The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1894-04-25
Uhe Naerala aud Uep5
EkBEBT Wx 3 HdrAglI,' Z; AgglL' Proprtetors.
Ebert II. AULL. EDITOR
A Lay SERMON,

Newberry have been greatly aroused
on the subject Of religion. The Rev.
r. G. Pearson has preached number
Of strong and powerful sermons which
have been accompanied with the power
of the Spirit and have brought convic-
ton to many hearts. Multitudes have
attended his preaching. There has
been religious awakening, and much
good has been done. We sincerely
trust it will be lasting in its benefits.
Many have professed Christ and have
pledged to mend their ways. Some
fifty persons have united with the va.
rious churches. When the excitement
of the hour is over and the preacher is
gone, we hope the pledges taken and
the professions made will still be re-
membered.
There should be living Of the pro-
fessions made. AS the preacher told
US, if we are sincerely in earnest, We
need to take this religion into our
Offices, and:6elds, and shops, and places
of business. We want to have the life
and the character and conversation a
living and ever present testimony OF
the religion we profess. If it is not
such as to shine forth in the every day
life, it will not be Of much value. II
should make US charitable in our judg.
ment of others, kind and forbesring,
one to another, always ready and will.
ing with helping hand to brother
in distress or trouble. We should
always take delight in ministering
unto others than in being ministered
unto. Evermore ready to helpa neigh
Dor or friend up the hill rather than to
be always trying to give push down.
That is the religion that Christ taught,
not only by precept but by example.
He came to minister unto others and
not to be ministered unto, and bis
whole life and suffering and death bear
testimony to this fact. five have re-
ceived such an awakening here as will
make US strive harder to follow in his
footsteps, then we should all be thank.
fdl for the coming Of Rev. Mr.. Pearson.
The good work he has set in motion
should not stop with his departure,
We should also remember that each
church here has a devoted pastor who
is with US all the time and who is deep
ly interested in all of US, and in the
welfare of souls. And il we would only
hold up their hands and show them q
little more appreciation of their efforts
in our behalf and cooperate with them
little more, they would be encouraged
and their hearts would be made glad.
They are just as much interested in
your souls welfare as Nj. Pearson;
they are just as earnest, they are just
as devoted to their work, they are just
IS ready to suffer for your welfare.
Our duty now is to be just as ready and
willing to give them aid and attend on
their ministrations and hold up their
hands and encourage and cooperate
with them as we did with the preach
ing and work of Mr.. Pearson, and Mr..
Pearson will be delighted to know and
believe that we are doing it. If we
have been aroused TO sense Of our
duty and opportunity and privilege in
this matter, then it is fortunate that
Mr.. Pearson has been with Us.
We hope that all Of US will think
more on these things, and that we will
see in the results lasting benefits to our
town and community. Our sincere
hope is that one of the results of this
religious awakening will be to put more
love in our hearts for one another, to
cause US to be more charitable, to judge
one another more kindly, to be able to
show a greater spirit of forbearance.
The great commandment, you know,
is to love God with all your heart and
your neighbor as yourself. The man
or the woman whose heart has not
been touched and kindled with this
love lacks the one thing needful. While
on this subject, we desire to quote here
from an article on ''Judging Kindly"
that we read the other day, and with
this we bring our lay sermon to a con-
clusion and send it forth with q hope
that it may be helpful and of benefit
to some one:
It is an easy thing to condemn q sinner,
him. It is a very different thing to look on
q sinner with plying eye and. while con-
demning what he has done, make him feel
that you .sis are hts friend and will help him to
The habit Of harsh Judgment is ungracious,
ungentle and unchristian, but altogether too
common among Us. wes are prone to attrib-
possible to see good motive. II is not TOO
much to say that we rather relish q rumor
which tells against neighbor, and frd a
morbid comfort in the thought that people
are not so good as they pretend to be or seem
to be.
If man gives largely to a charity our first
impulse is TO declare that there is q purpose
in It which is not quite as excellent as ap-
pearances would indicate. II a woman COM
pa:LS an indiscretion, either wilfully or
through iEnoi ance, we make II by our harsh
c-i;ici sA Just as hard for her to heal the
wound as possible. In g word, we are not
he:pful to each other, and are E1uch more
inclined TO shove an offender down hill than
to pull him up hill. We are more apt to look
on the darkest side CT other peoples lives
aud TO think the worse Of them than to look
on the bright side and think the best o.
them. At the same time we would be glad TO
have them look at us leniently and ind &
good rather than bad motive. Doing unto
others. however, as you would have them do
10 you neither suits our convenience nor our
appetite.
a painter Of ancient times was comrszpded
to make portrait II the monarch. II so
happened that His Majesty had very ugly
scare on his face which greatly dishgured
him. TIE artist, with kindly diplomacy,
asked hissitter to lean his head on his hand,
saying II would give finer pose. He then
oeftly arranged matters in such way that the
fingers OF the monarch entirely covered the
scare visible.
II we were to follow the example Of the
artist and chartably cover Cp the scars on
the lives OF our friends, or If, conscious that
we need mercy ourselves, We should exercise
that virtue toward others, or il, as COM
rnauded by Christ. we should make, not
weak. but loving judgment Of acts which
come within our notice, We should soon hear
the rustic Of angel wings in this hard world,
and the sweet perfume OF the millennium
would be waited 6arThHard