The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1892-06-08

"Give me more laudanum." said dying
Mirabeau; ''give me more laudanum that
may not think Of eternity and what is to
come" And dying Hobbies said, II leave
my body to the grave and my soul to the
great perhaps" It was the discord Of an IN
| f1ders life breaking down into the jargon Of
despair; but the Gospel makes the death OF
the Christian a Selah between redemption
and enforcement. Almost well" said dy-
| ing Richard Baxter, 'nlmost WELL" "Play
| those notes over again -thoss notes which
have been so great delight and solace to
me, said the dying Christian Mozart. "Nons
but Christ, none but Christ" exclaimed dy-
ing Lambert.
Richard Cameron, the Scotch covsnanter,
went into the battle thres times praying:
"Lord, spare the green and take the rip,.
This is the day have longsd for. This Is
the day shall get my crown. Come let US
fight it to the last. Forwardp So you seq
there is only short pause, Selah OF inter-
mission, between dying consultations on the
one side and ovarstopping raptures on the
| other.
| Ny flesh shall slumber in the ground
Till the last trumpet's joyful sound;
Then burst the chains with sweet surprise,
And in my SavIour's image rise.
Inext speak of the Selah of emphasis.
Ewald, the German orientalist and theolo-
gian, says that this word means to ascend:
and wherever you find it, he says, you must
look after the modulation Of the voice and
you mustp put more force into your utteraucs.
1t is Selah Of emphasis. All my friends,
you and need to correct our emphasis. We
put too much emphasis on the world and not
enough on God and the next world. People
think these things around us are so import
ant, the things Of the next are not worthy
OF our consideration.
The first need for some Of us is to change
our emphasis. Look at wretchedness on
throne. Napoleon, while yet emperor OF
France, sat down detected, his hands over
his face. A lad came in with tray of food
and said, "Eat. it will do you good" Tho
emperor looked up and said, "You are from
the countryg' The lad replied, Eyes"
"Your father has cottage and a few acres
Of ground% "Yes." "rhere is happiness"
said the detected emperor. All! Napoleon
never put the emphasis in the right place
until he was expiring at st. Helena.
On the other hand, look at Satisfaction
amid the worst earthly disadvantage II
never saw until was Blind said Chris
tian man. II never knew what content
ment was while had my eyesight as lknow
what content is now that I have lost my
eyesight. affirm, though few would credit
it. that would not exchange my present
stances before lost my eyesight." That
man put the emphasis in the right place.
We want to put less stress upon this world
and more stress upon our God as our ever
lasting portion.
David had found out the nothingness of
this world and the all-suficiency Of God.
Notice how he interjects the Selahs. "Trust
in the Lord at all times; ye people. pour out
your heart before Him. God is refuge for
us. Selah." BLESSED be the Lord who
daily loads us with benefits, even the God Of
our salvation. Selah" 'The Lord shall
count, when He writeth up the people. that
this man was born there. Selah." Let the
world have its honors, and its riches, and its
pomp. Let me have the Lord for my light,
my peace, my fortress, my pardon. my hope,
my heaven.
What sinners value resign;
Lordi tits enough that Thou art mine.
shall behold Thy bssful face,
And stand complete In righteousness.
This world Is all an empty show,
But the bright world to which I 60
Hath Joys substantial and sincere;
When shall wake and and me theres
O glorious hourI blest abode!
shall be near and Ike my God,
And siu and sense no more contro!
The endless pleasures OF my soul.
But when I speak of the Selah of emphasis
I must notice it is g startling, dramatic
emphasis, 1t has in it the Hark, the Hist
tf the drama. That wakening and arousing
emphasis we who preach or instruct need
to use more frequently. The sleepiast
audiences in the world are religious
audiences.
You Sabbath-school teachers ought to
have more Of the dramatic element in your
instructions. By graphic Scripture scene. by
anecdote. by descriptive gesture. by i'm
personation urge your classes to right action.
we want in all our schools and colleges AMI
PRAYER meetings, and in all our attempts at
reform, and in all our churches to have less
Of the style didactic and moro of the style
| dramatic.
Fifty essays about the sorrows of the poor
could not affect me as little drama Of acci-
dent and suffering saw one slippery morn
inc in the streets Of Philadelphia. Just
/ ahead OF me was lad wretched in apparel,
his limb amputated at the knee; from the
pallor of the boys cheek the amputation not
| long before. He had q package OF broken
| food under his arm-food he bad begge1, l
| over the slippery pavement cautiously and
carefully, I steadiei him until his crutch
slipped and he fell. helped him up as we'll
as II could, gathered up the fragments OF the
package as we'll as 7 could, put them under
one arm and the crutca under tho other
] arm: but when saw the blood run down
his pale cheek I was completely overcome.
= Fifty essays aDOuU tuo SuuoTiuS VI ouo Poot
could not touch one like that little drama or
accident and suffering.
Oh, we want in all our different depart
ments OF usefulness-and address hundreds
Of people who are trying to do good-we
want mora Of the dramatic element AMI less
Of the didactic. The tendency In this way
is to drons religion, to moan religion, to
croak religion, to sepulchrizs religion, when
we ought to present it in animated and spec
| tacular manner.
Sabbath morning by Sabbath morning I
address many theological students who are
preparing for the ministry. They come in
here from the different institutions. say
to them this morning: If you will 60
home and look over the history Of the
church you will find that those
men have brought most souls to
| Christ who have been dramatic-Rowland
| Hill, dramatic; Thomas Chalmers, dramatic;
Thomas Guthrie dramatic, John Knox,
dramatic; Robert McCheyne, dramatic;
Christmas Evans, dramatic; George White
field. dramatic: Robert Hall, dramatic;
Robert South, dramatic; Fenelon, dramatic:
John Mason. dramatic: DR.. Mott, dramatic.
When you get into the ministry, If you at
tempt to culture that element and try to
WELD it for God you will meet with mighty
rebuff and caricature, and ecclesiastical
counsel will take your case in charge, and
they will try to put you down, but the God
who starts you will help you through, and
great will be the eternal rewards for the as
siduous aud the plucxy.
What we want, ministers and laymen, is
to get our sermons, and our exhortations,
and our prayers out Of the old rut. l see
yreat deal OF discussion in the religious pa
pers about why people do not come to