The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-08-23

J
remember how your hand trembled as YOU
took the cup OF the holy communion. lou
remember the old minister who consecrated
II and YOU remember the church officials
who carried it through the aisle You re.
member the old people who at the close OF
the service took your hand IN theirs IN con-
graduating sympathy. as much as TO say,
SWelcome home, you lost prodigal, ana
thoucb those hands have all wlthered away
that communion Sabbath Is reSurrecteo TO-
day. It is resurrected with all its prayers
and songs and tears and sermons ana trans o
fvuration. Have you kept those VOWS!
Have YOU been a backslider2 God help you
This day kneel at tie foot of mercy and start
again for heaven. Start to-day as you
started then. I rouse your soul by tnat
"reminiscences.
But must not spend any more Of mYftme
In going over the advantages OF your LIE. l
Just put them all In one great smear, ana
bind them up in your memory WITH one louo
harvest song, such as reapers sing. frass
the Lord, ye blood bought mortals on earth
Praise the Lord, ys crowned spirits OF heav-
en-!
But some OF you have not always had
smooth life. Some Of you are now In, the
shadow. Others had their troubles years ago :
Won are mere wreck Of what you once were.
must gather up the sorrows OF your past
life, but how shall do It? You say tnat ls
impossible, as you have had 30 many troubles
and adversitles. Then I will just take two,
the first trouble and the last trouble:
And when you are walking along the street
and there has been music In the distance
you unconsoiously find yourselves keeping
step to the music, 80 when you started lie
your very life was musical timebeat. The
air was full OF Joy and hilarity. WITH the
bright, clear oar, you made the boat skip:
You went on, and life grew brighter, until
after awhile suddenly voice from heaven
said, "Haltr' And you halted. You grew
pale. You confronted your first SORROW.
You had no idea that the fash on your
child's cheek was an unhealthy flush. You
in ylippered feet walked round about the
cradle. You did not hear the tread, but
after awhile the truth flashed on you. You
walked the floor Oh, II you could, with
your strong, stout hand, have wrenched the
child from the destroyer!
You went to your room, and you said:
"God, save my child! God, save my child d"
The world seemed going out in darkness,
You said, 'I cannot bear 1t, cannot bear
itw You felt as II you could not put the
lashes over the bright eyes never to see them
again sparkle. Oh, If you could have taken
that little one in your arms and with 1t
leaped into the grave, how gladly you would
have done it Oh, II you could let your
property 60, your houses, your land and
your storehouse 60, how gladly you would
have allowed them to depart II you could
only have kept that one treasure!
But one day there arose from the heavens
q chill blast that swept over the bedroom,
and instantly all the light went out, and
there was dsrkness-thick, murky, 1mpene.
trable, shudderlng darkness. But GOD DID
we're about to put that cup to your lips God
said, sLet it pass" and forthwith as by the
hand of angels, another cup was put into
your hands. It was the cup OF Gods conso.
iation. And as you have sometimes lifted
the head Of wounded soldier and poured
wine into his lips, 80 God puts His left arm
under your head, and with His right hand
He pours into your lips the wine OF His com
fort and His consolation, and you looked at
the empty cradle and looked at your broken
heart, and you looked at the Lords chas-
for so it seemeth good In Thy sight"
All, it Is your first trouble. How did you
get over it? God comforted you. You have
been better man ever since. You have been
q better woman ever since. In the jar OF the
closing gate OF the sepulcher you heard the
Changing OF the opening gate OF heaven and
you felt an irresistible drawing hesvenward.
You have been purer and holier Of heart ever
since that night when the little one for the
last time put its arms around your neck and
said: "Good night papa. Good night,
mamma. Meet nae in heaven"
But must come on down to your later
sorrow. What was itp Perhaps 1t was sick
ness. The chiId's tread on the stair or the
tick of the watch on the stand disturbs you
Through the long, weary days you counted
the figures on the carpet or the flowers in
the wall paper. Oh, the weariness and ea-
haustionl oh. the burning pangs! Would
God 1t were morning, would God 1t were
night, were your frequent cry. But you are
better-perhaps even we'll. Have youthanked
God that to-day you can come out in the fresh
air that you are in this place to hear Coda
name, and to sing Gods praise, and to I'M
plore Gods help, and to ask Gods forgive
ness? Bless the Lord who healeth all our
diseases and redeemeth our lives from de-
struction.
Perhaps your last sorrow was q financial
embarrassment. congratulate some OF you
on your lucrative profession or occupation,
on ornate apparel, on commodious resi-
dence-eyerything you put your hand to
seems to turn to gold. But there are others
of you who are like the ship ON which Paul
sailed where two seas met, and you are
broken by the violence Of the waves. BY an
unadvised Endorsement. or by a conjunction
Of unforeseen events, or by fire or storm, or
senseless panic, you have been flung head
long. and where you once dispensed great
charities now you have hard work to make
the two ends meet.
Have you forgotten 10 thank God for your
days OF prosperity, and that through your
trials some Of you have made Investments
which will continue after the last bank OF
this world has exploded and the silver and
IN ~ h1yr
Have you, amid all your losses and Ctscour-
asements. forgot that there was bread on
YOUR table this morning and that there shall
be shelter for your head from the storm,
and there Is air for your lungs and blood for
your heart and light for your eye and glad
and glorious and triumphant religion for
your soul?
Perhaps your last trouble was bereave-
ment. That heart which in childhood was
your refuge, the parental heart, and Wh1ch
has been q source Of the quickest sympathy
ever since, has suddenly become silent for
ever. And now sometimes whenever n sud-
den annoyance and without deliberation you
say, 81 will 90 and tell mothsr," the thought
flashes on you, '.I have no mother" Or the
father. with voice less tender. but at heart az
earnest and loving-watchful OF al your
ways, e1ultant over your success WltGcut
saying much, although the old people DO
talk it over by themselves-is taken away
forever.
Or there was your companion in life,
sAarer Of your joys and sorrows, takea. leav-
ing the heart an old ruin, where the i'll winos
blow over 3 wide wilderness OF desolatioE.
the sands OF the desert driving across the
place which once blooned like the garden OF
God. And Abraham mourns for Sarah at
the cave OF Mschpelah. Going along you.
path in life. suddenly, right before yol was
an open grave.
People looked down. end they saw It was
only few feet deep and few feet Wide. but