The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1892-03-02
mountain Of pride. Come down out Of the

/
on the level with all the worlds woes and
I wants and necessities
The full change will have to come from
the rising ministry. We now in the field
are too set in our ways We are numbered
up with technicaitieS We have too many
concordances and dictionaries and encyclo-
pedias and systems Of theology on our head
to get down on the plain. Our vocabulary
| is too frosted. We are too much under the
| domination of customs regnant for many
centuries. Come on, young men Of the
ministry. Take this pulpit, take all the
| pulpits, and in the street, and the market
| place, and the family circle preach Christ
on the plain.
AS soon as the church says by its attitude,
not necessarily by its words my one mis-
sion is to help for this life and help for the
life to come all the people," and it proves its
earnestness in the matter, people on foot and
on horseback and in wagons and in car
riases will come to the churches in such
numbers that they will have to be met at the
door by ushers, saying: "You were here
last Sunday; you cannot come to-day.
Gentlemen and ladies, you must take your
turn"
And it will be as in the Johnstown freshet
and disaster, when q government station
was opened for the supply Of bread, and it
took the officers of the law to keep the suf-
ferers in line because Of the great rush for
food. When this famine struck world real
izss that the church is government station
set up by the government OF the universe to
provide the bread of eternal life for all the
people, the rush will be unprecedented and
unimaginable.
Astronomers have been busy measuring
worlds, and they have told us how great is
the circumference Of this world and how
great is its diameter, yea, they have kept on
until they have weighed our planet and found
its weight to be six sextllion tons. But by
no science has the weight Of this worlds
trouble been weighed. Now. Christ stand.
ing on the level of our humanity stands in
sympathy with every trouble. There ars so
many aching heads; His ached under the
thorns. There are so many weary feet; His
were worn with the long journey up and
down the land that received Him not. There
are so many prosecuted souls. Every hour
of His life was under human outrage. The
world had no better place to receive Him
than j cattle pen, and its farewell was slap
on His cheek and spear In His side. So in
tensely human was He that there has not
been in all our race grief or infirmity or
exhaustion or pans that did not touch Him
once and that does not touch Him now.
The lepers, the paralytics, the imbecile,
the manic, the courtesan, the repentaut
hrigaud-which one did He turn of, which
one did He not pity, which one did he not
help? The universal trouble of the world is
bereavement. One may escape all the other
troubles, but that no soul escapes. Out OF
that bitter cup every one must take drink.
For instance in order that all might know
how BE sympathizes with those who have
lost daughter, Christ comes to the house Of
Jarius. There is such big crowd around
the door He and His disciples have to push
their way in. From the throng of people
conclude that this girl must have been very
popular. She was one OF those children
whom everybody likes.
After Christ got in the house there was
of voice could not be heard. I do not Won
der. The dead daughter was twelve years
Of age. It is about the happiest time in
most lives Very little children suffer many
ipjustices because they are children, AMI
childhood is not desirable part Of human
existence-they get whacked or set on. But
at twelve yeSrs Of age the child has cometo
self assertion and is apt to make her rights
known. And then, twelve years OF age is
too early for the cares and anxieties OF life.
So this girl was, think, the merriment Of
the household. She furnished for them the
mimicry and the harmless mischief, and
reused the guffaw that often rang through
that happy home. But now she is dead, and
the grief at her departure is as violent as her
presence had been vivacious and inspiriting.
Oh, the bereavement was SO sharp, so over.
whelmingI How could they give her up!
suspect that they blamed themselves for
this or for that. Oh, If they had had some
other doctor, or taken some other medicine,
or had been more careful OF her health, or II
thew had not given her that reproof some
time when she had not really deserved it. II
they had been more patient with her hllari-
ties and, instead Of hushing her play, had
participated In it? You know there are SO
many things that parents always blame
themselves for at such times. Only twelve
years Of age! So fair, so promising, so full
Of life few days ago. and now 30 still Oh,
what it is to have a daughter dead! The
room is full Of folks, but yonder IS the room
where the young sleeper Is. The crowd can
not 20 in there. Only six persons enter. five
besides Christ-three friends, and, OF course,
the father and mother. They have the first
right to 60 in. The heaviest part OF The
grief was theirs. AL eyes in that room are
on the face Of this girl.
There lay the beautiful hand, white ami
finely shapen, but it was not lifted in greet.
ing to any Of the group. Christ stepped for
ward and took hold of that hand and sale,
with tone and accentuation charged with
| unto thee, arisep' And without moments
cheeks turning from white lily to red rose;
and the parents cry: "She lives! She ivesp'
and in the next room they take up the sound,
"She lives! She ivesm and the throng in
| front Of the doorway repeat it, "She ivesl
| She livesr Will not all those who have lost
| a daughter feel that such Christ as that
can sympathize?
Christ on the plain. care not from what
side you approach Him, you can touch Him
and get His help. Is it mental depressi on
you suffer- Remember Him who said, I'M ,
God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?'
Isit struggle for bread? Remember Him
who fed the five thousand with two minnows
and five biscuits, neither Of the biscuits
larger than your tist. Is it chronic ailment!
Remember the woman who for eighteen
wears was bent almost double and He lifted
her face until she could look into the blue
sky. Are YOU sailor and spend your life
battling with the tempests? Remember Him
who flung the tempest Of Genesareth fat on
the crystal pavement Of quiet sea.
| That Christ is in sympathy with all who
coming an almost universal trouble through
much reading in rail cars, and the overpres-
sure Of the study in the schools where chill
dren are expected to be philosophers at ten,
bows and girls at fourteen with spectacles.
say with all such trouble Christ is in SYM
patty. Witness blind Bartimeus. Witnes:
| the two blind men in the house. Witnes;
| the two blind men near Jericho. Witnes:
the man born blind. Did He not turn theil
perpetual midnight into midnoon, till they
ran up and down clapping their hands and
saying, 81 see! sse"
That Christ is in sympathy with those who
stammer, or have silenced ears, notice bow
| nromntly He came to that man with impede
ment of speech and gave him command o'
the tongue SO that be could speak with ease,
and, putting His fingers into the ears, re-
| x-,.o5 +ha fyp,nanum Ia thare a lacK O1