The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1893-02-09

cIP"'Cu, oh"ooy Ill apparel, lnulSp OSed
to look any one in the eyes, moral char
acter 85 per cent. off. You will come
with principle settled, countenance
frank, habits good, soul saved and all
the inhabitants Of heaven from the
lowest angel up to the archangel, and
clear past him to the Lord God AL
mighty, your coadjutors.
This is not the advice of misan-
thrOpe. There is no man in the house
to whom the world is brighter than it
is to me. 1t is not the advice of dys-
peptic-my digestion is perfect; it is
not the advice of man who cannot
unders Sand a Joke or who prefers
funeral; 1t is not the advice Of a worn
out man, but the advice of a man who
can see this world in all it's brightness,
and, considering myself competent in
Judging what is good cheer, tell the
multitudes of young men in this house
this morning that there is nothing in
worldly association SO grand anG so
beautiful and 50 eXhilarant as in Chris.
tlan society.
| know there is great deal Of talk
about the self denials of the Christian.
| have to tell you that where the Chris
tian has one self denial the man of the
world has Il thousand self denials. The
Christian is not commanded to surren-
der 3nything that is worth keeping.
But what does man deny himself who
denies him self the religion of Christ.
lie denies i,.tnself pardon for sin; he
denies himself peace Of conscience; he
denies himself the Joy of the Holy
Ghost; he denies himself comforta-
Die death pillow; he denies himself the
glories of heaven. DO not talk to me
about the self denials OF the Christian
life! Where there is one in the Chris.
tian life there are thousand in the
lie OF the world. "IIer ways are ways
OF pleaSantneSs."
Again, l find great deal of religl-
Gus sunshine in Christian and divine
explanation. 10 great many people
llte IS an inexplicable tangle. Things
turn out differently from what was
supposed. There is a useless woman
in perfect health. There Is an indus
trlous and cOnsecrated woman a com
plete invalid. Explain that. There is
bad man with $4,000 of income.
There is Il good man with $500 of in
come. Why is that? Thera is a foe of
society who lives on, doing all the dam
age he can, TO Seventyiive years of age,
ana here If Il Christian father, faithful
IN every department. Of life, at thirty
i've years OF age taken away by death.
lis family left helpless. Explain that
on, there is no sentence that 0ftener
drops from your lips than this: 81
cannot understand it. | cannot under.
stand it,"
Well. now, religion comes in lust at
that point with its illumination and it's
explanation. There is Il business man
who has lost his entire fortune. Tie
week before he lost his fortune there
were twenty carriages that stopped at
the door Of his mansion; the week af-
ter he lost his fortune all the carriages
you could count on one finger. The
week before financial trouble began
people all took Off their hats to him as
ne passed down the street. The week
his financial prospects were under dis
| cuSSl0n people just touched their hats
without anywise bending the rim. The
week that he was pronounced inSolvent
people Just jOlted their heads as they
passed, not tipping their hats at ali,
and the week the sheriff sold him out
all his friends were looking in the
store windows us they went down past
him.
Now while the world goes away from
Il man when he is in financial distress
lhe rcllglon OF Christ comes to him and
says: "l on are sick. and your sickness
|
bereaVcd. God wanted in some way to
take your family to heaven, and he
must begin somewhere, and so he took
the one that was most beautiful and
was most ready to 60" do not say
that religion explains everything in
tins life, but do say it lays down GER
tam principles which are grandly con
! SO!atOry.
on know business men often tele-
graph in Ciphers. The merchant in san
Francisco tclegraphs to the merchant
III New ork certain information in
clpherS which no other man in that line
OF business can understand, but the
merchant III san Francisco has the key
to the cipher, and the merchant in New
\ ork has the key to the cipher, and on
that information transmitted there are
enterprises involving hundreds of
thousands Of dollars.
Now the providences of life some
times seem to bea SenSeleSs rIgmarole.
Il mysterious cipher, but God has a kew
to that cipher, and the Christian a key
TO That cipher, and though he may
hardly be able to spell out the meaning
he gets enough of the meaning To un.
derStanu that it is for the best Now
Is there not sunshine in that? Is there
not pleasure in that? Far beyond
laughter, it is nearer the fountain OF
tears than boisterous demon stration.
Have you never cried for JOY? There
are tears which are eternal rapture in
| dl>tillallOn.
y man passed down the street with
out any shoes and said: 81 have no
shoes. Isn't it Il hardship that have
no shoes: Other people have shoes.
NO shoes, no shoes" until he saw a man
| with no feet Then he learned a les
son. on ought to- thank God for
what he does, instead ofgrumbling for
what he does not. God arranges all
the weather in this world-the spirit
uu weather, the moral weather, as
| well rs the natural weather. "What
kind Of weather will it be to-day =" said
some one to Il farmer. The farmer re-
| piled, at will be such weather as |
like" what do you mean ny thatY"
asked the other. We'll" said the farm.
er, "lt will be such weather as pleases
the Lord, and what pleases the Lord
plcaseG me-"
| On, the sunshine, the sunshine of
| Christian explanation. Here is some