The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-02-15

ligion OF Christ comes to him and saws:
"You are sick and your sickness is to be
moral publication; you are bereaved; God
wanted n 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 go.n I do not say
that religion explains everything in this life.
but / do say 1t lays down certain principles
which are grandly consolatFy. You know
business men often telegraph in ciphers.
The merchant in San Francisco telegraphs
to the merchant in New York certain infor-
nation in ciphers which no other man IN
that line OF business can understand, but
the merchant in San Francisco has the key
TO the cipher, and the merchant In New York
has the kew to the cipher, and on that In
formation transmitted there are enterprises
involving hundreds Of thousands OF dollars.
Now. the providences Of life sometimes
,eem to be q ssnseless rignsrole, mystert-
Gus cipher, but God has key to that cipher,
and the Christian key to that cipher, and,
though he may hardly be able tospsll out the
meaning, he gets enough Of the meantng to
understand that 1t Is for the best. Now is
there not sunshine in that? Is there not
pleasure In thati Far bsyond laughter, IL
Is nearer the fountain OF tears than ooisser-
Gus demonstration. Have you never cried
lOyf 4H6T0 dEo uootS oko SsSAAse>
rapture in distillation.
There are hundreds of people in this house
who are walking day by day In the sublime
working together for good for their soul.
How-a man can get along through this LIE
without the explanation Is to me mystery.
What is that child gone forever? Are you
never to get it backs? Is your property gone
forever2 Is your soul to De bruised and to
be tried forevers Have you no explanation.
no Christian explanation, and yet not q
maniaos But when you have the religion OF
Jesus Christ in your soul, it explains every
thing so far as it is hest for you to under.
stand, You look of In lite and your soul
is full Of thanksgiving to God taat you are
SO much better of than you might be.
A man passed down the street without
any shoes and said: ~ have no shoes. Isn't
IL a hardship that have no shoes? Other peo-
Die have shoes; no shoes, no shoes" until he
saw a man who had no feet. Then he
learned a lesson. You ought to thank God
for what He does, instead of grunbling TOR
what He does not. God arranges all the
weather in this world-the spiritual
weather. the moral weather as well as tne
natural weather. "What kind Of weather
will it be to-dayT said some one to a farmer.
The farmer replied, 1T will be such weather
as like" "WhaJ do you mean by that" !"
asked the other. ''Well," said the farmer,
"it will be sucn weather as pleases the LORD,
and what pIeases the Lord pleases me-"
Oh. the sunshine! the sunshine OF Chris
tian expIauationl Here is some one bending
over the grave OF the dead. What Is going
to be the consolation? The flowers you
strew upon the tomb? On, no! The SER
vices read at the grave? On, no. The
chief consolation on tnat grave ls what falls
from the throne OF God. Sunshine, glori-
ous sunshine. Resurrection sunshine.
Again, find great deal OF the sunshine
OF this Bible and OF our religion in rne
climacteric joys that are to come. a man
who gets up and goes out from con-
cert right after the opening voluntary
has been played, and before the prima
donna sings or before the orchestra
beains. has better idea OF that concert
than that man has who supposes that the
chief ioys of religion are IN TINS world. We
here have only the first note OF the eternal
orchestra. We shall In that world have the
ioy of discovery. We will In five minutes
catch up with the astronomers, the geolo.
gists. the scientists; the philosophers OF all
ages who so far surpassed Us IN this worln.
We can afford to adjourn astronomy anu
geology and many Of tne sciences to the nexs
world. because we snail There nave better ap'
paratus and better opportunity.
must study these sciences 20 tar as 70
help me in my WORK, ou1 oeyono tnas
must give myself to saving my own soul
and saving the souls Of Others, knowing that
in one fash OF eternity we will catca 1t all.
oh, what an observatory IN which to stuiy
astronomy heaven will be, no5 by power OF
TELESCOPE, but by supernatural; vision: and
II there be something doubtful lO,0J00 0OJ
miles away, by one stroke OF tho wing you
are there' by another strole OF the wing
vo,, are bscx again, and all in less time than
tell YOU, catching 1t all IN ons hasn' o.
eternity.
And geologyi What place that will bs
to study geology, when the world IS being
picked 70 p:ecss as easily as schoolgirl In,
botanical lessons, pulls the leaf from the
corolal What place TO study architecture,
amid the thrones and the palaces and the
cathedrals-St Marks and ST. PauPs rooS-
cries in comparison.
Sometimes you wish you could make the
tour OF the whole earth, going around as
others have gone but you hays not the time;
YOU have not the means. You will MAKE
that tour vet during one musical pause in
the eternal anthem. I say THESE things for
the comfort Of those people wao are abridged
in their opportunities people TO
whom life is a hu.ndrun, who toll and work,
and toll and work, and aspire after knowi-
edge. but have no time to get it, and say:
'If had the opportunities which other peo-
ple have, how would I'LL my mind and soul
with grand thoughts" Be not discourage.
my friends. You are going to the university
vet. Death will only matriculate you into
the royal college Of tbs universe.
What a sublime thing ir was that D:.
Thornwel, OF South Carolins, uttsred in his
last dying moments! As he looked up ne
said, "It opens; it expands; it exoands." I"
Or as Mr.. Toplady, the author OF "Rock OF
Ages" in his last monent,or during his last
hours, looked up and said, as thou "a he saw
something supernatural. Light" and then
as be came on nearer the dying moment,
his couutenance more luminous, ne cried,
"Lightm and at tho very moment OF his de-
parture lifted both han is, something su osr-
natural in his couutenance as ne criet,
'Lightp' Only anotoer name for sunSoins.
Besides that we shall have all the pie tsurss
of association. We will go right Up in rht
front or God without any fright. All our
sins cone. there will be nothing to bs trlgnIr
eued about. There our old Christian friends
will troop around US. just as now one or
your SICK friends goes away to FLORIDA, tao
land OF flowers, or to the south OF tranc-,
and you do not see him for long "nlle, AM
after while you meet him, AM tue noilo"s
undar the eyes are all filled. and the aopst,5s
has come back, and the crutch has been
thrown away, and he is 50 caanged you hard
ly know him. You say; Why, never saw
YOU look so WE'LL" He says: II couldn't
help but be well. have been sailing these
rivers and climbing these mountains, and
that's how got this elasticity. never was
so well.'
On. my friends, your departed loved ones
are only away for their health in better
climate, and when you meet them they will
be SO changed you will hardly know them.
thew will be so very muca changed, and
aftsr awhile, when you are assured that
they are your friends, your denarted friends.