The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-05-03

the Christian life because OF the fncorrigi-
bility Of their temper. Now, we admit IL Is
harder for some people to become Christians
than for others. but the gracs OF God never
came to mountain that it could not CHINO.
or to an abyss that it could not fathom. or
to bondage that 1t could not break. Ide
widest horse that ever trod Arabian sands
has been broken to bit and trace. The mad.
est torrent tumbling from mountain
shelving has been harnessed to the mill
wheel and the factory band. setting thou
sand shuttles all a-buzz and a-clatter, and
the widest, the haughtiest the most un-
governable man ever created by the grace
Of God may be subduei and sent out on
ministry of kindness, as God sends an
August thunderstorm to water the Wild
flowers down in the grass.
Good resolution, reformatory effort, will
not effect the change. It takes a mightier
arm and q mightier hand to bend evil
habits than the hand that bsnt the bow OF
Ulysses, and it takes a stronger lasso than
ever held the buffalo on the prairie. man
cannot go forth with any human weapons
and contend successfully against these
Titans armed with uptorn mountains. But
you have known men into whose spirit the
influence of the gospel OF Christ came until
their disposition was entirely changed. 80
it was with two merchants in New YORK.:
They were very antagonistic. They had
done all they could to injure each other.
They were IN the same line OF business. One
Of the merchants was converted to God.
Having been converted, he asked the Lori
to teach him how to bear himself toward
that business antagonist, and he was i'm
pressed with the fact that it was his duty
when customer asked for a certain kind of
goods which he had not, but which he knew
his opponent had, to recommend him to go
to that store. suppose that Is about the
hardest thing the man could do, but being
thoroughly converted to God he resolved to
do that very thing. and being asked for a
certain kind of goods which he had not he
said, "You 90 to such and such store and
you will get it." After awhile merchant
No. 2 found these customers coming so
sent, and he found also that merchant No.
had been brought to God, and he sought the
same religion. Now they are good friends
and good neighbors, the grace Of God en-
tirely changing their disposition
"Oh," says some one II have rouga.
Jagged, impetuous nature and religion can't
do anything for me-" Do you know that
Martin Luther and Robert Newton and
Richard B.xter were impetuous, all con.
suming natures, yet the gracs Of God turned
them into the mightiest usefulness. Oh,
how many who have been pugnacious and
hard to please and irascible and more both
cred about the mote in their neighbor's eye
than about tbs beam like ship tlmbsr IN
their own eye havs bsen entirely changed
by the grace Of God and have found out
that ''godliness is profitable for the life that
now is as well as for the life which Is to
come"
Peter with nature tempestuous as the sea
that he once tried 20 walk, at one look OF
Christ went out and wept bitterly. Rich
harvests of grace may grow on the tiptop OF
the Jagged steep. and focks OF Christian
graces may find pasturage In fields OF bram-
be all a.bristle with fretfulness, though you
have temper a-glesm with quick light
niugs, though your avarics be Ike that OF
the horss-leech, crying, 'Give" though
damuable impurities have wrapped you in.
all consuming fire, God can drive that devil
out of your soul, and over the chaos and the
darkness He can say, Let there be light"
Converting grace has lifted the drunxard
from the ditch and snatched the knife from
the hand Of the assassin aud the false Keys
from the burglar, and in the peetiferous
lanes OF the city met the daughter OF sin
under the dim lamplight and scattered her
sorrow and her guilt with the words, "Thy
sips are forgiven-yo and sin no more" For
scarlet sin q scarlet etonement.
Other persons apologize for not entering
the Christion life because OF the lnconsIsten.
cies Of those who profess religion. There are
thousands Of poor farmers. They do not
know the nature Of soil nor the proper rota-
ton Of crops. Their corn is shorter in the
stalk and smaller in the ear. Tney have ten
less bushels to the acre than their neighbors.
But who declines being a farmer because
there are so many poor farmers.
There are thousands Of incompetent mer.
chants. They buy at the wrong time. ThsY
bale Of goods is to them disaster. They fail
after q while and 60 out or business. But
who declines to be q merchant because
there are so many incompetent merchants!
There :re thousands Of poor lawyers. They
cannot draw a declaration that will stand
the test. They cannot recover just dam
ages. They cannot help defendent escaps
from the injustice Of his prosecutors. They
are the worst evidence against any case in
which they are retained. But who declines
to be a lawyer because there are 80 many
incompetent lawyerss Yet there are tens
OF thousands Of people who decline being re-
ligious because there are 80 many unworthy
Christians. Now, say it is illogical. Poor
lawyers are nothing against Jurisprudence
poor physicians are nothing against medl-
cine poor farmers are nothing against agri-
culture, and mean, contemplate professors
OF religion are nothing against our glorious
Christianity.
Sometimes you have been riding along on
q summer night by swamp, and you have
seen lights that kindled over decayed vege-
tation-ights which ara cslle1 jack-o'-lan-
tern or will-o'-the.wisp. These lights are
merely poisonous miasmata. My friends, on
your way to heaven you will want better
light than the will-o-the-wisps which dance
on the rotten character OF dead Christians.
Exuiations from POISONOUS trees in our
neighbors garden will make very poor
balm, for our wounds.
Sickness will coma, ami we will BE- pushed
out toward the Rod Sea which divides this
world from the next, and not the incon-
sistency of Christians but the rod Of faith
wilr wave back the waters as a commander
wheels his host. The judgment will come
with its thundershod solemnities, atten led
by bursting mountains and the deep laugh
OF earthquakes, and suns will fly before the
feet of God like sparks from the anvil, and
10000 burning worlds shall blaz like BAN
ners in the track OF God omnipotent. Oh,
then we will stop and say, There was
mean Christian; there was a cowardly
In that day as now, IF thou be wise. thou
shalt be wise for thyself, bu5 if thou scorn-
est thou alone shall hear il" Why, my
brother, the inconsistency OF Christians so
far from being an argument to keep you
away from God ought to be an argument to
drive you to Him. The.best place for skill
full doctor is neghoorhood where they are
all poor doctors: the best place for an enter
prising merchant to open his store Is In q
pace where the bargain makers do not un.
Gerstand their business, and the best place
for you who want to become the illustrlous
and complete Christians-rhe best place for
you is to come right down among us who
are so incompetent and so inconsistent some
times.