The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-09-19

ily deserves very we'll OF the country" You
fold the newspaper and sit down at the table
and perhaps do not think OF that incident
again. That Is historical faith.
But now you are on the sea, and 1t Is night
and you are asleep, and you are awakened
by the shrek oftiFirer" You rush out on
the deck. You hear, amid the wringing OF
the hands and the isinting, the cry; "No
hope, no hope! We are lost, we are lost y
The sail puts out its wing OF fire, the robes
make burning ladder In the night heavens.
the spirit of wrecks Kisses In the waves, and
on the hurricane decks shakes out It's banner
ufeboats p cried the captain. "Down with
the lifeboats" |" People rush into them. The
boats are about full. Room for only one
more man. You are standing on the deck
beside the captain.
who shall It be2 You or the captain2
The captain says, "You." You jump and
are saved. He stands there and dies. Now,
You believe that Captain Braveheart sacri-
iced himself for his passengers, but you
Lelieye It with love, with tears, with hot
and long continued exclamations, with
grief at his loss and joy at your deliverance.
That Is saving faith-in other words, what
you believe with all the heart and believe
In regard to yourself. On this hinge turns
mortal soul. You often go across bridge
you know nothing about. You do not
know who built the bridge, you do not
you come to 1t and walk over it
and ask no questions. And here is an
arched bridge blasted from the Crock of
Ages" and built by the Architect OF the
whole universe, spanning the dark gulf be-
tween sin and righteousness, andiall God asks
you Is to walk across 1t, and you start, and
you come to 1t, and you stop, and you 80
3 little way on, and you stop, and you fall
back, and you experiment. You say, Chow
do know that bridge will hold me! in
stead OF marching on with firm step, asking
40 questions, but feeling that the strength
of the eternal God Is under you.
Oh, was there ever prize proffered so
cheap as pardon and heaven are offered to
youP For how much? A million dollars?
It is certainly worth more than that. But
cheaper than that you can have 1t. Ten
dollars? Less than that. Five
dollars? Less than that. One
dollar? Less than that. One farth-
Inp? Less than that. "Wlthout money
and without price," No money to pay. No
Journey to take. No penance to suffer.
ONLY Just one decisive action Of the soul,
believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and
thou shalt be saved.
Shall try to tell you what It IS to be
,aved2 I cannot tell you. No man, no
angel, can tell you. But can hint ut Il; for
shalt be saved" It means happy life here,
and peaceful death. and blissful eternity.
It is grand thing to so to sleep at night,
and to get up in the morning, and to do bus
mess all day feeling that all Is right between
nv heart and God. No accident, no sick
ness, no persecution, no peril, no sword,
can do me any permanent damage.
am a forgiven child Of God, and
BE is bound to see me through. He has
sworn he will see me through. The mount
aims may depart, the earth may burn, the
light OF thestars may be blown out by the
blast OF the judgment hurricane, but life and
death, things present and things to come,
are mine. Yea, further than that, It means
q peaceful death. Mrs. Hemans, Mrs. ST.
courney, DR.. Young and almost all the poets
have said handsome things about death.
There is nothing beautiful about it. When
we stand By the white and rigid features of
those whom we love, and they give no an
swerine pressure OF the hand and no re.
turning kiss OF the lip, we do not
want anybody poetizing round about
us. Death Is loathsomeness and
and the wringing Of the heart un-
til the tendrils snap and curl In the torture
unless Christ shall be with US. I confess to
you an infinite fear, consuming horror Of
death unless Christ shall be with me. I
would rather 60 down into a cave OF wild
beasts or q jungle OF reptiles than into the
grave unless Christ goes with me. VIII you
tell me that I am to be carried out from my
bright home and put away In the darkness?
I cannot bear darkness. At the first coming
Of the evening must have the gas lighted,
and the farther on In life I get the more l Like
to have nv friends round about me.
And am to be put of for thousands OF
years in q dark place, with no one to speak
TO? When the holidays come and the gifts
are distributed, shall I add no Joy to the
ssNIerry Christmas" or the "Happy New
Year2" All, do not point down to the hole
In the ground. the grave, and call 1t beau
tIful place. Unless there be some supernatu-
raj illumination I shudder back from 1t. My
whole nature revolts at It. But now this
glorious lamp Is lifted above tbs grave, and
all the darkness Is gone, and tie way Is
clear. I look into 1t now without a single
shudder. Now my anxiety Is not about
death my anxiety Is that may live Alright.
What power Is there In anything to chill
me in the last hour If Christ wraps around
me the skirt of His own garment? What
Q8rkue5S ctau l6n oPon ns y oAuo enSAt .slnAe
the heavenly daybreak? o death, will not
fear thee then. Back to thy cavern OF dark
ness, thou robber of all the earth. Fly, thou
despoiler OF families. With this battleax
hew thee In twain from helmet to sandal,
the voice Of Christ sounding all over the
earth and through the heavens: 20 death,
will be thy plague. o grave, will be thy
destruction"
To be saved is to wake up In the presence
OF Christ. You know when Jesus was upon
the earth how happy He made every house
He went into, and when He brings US up to
His house in heaven how great shall be our
glee! His voice has more music In 1t than Is
to be heard in all the oratorlos OF eternity.
Talk not about banks dashed with ef1or-
escense. Jesus isthe chief bloom OF heaven.
We shall see the very face that beamed SYM
pathy in Bethany and take the very hand
that dropped its blood from the short beam
OF the cross. Oh, want to stand in eternity
with Him. Toward that harbor 1 steer.
Toward that goal I run. I shall be satisfied
when awake in His likeness.
Oh, broken hearted men and women, how
sweet 1t will De in that good land to pour all
of your hardships and bereavements and
losses into the loving ear Of Christ and then
have Him explain why 1t was best for you
to be sick, and why 1t was best for you to be
WlQoWeQ, ana why II was pest Iot you to pe
and why 1t was best for you to
be tried and have Him point to an elevation
to your disquietude here, say
Ing, "You suffered with Ne on earth come
up now and be gloriaed with Ne in heaven"
Some one went into house where there
had been good deal OF trouble and said to
the woman there, "You seem to be lonely"
"Yes," she said 81 am lonely" Glow
many In the family?" "Only myself"
"Have you had any cnildren?" ''Ihad seven
children" ''Where are they?" "Gone."
eau gomez" GAIL" "All dead?" GAIL"
Then she breathed long sigh into the lone
Illness and said, "Oh, sir, I have been good
mother to the grave"
And so there are hearts mere that are ut,
terly broken down by the bereavement OF