The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1893-04-27
But who declines being farmer because

There arc thousands Of Incompetent
merchants. They buy at the wrong
time. They get cheated in the sale of
Their goo Is. Every bale OF goods is to |
them bale 0: disaster. They tail after
awhile and 30 ont of business. Bu. who
declines to b. q merchant because there
aro so many inc )mpeteot merchants?
There are thousands Of poor lawyers.
They cannHt draw Il declaration that
viii stan tlt test. They caauot re.
cover Just damages. They caunot help
Il d2tand,nt csc iNc from tha inicstice IF
his Nnrsccu,ors They are the worst evil
d@"c" HGG'rst nny case IN which they re.
tanned. But WHO dccl'ues to be a law.
yer b;cNIsc their a"a SO m my inc0 u.
pctcnt iavycrs?
Ict there are tens If tn ,auls OF
p""r e who decline being religion be-
cause t"erc are so macy unworthy Chris.
ulns. Now, say it is Illogical. Po1
lawyers are Gothln% against jurisprud-
cncc, poor physicians are uOthng against
medicine. DDrr fafm,rS are nothing
against agriculture, and mean Coute npti-
ole professors Of rel giGn are no,hinu
against our glorious Christianity.
SOM e.lmnS vOu have been ridny along
on 4 sutnrcr night by swamp, and YOU
nave seer lights that kiudleG over de-
caYcd regctation-!ights which arc call
ca lack-O'-lantcrn or will-o'-,he-wIsU.
These lights are merely poisonous mias-
ina!a. NV friends, oD SOur way to heav.
Ell Won will Wanta better light thau the
wlIl-o'-:he e-wisps which dauc, on the
rotten character o; dead Christians. EX-
udahous from poisonous trees in our
ne'Jhb >r's garden will make a very Door
balm Tor our wounds.
Sickness will come, and we will be
pushed out toward the Red sea which
divides this world from the next, and
not the inconsistency Of Christians but
the rod Of faith will wave back the wa
| terS as 4 commander wheels his host
The Judgment wilt come, with it's
thunderShod sOlemnities, attended by
! bursting mountains and the deep laugh
| CT earthquakes, and suns will fly be
| fore the feet of God like sparks from
| tn" anvil, and ten thousand burning
| worlds Shall blaze like banners in the
| track OF God omnipotent. Oh, then
We will not stop aud say, "There was a
| mean ChriStian; there was a cowardly
| Christian; there was Il lying Christian; {;
| there WIS an impure Christian.' In
| that day, rs now, "If thou be wise, thou
shalt he wise Tor thySelf, but if thou
| scorneSt thou alone shall bear it,"
! why, mJ brother, the Inconsistency
Of Christians, so far from being an ar
| gumeAt to keep you away fir ON God.
ought TO be Al. argument TO drive you
| t. him. The best place for Skillful
| doctor Is N a neighborhood where
| they are Al poor doctors; the best place
Tor an enterprislng merchant to open
his store is in a place where the bar
| gain makers 90 not understand their
| business, and the best place for YOU
VINO WALT to become the ilustrious
and complete Christian, the best place
Tor you is to come right down among
us VINO are 50 incompetent and so N,
consistent sometimes
Oth"r prisons apologize for not be
coming Christians because they lack
5 time, Il, though religion mudlled the
, Draia OF Tie ace )untant. Or tripped the
pen OF the author, or thickened the
| lONIne OF tho orator, or weakened the
| arm OF the merchant, or scattered tn,
!. briefs o! "a" lWyer, or interrupted thu
Sle5 OF ;ho merchant. They bolt thei
store doors against it ana light it bach
- with troWe;s and yardStlckS and cry
~ AWAY with your religion from ou
> store, cur office, our factOry.'
They d not understand that religion
| in this Workadiy world will help YOU
| can lay keel: 1t can sail Il ship: it can
| Olly Il cargo; II can work Il pulley; it
| can pave street: Il can iiL Il wrist
| Oa'lu; IT can write a constitution. it
! car marshal Il host. 1t is as appropri
at" to the astronomer as his telescope;
TO the chemist rs his l3bratOry; to the
| mason as his plumblinc; to the carpen-
| ter as his plane: to the child as his
| hlrhtlS: 10 the grandfather as his staff.
] a. I'M ~ i,n oil
| nave no time not to be religious. You
might as well have no clerks in your
| store, no books in your library, no
| compass on your ship, no rifle in the
battle. no hat tor your head, no coat for
your BACK, no shoes for your feet. Bet
ter travel on toward eternlty bareh cad
| ed and barcfOOtcd and huuSelesS and
homeless and frcndless than to go
| through life without religion
Did religion make RAJ Ugh any less of
| statesman, or Ilavelock any less of a
| soldier, or Grinnell any less of mer-
| chant, or West any less Of painter? :?
| heI giou IS the best security in every
bargain. 1t is the sweetest note in
every song: it is the brightest gem in
| every cornct. No Time to he religious :?
| why, you will have TO take time to be
| sick, 10 ID" troubled, to die Our world
Is only the wharf Iro,n which we are
to embark for henvcn. No time to Sc
cure the friendship Of Christ? No
| time to buy Il lamp and trim it for
| that walk through the darkness which
| otherwise will Ea iiiumined only by
| the WhiteneSS Of the tombstones? No
| time To educate the eye for heavenly
| splendorS, or the hand for choral harps,
or the ear for everlasting songs. or the
soul for honor, 2lor. and immortality =
One would think we had tune for
| nothing else.
Other persons apologize for not en-
tering the Christian life because it is
time enough yet. That Is very like
those persons who send their regrets
and say: 81 Will come in perhaps at 1 1
or II O'Clock. will nos be there at the
opening of the banquet, but will be
there at the close" Not yet. Not yet.
Now, | do not give any doleful view
of this life. There is nothing in my
nature, nothing in the grace of God,
that tends toward a doletul view Of
human life. / have not much sympa-