The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1894-05-30

not surprised II We nave 10 tTdNel Iue
same pathway.
I remark, again, if we want to win
the society Of our friends in heaven, we
will not only have to travel path OF
faith and a path of tribulatioD, but We
will also have to positively battle for
their mpaniohshlp. David and his
men never wanted sharp swords and
lnvulDersble shields and thick breast
plates so much as they wanted them on
the day when they came down upon
the Amalekites. If they had lost that
battle, they never would have got their
families back. | suppose that one
glance at their loved ones IN captivity
hurled them into the battle with ten
fold courage and energy. They SAID:
I'VE must win it. Everything depends
upon it. Let each one take man on
point OF spear or sword We must win
it." And | have to tell you that be-
tween US and coming into the compan-
ioDship of our loved ones who aie DE-
parsed there Is an Aust+rlttZ, ther- is a
Getty sburg, there is Waterloo. War
with the world, War with the flesh. war
| oi b the devil. We have either 10 COD
quer our troubles, or our troubles will
cot Quer US. David Will either slay the
Amal. kites or the Amalekitts will
Stay David. Aud yet Is not the fort to
he taken worth all the pain, all the
peril, all the besiegement?
| LDos! Who are they on the bright
hills of he aven yonder? There they
are, those who sat at your own tablr,
the caair now vacant. There they are,
those whom you rocked in Infancy in
the cradle or hushed to sleep IN your
arms. There they are, those in whose
lite Your lie was bound up. There they
| are, their brow more radiant than ever
| before you saw IL, their lips waiting
! for the kiss Of heavenly greeting, their
| cheek roseate with the health of eter-
nal summer, their beads terkoDing you
up to the steer the feet bounding with
the mlrth of heaven. The pailor of
| their last sickness gone out OF their
| face, nevermore to be sica. neVeTmoTe
TO cough, nevermOre TO limp, DeVer
| more to be old, neVermore to weep
They are watching from those heights
to see if through Chrlst you can take
that fort and whether you will rush in
upon them-victors. They know that
upon this battle depends whether you
WILL ever join their society. Upl Strike
harder! Charge more brsvely! Re
member that every inch you gain puts
you so much farther on toward that
heavenly reunion.
VICTORY OR DEATH.
If this morning while I speak you
could hear the cannonade of foreign
enemy which was to despoil your city,
and If they really should succeed in car
ryipgyour families away from you, how
| long would We take before we resolved
to 20 after them? Every weapon,
whether fresh from the armory or old
and rusty in the garret, would be
brought out, and We would urge on,
and coming in front of the foe We
| would look at them and then look st
our families, and the cry would be,
"Victory or DEATH" and when the am-
munitlon was gone we would take the
captors on the point of the bayonet or
under the breech of the gun.
If you would make such struggle
for the getting back of your earthly
friends, Will you not make as much
struggle for the gaining of the eternal
com panionship of your heavenly
friends? On, yes, we must join them.
We must sit in their holy society. We
must sing with them the song. We
| must celebrate with them the triumph.
Lei it never be told on earth or in
heaven that David and his men pushed
out with drawer hearts for the getting
back of their earthly friends for a few
years Oh earth than we to get our de-
| parted!
You say that all this implies that
our departed Christian friends are
alive. Why, have you any idea they
are dead? They have only moved. If
you should 60 on the 2ad of May to a
house where one of your friends lived
and find him gone,you would not think
that he was dead. You would inquire
next door where he had moved to. Our
departed Christian friends have only
taken another house. The secret is that
thev are richer now than they once
were and can afford better residence.
They once drank out OF easthenWare;
they now drink from the Kings chal-
ice. "Joseph IS yet alive" and Jacob
will go up and see him. Living, are
they? Why, if a man can live in this
damp, dark dungeon of earthly captiv-
ity, can he not live where be breathes
the Dracipg atmosphere of the noun
tains of heaven? Oh, yes, they are
living!
FAINT. YET PURSUING.
Do you think that Paul is so near
| dead now as be was when he was liv-
ing in the Roman dungeon? Do you
think that Frederick Robertson of
| Brighton is as near dead now as be
Was when, Year after year, he slept
seated on the f or, his head On the
bottom of chair, because he could
fnd ease in no other positi 4? Do
You think that Robert Hall is as Dear
dead now as when, On his couch. be
tossed in physical tortures? No. Death
gave them the few black drops that
| cured them. That is all death does to
a Chrlstian-cures nim. I know that
what I have SAID implies that they are
living. There is no question about
hat. The only question this morning
is whether you Will ever JOIN them.
But must not forget these 200 men
who tainted by the brook Besor. They
could not take another step farther.
Their feet were sore; their head ached
their entire nature was exhausted.
Besides that, they were broken hearted
because their homes were gone Zlklag
in ashes. And yet David, when he
comes up to them, devldes the spoils
among them. He says they shall bave
some of the jewels, some of the robss,
some of the treasures. I look over
this audience this morning, and l find
at least 200 who have tainted by the
brook Besor-the brook of tears. You
{ feel as if you could not take another
step fsrther,as though YOU could never
look up again. But am going to imi-
tate David and divide among you some
glorious trophies. Here is robe, Call
| things work together for good to those
who love God" Wrap yourself in that
glorious promise. Here is for your
neck a string of pearls, made out of
crystallized tears, "WeepiDg may en-.
dure for night, but JOY cometh in the
morning" Here Is coronet, "Be
thou faithful until death, and I will
give thee a crown of life" On, ye
| o-oo ~, ho pocnr din