The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-02-07

Niagara abysm OF inebr1ety than at any time
since the first grape was turned into WINE
and the first head of rye began to soak In a
brewery. When people touch this subject,
they are apt to give statistics as to now many
millions are in drunkards' graves, or with
quick tread marching on toward them. The
land is full of talk of high tariff and low
tariff. but what about the highest otall tariffs
in this country, the tariff of S9O0, ,OO0, 900
which rum put upon the United STATES In
1891, for that is what it cost US? You do not
tremble or turn pale when say that. The
fact is we have become hardened by sta
tistics. and they make little impression
But il some one could gather into one
mighty lake all the tears that have been
wrunc out of orphanage and widowhood, or
into one organ diapason all the grosns that
have been uttered by the suffering victims
of this holocaust, or into one whirlwind all
the sighs of centuries of dissipation, or from
the wicket Of one immense prison have LOOK
upon US the glaring eyes OF all those whom
strong drink has endungeoned, we might
perhaps realize the appalling desolation.
our vision the sound would forever stun
our souls Go on with your temperance
literature 60 on with your temperance plat
forms go on with your temperance laws.
But we are all hoping for something from
above, and while the bare arm OF suffering,
and the bare arm of invalidism, and the bare
arm of poverty, and the bare arm of domes-
tic desoiation, from which rum hath torn the
sleeve, are lifted up In beggary ana supph.
cation and despair, let the bare arm OF God
strike the breweries, and the liquor stores.
and the corrupt politics. and the license
laws, and the whole inferno of grogshops all
around the world. Down, thou accursed
bottle, from the throne! Into the dust, thou
king Of the demijohn Parched be thy lips,
thou wine cup, with fires that shall never be
luenched!
But have no time to specify the manifold
evils that challenge Christianity And 1
think have seen in some Christians, and
read in some newspapers, and heard from
some pulpits DISAGREEMENT, as though
Christianity were so worsted that 1t is hardly
worth while to attempt to win this world for
God. and that all Christian work would col
lapse, and that 1t is no use for you to teach
Sabbath class, or distribute tracts or exhort
in prayer meetings, or preach In pulpit, as
satan is gaining ground. To rebuke that
pessimism, the gospel Of smashup, rreach
this sermon, showing that you are on the
winning side. Go ahead! Fight on Whae
want to make out to-day is that our ammu'
milton Is not exhausted that all which has
been accomplished has been only the skirm-
lshing before the great Armageddon; that
not more than one OF the thousand fountains
of beauty In the Kings. park has begun to
play that not more than one brigade OF the
innumerable hosts to be Dlarshaled by the
rider on the white horse has yet taken the
field that what God has done yet has been
with arm folded In flowing robe, but that
the time Is coming when He will rise from
His throne, and throw of that robe, and
come out of the palaces Of eternity, and come
down the stairs Of heaven with all conquer
ing step, and halt In the presence OF expec-
tant Nations, and flashing His omntscient
eyes across the work to be done Will put
back the sleeve of His right arm to the shoul-
der, and roll it up there, and for the worlds
final and complete rescue make bare His
arm, Who can doubt the result when ac-
cording to my text Jehovah does His
best when the last reserve force of omnipo-
tence takes the field when the last sword
of eternal might leaps from its seab.
the battle OF Sedan? The hills q thousand
feet high. Eleven hundred cannons on the
hills. Artillery on the heights OF Givonne,
and twelve German batteries on the heights
of La Moncello. The Grown Prince OF Sax
ony watched the scene from the heights OF
Marry. Between quarter to o'clock in
the morning and clock In the afternoon
of September 2, 1870, the hills dropped the
shells that shattered the French host IN the
valley. The French Emperor and the s6. 900
OF his army captured by the hills. 50 in this
conflict now raging between holiness and
sin ''our eyes are unto the hills.
Down here In the valleys of earth we must
be valiant soldiers of the cross. but the Com
mander OF our host walks the heights and
views the scene far better than We can In the
valleys, and at the right day and the right
hour all heaven will open It's batteries on our
side, and the Commander OF the hosts OF un.
righteousness with all his followers will sur.
render, and it will take eternity to fully cele.
brate the universal victory through our Lord
Jesus Christ. ''Our eyes are unto the hills.
II is 80 certain to be accomplished that Isaiah
in my text looks down through the field glasa
of prophecy and speaks of 1t as already &C.
compllshed, AID I take my stand where the
prophet took his stand and LOOK at it as all
done. ':HaIleluiah, it's done" See Those
cities without a tear! Look Those con
tinents without pang. Behold! Those
hemispheres without a sin Why, those
deserts, Abraham desert, American des.
ert, and Great Sahara desert, are all
irrigated into gardens where God walks In
the cool of the day. The atmosphere that
encircles our globe floating not one groan
ALI the rivers and lakes and oceans dimpled
with not one falling tear. The climates OF
the earth have dropped out OF them the
rigors ofthe cold and tho blasts Of the heat,
and it Is universal spring! Let US change
the old worlds name. Let 1t no more oe
called the earth, as when it was reeklng with
everything pestiferous and malevolent, scar.
leted with battlehelds and gashed With
graves, but now so changed, go arc matte
with gardens and so resonant with song,
and so rubescent with beauty, let US call II
Immanuel's Land or Bsulah or mtllennial
gardens or paradise regained or heaven!
And to God, the only wise, the only good.
the only great, be glory forever. Amen.