The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-03-15

Of the place 60"
My hearers il we secure the prasent and
everlasting welfare Of our children, most
other things belonging to us are OF but little
comparative importance Alexander Sne
Great allo wed his soldiers to take their faml'
lies with them to war, and he accouneed tor
the bravery of his men by the fact that
many Of them were born in camp and were
used to warlike scenes from the start.
Would God that all the children OF our day
might be born into the army OF the Lord!
No need Of letting them 20 long way on
the wrong road before they turn around and
20 on the right road. The only TINA to get
chickens under wing Is while they are
chickens.
Hannah Whitall Smith, the evangelist.
took her little child at two years OF age
when i'll out OF the crib aud told her plainly
OF Christ, and the child believed and gave
evidence Of joyful trust which grew with
her growth to womauhcoi. Two years are
not too young. The time will come when
by the faith OF parents children will be born
into this world and born into the bosom OF
Christ at the same time. Soon we parents
will have to 20 and leave our children. we
fight their battles now, and we stand be.
tween them and harm, but our arm will at
ter while get weak; and we cannot hyhe
Tor them, snd our tongue will he palsied,
and we cannot speak for them. Are we go
ing to leave them out in the cold world 10
take their chances or are we doing all Wa
can to get them under the wing OF eternal
safety!
But we all need the protecting wing. It
you had known when you entsred upon
manhood and wonanhood what was ahead
OF you, would you have dared to undertake
life. How much you havo been through!
With most life has been a disappo intment;
they tell me 50. They have not attained
that which they expected to attain. They
have not had the physical and mental yigor
thsy expected. or they have met with re-
are not at 40 or 50 or 60 or ~ or 80 years OF
age where you thought you would be. do
not know anyone except myself to whom
life has been happy surprise. never ex.
pected anything. and 30 when anything
came In the shape Of humau favor or com.
Portable position or widening field OF work it
was to me a surprise.
Was told in the theological seminary By
some Of my fellow students that I never
would get anybody to hear me preach unless
/ changed my styla. 80 that when I found
that some people did come to hear mo it was
a happy surprise. But most people, accord
lug to their own statement have found life
a disappointment. Indeed we all need shell
tar from its tempests. About 8 o'clock on
hot August afternoon you have heard rum
BILE that you first took for wagon crossing
a bridge, but afterward there was a louder
rumbling, and you said, "Wny. that is thuu-
derr' And sure enouy yh the clouds were bs-
ing convoked for full diapason. A whole
park OF artillery went rolling down the
heavens and the blinds OF the windows In
the sky were closed. But ths squads above
were not more certain tnan the sounds be.
meath.
The cattle came to thu bars AMI moaned
for than to be let down that they might
como home to shelter, and tae fowl, whether
dark Brahma or Hamburg or Leghorn or
Dominick, began to call to its young,
"Cluckw 'Cluckp "Cluckp AMI take them
under the wagon houss or shed, and had
them all hid under tbs soft feathers by the
time that tho first plash Of rain struck the
roof.
So there are sudden temptests for our
souls, and, OIL how dark it gets, and threat
ening clouds Of bankruptcy or sickness or
persecution or bereavment gather and
thicken and blacken, and some run for shei.
ter to bank, but 1t is poor shelter, and
others run to friendly advisers, aud they fail
to help. and others 1y nowhere simply bs-
cause they know not where to 60, and they
perish in the blast, but others hear divine
call saying, "Come, for all things are now
ready "The spirit and the bride say
come" And while the heavens are thunder
ing terror the divine voice proRers mercy,
and the soul comes under the brooding care
of the Almighty ':as hen gatheretn her
chickens under her wing"
The wings Of my text suggest warmth,
and that 10 what most folks want. The fac5
is that this is a cold world whether you take
it literally or fgurativsly. We have big
fireplace called the sun, and it has very
hot fire, and the stoker5 keep the Goals we'll
stirred up, but much Of the year We cannot
get near enough to this fireplace to get
warmed. The worlds extremities are cold
all the time. Forget not tnatit is colder at
the south pole than at the north pole, and
that the Arctic is not 80 destructive as the
Antartic. Once in awhile the Arctic will
let explorers come back, but the Autartic
hardly ever. When at the south pole q ship
sails in, the door of ice is almost sure to bs
shut against its return.
So life to many millions of people at the
south and many millions OF people at the
north is a prolonged shiver, but when I say
this is q cold world chiefly mean fgura-
lively. II you want to know what is the
meaning OF the ordinary term Of receiving
the ''ccld shoulder" get out OF money aud
try to borrow. The conversation may have
been almost tropical for luxuriaucs OF
thought and speech, but suggest your necss-
stiles and SEQ the thsruomster dlop to dO
degrees below zsro, and In that which TILL
moment before had been warm room.
Take what is an unpopular position on some
public question, and ses your friends ny as
chaff before windmill.
As far as myself is concerned I have no
word of complaint, but look on day by
day and see communities freezing out men
and women OF whom ths world is not
worthy. Now it takes after one and now
after another. It becomes popular to de-
preciate and defams and exscrate and lie
about some people, This is the best world
ever got into, but it Is the meansst worlo
that some people ever got into. Ths worst
thing that ever happened to them was their
cradle, and the best thing that Will ever
happen to them will be their grave. What
people want is warmth.
Many years ago man was floating down
on the ice of the Merrimac, and great ehorts
were made to rescue him. Twice ne got noia
of a plank thrown to him and twice he
slipped away from it. because that end OF the
plank was covered with ice, and ne cried out.
7tFor Gods sake give me the wooden end OF
the plank this time" and this doae be was
hauled to shore. The trouble is that in our
efforts to save the soul there is too much
colduess and lev formality, and so the Inn
periled one slips Of and floats down. Give
IL the other end of the piank-warmth OF
sympathy, warmth Of kindly association,
warmth Of genial surroundings.
The world declines to give it, and in many
cases has no power 10 give it. and here is
where Christ comes in, and, as on cold day,
the rain beating and the atmosphere full OF
sIeet. the hen clucks her chickens under her
wings and the warmth OF her own breast
puts warmth into the wet feathers and the
Chilled feetot the infant group Of the barn.
yard, 80 Christ says to those sick and frosted
aand disnnafad and Trojan Of the world, Come