The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-08-09

The fact Ia we fight with too dull weapons,
and we work with too dull implements. we
hack and we maui when we ought to make
clean stroke. Let us 90 over among shArp
business men and among sharp literary men
and find out what their taste Is, and then
transfer it to the cause OF Christ. Ii they
have science and art. 1t will do US goou TO
rub against it. In other words. let us en-
ploy the worlds grindstones. We will listen
to their music, and we will watch their acu-
men, and we will use their grindstones. and
we will borrow their philosophical apparatus
to make our experiments, and we will bor-
row their printing presses to publish our
Bibles, and we viii! borrow their rail trains
to carry our Christian literature, and we
will borrow their ships to transport our
missionaries.
That was what made Paul such master In
his day. He not only got all the learning he
could get OF DR.. Gamalel, but afterward
standing on Mars hill and In crowded thor
oughfares quoted their poetry and grasped
their logic and welded their eloqueace and
employed their mythology until Dlonysius,
the Areopagite, learned in the schools OF
Athens and Heliopolis, went down under his
tremendous powers.
That was what gave Thomas Chalmers his
power in his day. He conquered the worlds
astronomy and compelled it to ring out the
the second time the morning stars sang to-
gether, and all the sons of God shouted Tor
ioy. That was what gave to Jonathan Ed
wards his influence in his day. He con-
uuered the worlds metaphysics and forcedit
into the service of God, until not only the
old meeting house in Northampton, Mass,
but all Christendom, felt thrilled by his
Christian power.
Well, now, my friends, we all have tools OF
Christian usefulness. Do not let them lose
their edges. We want no rusty blades in
this fight We want no Golfer that cannot
rip UP the glebe. We want no ak that can
not fell the trees. We want no goad that
cannot start the lazy team. Let us get the
very best grindstones we can find, though
they be in the possession of the Philistines.
compelling them to turn the crank, while We
bear down with all our might on the swift
revolving wheel until all our energies and
faculties shall be brought up to bright,
keen, sharp, glittering edge.
Again, my subject teaches us on what
small allowance Philistine iniquity puts
man. Yes, these Philistines shut up the
mines. and then they took the spears and the
swords, then they took the blacksmiths, then
they took the grindstones, and they took
everything but file. Oh, that is the way sin
works. It grabs everything. 1t begins with
robbery, and it ends with robbery. 1t de-
spoils this faculty and that faculty and keeps
on until the whole nature is gone. Was the
man eloquent before, it generally thtckens
his tongue. Was he fine in personal appear
ance, it mars his visage. Was he afhuent, it
sends the sheriff to sell him out. Was he in
huentisl, 1t destroys his popularity. Was be
placid and genial and loving, it makes him
splenetic and cross, and 80 utterly is he
changed that you can see he is sarcastic and
rasping and that the Philistines have left him
nothing but q file.
Oh, .'the way Of the transgressor is hard.
His cup is bitter. His night Is dark. His
pangs are deep. His end is terrific. Philis-
tine iniquity says to that man, snow, sur
render to me, and will give you all you
want-music for the dance, swift steeds
for the race, imperial couch to slum-
ber on, and you shall be refreshed with the
rarest fruits In baskets OF golden f1ligree."
He lies. The music turns out to be groan.
The fruits burst the rind with rank poison.
The filigree is made up Of twisted snakes.
The couch is grave. Small allowance OF
rest, small allowance Of peace, small allow
ance of comfort. Cold, hard, rough-noth-
ing but a file. So it was with Voltaire, the
most applauded man Of his day:
The Scripture was bis textbook, whence he drew :
Bonmots to gall the Christian and the Jew
An fnndel when wei but what when sickf
Oh, then text would touch him to the quick
Seized with hemorrhage OF the lungs in
Paris. where he had gone to be crowned in
the theates as an idol Of all France, he sends
a messenger to get priest that he may be
reconciled to the church before he dies.
great terror falls upon him. He makes the
place all round about him 80 dismal that the
nurse declares that she would not for all the
wealth Of Europe see another inhdel die.
Philistine iniquity had promised him sll the
worlds garlands, but in the last hour OF his
life, when he needed solaoing. sent tearing
across his conscience and his nerves file, q
file. y E. = e..
So it was with Lord Byron. his unclesnness
in England only surpassed by his ruclean-
ness in Venice. then going on to his brilliant
misery at Missolonghi, and fretting at his
nurse Fletcher. fretting at himself, fretting
at the world, fretting at God, and he who
gave to the world ''Childe Harold" aud
':Sardanspalus," and THE Prisoner Of
Chillon," and THE Siege Of Corinth," re-
ducei to nothing but file.
Oh, sin has great facility for making prom
ises, but it has just rs great facility for
breaking them. A Christian life Is the only
cheerful life, while life OF wicked surrender
is remorse, ruin and death. Its painted glee
is sepulchral ghastliness. In the brightest
days Of the Mexican Empire Montezuma
said be felt knawing at his heart something
beast Of the forest. sometimes licks ali over
its victim h order that the victim may be
more easily swallowed; but generally sin
rasps and gals and tears and upbraids and
files. Ia it not 80, Herod? Is it not so, Hill
debrand? Is it not 80, Robesplerre? Aye
aye it is so: it is so. .'The wey OF the
wicked He turneth upside down."
History tells us that when Rome was
founded, on that day there were 12 Vultures
flying through the air, but when u trans
gressor dies the skies Is black with whole
hocks Of them. Vultures! When see sin
robbing 80 many people, and see them go
ing down day by day and week by week,
must give q plain warning. I dare not keep
1t back lest I risk the salvation OF my own
soul. Rover, the pirate. pulled down the
warning bell on Inchcape rock, thinking that
he would have L chance to despotl vessels
that were crushed on the rocks. but one
night his own ship crashed down on this
very rock, and he went down with all his
cargo. God declares, when l say to tho
wicked thou shalt surely die, and thou
giyest him not warning, that Same man shall
die in his iniquity. but his blood will re-
ouire at thy hands"
I learn from this subject what sad thing
il Is when the church Of God loses its metal.
These Phiistines saw that IL they could only
get nil the metallic weapons out OF the hands
OF the Israelites all would be well, an there
fore they took the swords and the spears.
They did not want them to have single me-
tallic weapon. When the metal OF the Is
raelites was gone, their strength was gone.
This Is the trouble withth church OF God to-
day. 1t Is surrendsriaS its courage. 1t has
not got enough metal. How seldom it is that
YOU seq 3 man taking his position III i pew,
or in pulpit, or in Il religious society. and
holding that position against all oppression,
and all tra!, and all persecution, and all crit
icism.
The church of God to-day wants more