The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-12-20
physician 50 skilful or so mighty as the Fl


greatest doctors have been the Abernethies
and Abercrombies that have come down
over the highlands horsed on tie north wind.
England has had her great physicians. but
her greatest doctors have been the Andrew
Clarkes and the Mackenzies who appeared
the first night the fields Of England were
trimmed with white. America has had its
great physicians. but her great est doctors
have been the Willard Parkers and Valentine
Motifs who landed from bleak skies while
our fingers were benumbed and our ears
tingled with the cold. Oh. it is high time
that you add another line to your liturgy!
It is high time that you make an addendum
to your prayers. It is high time that you
enlarge the catalogue of your blessings.
Thank God for frost. II Is the best of all
germicides. It is the only hope in bacteriot-
ogy. It is the medicament of continents. It
ls the salvation of our temperate zone. It is
the best tonic that God ever gave the human
race. 1t is the only strong stimulant which
has no reaction. The best commentary on
1t had while walking near here one cool
the most of his life as missionary in China,
and in that part of it where there are no
frosts. He said there was a tingiing glad
ness in his nerves indescribable, and an almost
intoxication Of delight from the fact that 1t
was the first time for years he had felt the
sensation Of frost. We complain OF 1t, We
scold it. we frown upon it, when we ought
to be stirred by it to gratitude and hoist it on
doxology. '-a
But must 20 farther and speak OF the
frost as q jeweler. ;AsAthe snow is frozen
rain, so the frost is frozen dew. God trans
forms 1t from liquid into crystal. It is
the dew glorifled. In the thirty-eighth chap
ter Of that inspired drama, the book Of Job,
God says to the inspired dramatist with
ecstatic Interrogation. 1.-The hoary frost OF
heaven, who hath gendered it2" God there
asks JOB II he knows the parentage Of
the frost. He inquiries about Its pedigree.
He suggests that Job study up the frost's
genealogical line. A minute before God had
asked about the parentage Of raindrop IN
words that years ago gave me suggestive
text for sermon. "Hath the rain father"
But now the Lord Almighty is catechising
Job about the frost. He practically says:
"Do you know its father? Do you know its
mother? In what cradle'ot the leaves did
the wind rock it2 The hoary frost Of heaven,
who hath gendered it?'"
He is stupid Christian who thinks 80
much Of the printed and bound Bible that
he neglects the Old Testament Of the fields,
nor reads the wisdom and kindness and
beauty of God written In blossoms on the
orchard, In sparkIes on the lake, in stars on
the sky, in frost on.the meadows. The
greatest jeweIer of all thee earth Is the frost.
There is nothing more wonderful In all
crystanography. Some morning In Decem-
Der whole continent is found besprent with
diamonds, the result OF one nights work by
this jeweler. ..
Do you make the depreciatory remark that
the frost Is impermanent and will last only
two or three hours? What of thatp We go
into London tower and look at the crown
IL, - t., orI I>,,fx fpo n,
that the guards keep moving on, and five
minutes or less are your only opportunity OF
looking at those crown jewels, but at the
crown Jewels bestarred OF the frost in parks
and fields you may stand olook deliberately
and for hours, and no oneto tell you to move
on. ...
. o., these regalias and diadems OF beauty
flung out OF heaven! Kings and queens on
celebrative days have come riding through
the streets throwing handfuls Of silver and
gold among the people, but the queen OF the
winter morning is the only queen rich enough
to throw pearls, and the king of frost the
only king rich enough to throw opals and
sapphires and diamonds. Homer describes
o necklace Of amber given to Penelope, but
the frost necklaces q continent. The carcanet
OF precious stones given to Harmonic had
pinions of orange jasper and white moon
stone and Indian agate, but 1t was misfor-
tune to any one who owned or inherited II,
and its history, generation after generation,
was history Of disaster, but the regalia Of
frost is the good fortune OF every morning
that owns it. g
The imperial household OF Louis, XVI
could not afford the diamond necklace which
had been ordered for Queen Marie Antoinette,
and 1t was stolen and taken apart and lost,
but the necklace that the frost puts on the
wintry morning, though made of as many
briltants as the withered glass blades, is
easily afforded by divine opulence and is
never lost, but after its use In the coronation
of the fields is taken back to heaven. o men
and women, accustomed to go into ecstasy
when In foreign travel you come upon the
historical gems OF Nations, whether the jewel
be called the Mountain Of Glory, or the Sea
OF Light, or the Crown of the Moon, or the
Eye Of Allah, or the Star OF Sarawak, or the
Koh-i-noor, implead you study the jewels
strswn all round your wintry home and rea-
lie that "by the breath of God frost Is
given"
But 80 step farther and speak OF the
frost as an evangelist, and a text of Scripture
Is not OF much use to me unless can find
the gospel in it. The Israelites in the will
derness breskfasted on something that
looked like frozen dew, and the dew evapor-
ated and left pulverized material, white and
IL
that they ate. So now this morning, mixed
with the frozen dew. OF my text, there is
mama on which we can breakfast our sou1s.
You say the frost kills. Yes, It kills some
things, but we have already seen that it gives
health and life to others. This gospel Is the
SAVIOR OF life unto life or Of death unto death.
As the frost Is mighty, the gospel Is mighty.
As the frost descends from heaven. the gospel
descends from heaven. By the breath OF
God frost is given. By the breath Of Godthe
gospel Is given. AZ the frost puri6es, 80 the
grace OF God puriaes. As the frost bestars
the earth, 50 grace bejewels the soul. As the
irost prepares for food many things that
otherwise would be inedible, 80 the frost OF
trialsripens and prepares food for the soul. In
the tight grip Of the frost the hard shells OF
walnut and chestnut and hickory open, and
the luxuries of the woods come into our laps
or upon our tables so the frost OF trial takes
many hard and prickly shell and crushes
it until that which stun2 the soul now
feeds it.
There are passages of Scripture that once
were enisrnas, puzzles, riddles and imposs:-
bilities for you 10 understand, but ths frosts
oftrouble after awhile exposed the full mean
Ing to your soul. You said, 81 do not sea
why David keeps rolling over in his psalm
the story OF how he was pursued and perse-
cuted." He describes himself rs surrounded
by bees. He says, ''They compasssd ma
about like bees yea, they compassed me
about like bees" You think what en- ez-
aggerating thing for him to ex:laim, "Out
If the depths OF hell have cried unto Thee,
o Lorir'
And there is so mucn o. that style OF lam
pntatiop in his writings you think he over
does 1t, but after awhile thief frost comes upon
you in the shap3 OF persecution, and you are
stuck with this censllre and stuck with that
defamation, and stuck with some falsehoo1.
and lies in swarms are buzzinS, buzzing
about your ears, and at last you understand
Hhnt David meant when he said. "TheY