF
that joy you have now since you have be-
come a Christian, and you are willing to at
test before angels and men that you never In
the days of your spiritual bondage had any
appreciation of what was to come. You are
ready to-day to answer, and If gave you
an opportunity in the midst OF this assem-
blage You would speak out and say IN re-
gard to the discoveries you have made OF the
mercy and the grace and the goodness OF
God. "The halfethe half was not told meF'
Well, we hear a great deal about the good
time that is coming to this world, when 1t Is
to be airded with salvation. Holiness on the
bells Of the horses. The lions name patted
by the hand Of q babe. Ships Of Tarshish
bringing. cargoes for Jesus, and the hard,
dry, barren, winter bleached, storm SCARED,
thunder split rock breaking into floods OF
bright weter. Deserts into which drome-
daries thrust their nostrils. because they
were afraid Of the simoom-deserts bloom.
ing into carnation roses and silver tipped
lilies.
It is the old story. Everybody tells it.
Isaiah told It, John told 1t, Paul told 1t, Eze.
kial told ii, Luther told 1t, Calvin told It,
John Milton told it-everybo tells II, and
yet-and yet when the midnight shall fy the
bills. and Christ shall marshal his great
army, and China, dashing her idols into the
dust. shall hear the voice Of God and wheel
into line: and India, destroying her jugger'
naut and snatching up her little children
from the Ganges, shall hear the voice OF
God and wheel into line and vine covered
italy. and all the nations Of the earth shall
hear the voice of God and fall into line; then
the church which has been toiling and strug-
Cling through the centuries, robed and gar
landed like q bride adorned for her husband,
shall put aside her vail and look up into the
face Of her Lord and King, and say, "The
half-the half was not told mee'
Well there is coming greater surprise 70
every Christian-a greater surprise tnan
anything I have depicted. Heaven Is an
old story. Everybody talks ab out 1t. There
Is hardly a hymn in the hymn book that
does not refer to it, Children read about 1t
In their Sabb ath-school book. Aged men
put on their spectacles to study it. We say
It is a harbor from the storm. We call
it our homes. We say it Is the house OF
many mansions. We weave together all
sweet, beautiful, delicate, exhilarant words;
we weave them into letters, and then We
spell It out in rose and lily and anaranth.
And vet that place is going to bs surprise
to the most intelligent Christian.
Like the Queen Of Sheba, the report mas
come to US from the far country, and many
of us have started. 1t is desert march, but
we urge on the camela What though our
fest be- blistered with the wayf We are
hasteniug to the palace. We take all our
loves and hopes and Christian ambitions, as
frankincenss and myrrh and cassa to the
great King. We must not rest We must
not halt. The night is coming on, and It Is
not safe out here in the desert. Urge on the
camels. I see the domes against the sky,
and the houses OF Lebanon, and the tenn
Piles and the gardens. See the fountains
dance in the sun, and the gates flash as they
open to let in the poor pilgrims.
Send the word up to the palace that we
are coming, and that We are weary Oh tne
march of the desert. The King will come
out and say; "Welcoms to the palace;
baths in these waters, recline on these
banks. Take this cinnamon and franklin
cense and mysrh and put 1t upon q csuser
ii smin, rs hofore tha altarW And vet nv