The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-01-04


mercy expect to boone permanent residents.
Furthermore, Iget now from all this an
answer to the QUESTION which every intalli-
gent man and woman since the earth has
stood has asked ind received no answer
why did God let in and sorrow come into
the world when He could have prevented
them from corning! wish reverently 70
say I think hive found the reason. To
keep the uuivere loyal to a. Holy God. it
was important il some world somewhere to
demonstrate tie gigantic disasters that
would come upn any world that allowed
sin to enter. Which world should 1t
bef Well, the smaller the world the bet
ter, for less numbers would suffer. So
our world was selected. The stage was
plenty large eiough for the enactment Of
the tragedy. Enter on the stage sin, fol-
lowed by murter, pain, theft, fraud, i'm
purity, fasehoJd. massacre, war and all the
denominations and horrors and agonies Of
centuries. Although we know comparatively
little about ths other worlds lest we become
completely dissatisfied with our own, no
doubt the othsr worlds have heard and are
now hearing dl about this world in the aw-
full experiment. OF zn which the human race
has been making.
In some war interstellar communication
is open, aud eli voridS either by wing Of
flying sspirittoe By direct comm unlcation
from God, an learning that disloyalsy and
disobedisnce doom snd damn everything
they touch, and the spectacle practically
says to all other worlds: 'Obey God, keep
holy and say In the orbit where you were
intended 20 swing, or you will suffer that
which that eecreant world out yonder has
been suffering Cor thousands Of years" 1t
is no longer to me a;mystery why so small
world as ors was chosen for the tragedy.
A chemist csn demonstrate all the laws OF
earth and haven f. a small laboratory, ten
feet by dvS and our world was not too
small TO dinsonstrate to the universe the
plosive am irving and consuming power.
do not klieye that there Is q world that
has bsenl > existence from the time when
Cop@niG3l the astronomer, Knocked
on the doG ofheaven, to the world thst
last week samai within sight Of the OBJ
seryatory 81 Greenwich, but has heard of
our terrific terrestial experiment, and the
awful objet lesson has thrilled the multi
millioha Of steller population, especially
when they heard that In order to arrest the
disaster OF centuries the World Maker and
3the World Starter and the World Upholder
must give y BIS only Son to assassination
10 expl6te md restore and save the victims
Of She plapstary shipwreck.
on bic bNef Of Pharos, Egypt, metallic
mirror Mssraised which reflected all that
occurrsl beth ion land and sea for distance
of fhyss handfed miles, and 80 Egypt was
fnbrnted Of the coming Of her enemies long
Ssfore their arrivalf By what proceeds 1
know not but in some way this ship OF
etrnrriinr eafth, I think, Is mirrored to
distant worlds. Surely this one experiment
Of j. world unloosing itself from God will
be- euohgh for all worlds and all eternities.
But notice that as other worlds rolled In.
90 the first book Of the Bible the book OF
Genesis they al5o APPEAR In the last book OF
the Bible. the book OF Revelation. They
will take part In the scenes OF that occasion,
which shall be the earth's winding up and
ramendous occasion for you ami me per-
sonaliy. My father was on the turnpike
road between Trenton and Bound Brook,
New Jersey. He was coming through the
night from the legislative halls, where he
was serving his State, to his home where
ehere was sickness. often heard him tell
about it. It was the night of the 18th and
The inorning of the 18th Of November, 1888.
z The sky was cloudless and the air clear.
Suddenly the whole heavens became scene
never TO be forgotten. From the constella-
tion Leo meteors began to shoot out in all
directions. For the two hours between four
and six In the morning it was estimated that
4 thousand meteors minute flashed and ex-
pired. It grew lighter than MONDAY: Ar
rows of fire. Balls Of fire. Trails OF fre.
Showersof fire. Some Of the appearances
were larger than the full moon. All around
the heavens explosion followed explosion;
Sounds as well as dghts: The alr hlied
With uproar. AL the Iuminaries OF the sky
seemed to have received marching orders.
The heavens ribbed and interiaced and gar
landed with meteoric display, From hor1-
ron to horizon everything in combustion
and conhagration.
y The spectacle ceased not until the rising
nm of che November morning eclipsed IT
Ind the whole American nation sat down
exhausted with the agitations Of night to
be memorable until the earth itself shall be-
come falling star. The Bible closes with
such a scene OF falling lights-not only
sfdgety meteors but grave old stars 81.
John saw it in prospect and wrote, "ihe
stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as
a fig tree casteth her untimely fgs when Hhe
is shaken of a mighty wind" WHAT tsne
there Will be when worlds drop! Rain OF
planets. Grayitation letting loose her grip
on worlis. Consultations flying apart. Gal
axies dissolved.
The great orchard Of the universe, swept
by the last hurricane, letting down the stars
Ike ripened fruit. Our old earth will 20
with the rest, and let it 60, for it will have
existed long enough to complete its tremen
dous experiment. But there will be enough
worlds left to make heaven out OF 1t, II any
more heaven needs to be built That day
finding us in Christ, our nature regenerated
and our Sins pardoned. and our hope trium.
phant we will feel no more alarm than
when in September, passing through an or
chard, you hear the apples thump to the
ground, or through conservatory and you
hear an untimely fig drop on the foor.
You win only 60 upstairs into another
story, a better lighted story. better
furnished story, a better ventilated story.
a better pictured story, and into story
where already many Of your Kindred are
waiting for you and where propns1s s.1as ano
tial visitation, and where, with rapture
beyond the most radiant anticipation, you
shall bow before Him that "buildeth dis
stories in the heavens"