The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1892-06-02

affirm, though few would credit It, that
L would not exchange my present posi-
tion and circumstances for my circum-
stances before l lost my eyesight."
That man put the emphasis in the right
place. We want to put less stress upon
thls world and more stress upon our
GOD as our everlasting portion.
David had found out the nothingness
of this world and the all suiliciency of
God. Notice how he interjects the
Selahs. Trust in the Lord at all
times; !e people. pour out your heart
before him. God is a 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 honUrs and its
riches and its pomp. Let me have the
Lord for my light, my peace, my for
tress, my pardon. my hope, my heaven.
What sinners value resign;
Lord! tits enough that thou art mine.
shall behold thy blissful face,
And stand complete in righteousne,
This world is all an empty show,
But the bright world to which 60
Hath joys substantial and sincere;
When shall wake and find me there?
0 glorious hour! o blest abode!
shall be near and like my God,
And sin and sense no more control
The endless pleasures Of my soul.
But when 1 speak of the Selah of en-
phasls J. must notice it is startling, a
dramatic emphasis. 1t has in it the
bark! the hist! of the drama. That
wakening and arousing emphasis we
who preach CT instruct need to use
more frequently. The sleepiest audi
ences In the world are religious audi
enceS.
You Sabbath school teachers ought
to have more of the dramatic element
in your instructions. by graphic Scrip
ture scene. by anecdote, by descriptive
gesture, by impersonation, urge your
classes to right action. We want in
all our schools and colleges and prayer
meetings, and in all our attempts at
reform, and in all our churches, to have
less of the style didactic and more of
the style dramatic.
Fifty essays about the sorrows of the
poor could not affect me as little
drama of accident and suffering saw
one slippery morning in the streets of
Philadelphia. Just ahead of me was a
lad, Wretched in apparel, his limb am.
putated at the knee; from the pallor Of
the boys cheek the amputation not
long before. He had a package OF
broken food under his arm-food he
mad begged, suppose. at the doors. AS
he passed on over the slippery pave
ment cautiously and carefully, I stead
led him until his crutch slipped and he
fell. helped him up as well as I could.
gathered up the fragments of the pack
age as well as could, put them Under
one arm and the crutch under the other
arm, but when l saw the blood run
down his pale cheek | was completely
overcome. Fifty essays about the suf-
terlng Of the poor could not touch one
like that little drama of accident and
suffering.
Oh, we want in all our different de-
partments of usefulness-andI address
hundreds OF people who are trying to
40 good-We want more of tho drama
tic element and less of the didactic.
The tendency in this day is to drone
religion, to whine religion, to cant re-
ligion, to moan religion, to croak relig-
lon,. to sepulchriZe religion, when we
ought to present it in animated and
spectacular manner.
Sabbath morning by Sabbath morn
ing address many theological students
VINO are preparing for tho ministry
Ihey come in here from the different
institutions. | say to them this morn
ing: IT 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 dramat.
IL. Rowland Hill, dramatic; Thomas
Chalmers, dramatic; Thomas Guthrie,
dramatic; John Knox dramatic; Robert
McCheyne, dramatic; Christmas Evans,
dramatic; George Nhitefeld, dramatic;
robert Hall. dramatic; Robert South,
aTamatlc; Fenelon, dramatic; John
Mason, dramatic; DR.. Mott, dramatic.
when you get into the ministry, if you
attempt to culture that element and
with mighty rebuff and caricature, and
ecclesiastical council 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 assidu-
Gus and the plucky.
What we want, ministers and Law
men, sto get our sermons and our ex-
nOrtatl0nS and our prayers out of the
old rut. L see a great deal Of discus
sion IN the religious papers about why
people do not come to church. They
90 not come because they are not in.
terested. The old hackneyed religious
phrases that come moving down
through the centuries will never arrest
the masses. What we want to day, you
in your sphere and / in my sphere, is
to freshen up. People do not want in
their sermons the sham flowers bought
at the millinery shop, but the japoni-
cas- wet with the morning dew; nor the
heavv bones of extinct megatherium
OF past ages, but the living reindeer
caught last August at the edge of
Schroon lake.
We want to drive out the drowsy,
ana the prosaic, and the tedious, and
the hnmdrum, and introduce the
brightness and vivacity, and the holy
sarcasm, and the sanctified wit, and
the epigrammatic power and the blood
red earnestness, and the fire of reli.
gious zeal, and l do not know of any
way OF doing 1t as well as through the
dramatic. Attention. Behold lark!
Selah!
Next | speak of the Selah of perpet-
nity: The Targum, which is the Bible
in Chaldee, renders this word of my
text forever" Many writer's agree in
believing and stating that one mean.
ing Of this word is forever" In this
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