The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-01-18

flower. one small shipload OF passengers, 1883
than 300 years ago, and now we have
nation Of 60.0JO.000. Where, then. is so
called impossibility that the seventy Jews
who went into Egypt in 4So years became
5000, 900. Iufidelity wrong and Bible chron-
ology right.
Now stop and reflect. Why Is 1t that
this sublime subject Of Bible chronology
has been so neglected, and that the most OF
YOU have never given ten minutes to the
consideration OF it, and that this is the first
sermon ever preached on this stupendous
and overwhelming theme? We have stood
by the half day or the whole dsg at grand
reviews and seen armies pass.
Again aud again and again on the
Champs Elysees Frenchmen oy the hum
dreds Of thousands have stood and s&tehed
the hammered armies go by, and the huzza
has been three miles long and until the
populace were so hoarse they could huzza
no longer. Again and again and again the
Germans by hundreds Of thousands have
stood on the palaced and 'statued Under den
Linden, Berlin, and strewn garlands under
the feet Of uniformed hosts. led on by Won
Moltke or Blucher or Frederick the Great.
When Wellington and Popsonby and the
Scots Grays came back from Waterloo, OF
Wolseley from Egypt, or Marlborough from
Blenheim what military professions throdgh
Regent street and along by the palaces ol
London and over the bridges Of the Thames
What almost intermnable lines Of military
on the streets Of our American capitals,
while Mayors and Governors and Presidents,
with uncovered heads looked on! But put
all those grand reviews together, and they
are tame compare with the review whlca
on New Years day you from the pev and
from the pulpit witness.
Hear them pass in chronological order
all the years before the flood; all the years
since the food: decades abreast; centuries
abreast; epochs abreast; mil!snnlums
abreast; Egyptian civilization, Babylonlan
populations, Assyrian domlnions; armies OF
Persian, Grecian, Peloponnesian and Roman
wars: Byzantine empire, Ssracenic hosts
crusaders of the first the second, third and
the last avalanche Of men; Dark Ages ln
somber epaulets and brighter ages with
shields Of silver and helmets Of gold; Italy.
Spain. France, Russia, Germany, England
and America, past and present; dynasttes,
feudal domains, despotisms, monarchies, re-
publics, ages on ages, ages on ages, passing
to-day in q chronological review, until one
has no more power to look upon the ad-
vancing columns, now brilliant, now
squalid, now garlaudei with peace. now
crimson with slaughter. now horrid with
ghastliness, now radiant with love and JOY.
This chronological study affords among
other practical thoughts. especially two
the other startling The encouraging
thought is that the main drift of the cen.
turtes has been toward betterment. with
only here and there q stout reversal.
Grecian civilization was a vast improve
ment on Egyptian civilization, and Roman
civilization vast Improvement on Greciau
civilization, and Christian civilization is q
vast Improvement on Roman civilization.
What was the boosted age OF Pericles
compared with the age OF Longfell3w and
iennyson! what Was Queen Elizabeth as
specimen OF moral womanhooi compared
with Queen Viceoriat What were the cruel
warI1ors OF oiden times compared with the
most distinguished warriors Of the last half
century, all Of them as much distinnuished
for kindness and good morals as for prowess
the Two military leaders Of our Civil War
on nortnern and southern side communicate
members OF Christian churches. aud their
home Life as pure as their pnblic life?
Notning lmpresses me in this chronology
cal review more than the fact that the regi.
ments OF years are better and better regi-
ments as the troops move on. thank God
tnat you and vera not born any sooner
than we were born. How could we have
endured the disaster Of being born In the
Eignteenth or Seventeenth or Sixteenth
century, Glad arm that we are in the regi-
ment now passing the reviewing stand, and
tnas our children will pass the stand in a
stlh better regiment. God did not build
thus world for slaughter house or den Of
infamy.
A good deal of cleaning. house will be
necessary before this world becomes as
clean and sweet as is ought to be, but the
brooms and the scrubbing brushes, and the
upholsterers and plumbers are already busy.
and when the world gets fixed up, as it will
be, II Adam and Eve ever visit II, as ex-
pect they will, they will say to each other.
"Well, this beats paradise when we lived
there. and the pears and plums are better
than we plucke6 from the first trees, and
the wardrobes ara more complete and the
climate Is better"
Since settled in my own mind the fact
that God was stronger than the devil have
never lost faith in the emparadisation Of
this planet. With the exception Of retro
Rression in the Dark Ages, the movement OF
the world has been on AMI on, and up and
up. and have two jubilant hosannas-one
for the closing year and the other for tht
new year.
But the other thought coming out Of this
subject Is that Biblical chronol ology, and In
deed all chronology, is urging the worla to
more punctuality and immsdiateness. What
an unsatisfactory and indefinite thing 1t
must have been for two business men in the
time OF Ahaz to make an appointment, say
ing, 1--WE will settle that business matter to-
morrow when the shadow on the dial OF
Ahaz reaches the tenth step from tbs top"
or "I will meet you in the street called
Straight in Damascus in the time Of the
new moon" or when asked in a courtroom
what time an occurrence took place should
answer, 1T was during the time OF the latter
rain or "It was at the time Of the third
growing of the barnyardP
You and remember when ministers OF
the Gospel in the country, giving out no
tice OF an evening service, instead Of saying
at or or o'clock. would say: "The ser.
vice will begin at early candle light"
Thank God archaeological achievements
which have ushered in calendars and al
manacs aud clocks and watches, and at 80
cheap rate all may possess them! Chron-
ology, beginning by appreciatfng the value
Of years and the value OF days, has kept on
until it cries out. ''Man, immortal; woman,
immortal; look out for that minute; look out
for that second"
We talk great deal about the valus Of
time, but will never fully appreciate its
value until the last fragment Of 1t has passed
out Of our possession forever. The greatest
fraud man can commit is to rob another
Of his time. Hear it, va laggards and re.
pentl All the fingers OF chronology point to
punctuality as one Of the graces. The min
lister or the lecturer or business man who
comes to his place ten minutes after the ap-
pointed time commits crime the enormity
Of which can only be estimated by multiply
ing the number OF persons present by ten.
If the engagement bs made with five per-
sons, he has stolen fifty minutes, for he Is
ten minutes too late, and he has robbed each
of the five persons Of ten minutes apiece,
and ten times five are fifty.
II there be 500 persons present and he be
ten minutes too late, he has committed