The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-02-13

or in thu institutions OF mercy and grandeur
set up by His ransomed people. Discouraged
work will meet with defeat. E1pectant ana
buoyant work will gain the victory; star,
out with the idea that all men nre lists ana
scoundrels, and that everybody 1s as pad as
he can be, and that society, and the churcn'
and the world are on the way to demoltlon,
and the only use you will ever be 70 the
world will be to increase the value OF
lots in a cemetery. We need q more
cheerful front in all our religious work:
People have enough trouble already and
do not want to ship another cargo oftrouole
in the shape of religiosity. II religion has
been to YOU O peace, defense, an inspira.
tion and jov, say so. Say 1t by word OF
mouth, by pen in your hand, by face liiu-
mined with divine satisfaction. II thls
world is ever to be taken for God, 1t Will not
be by groans, but by halleluiahs. Ii We
could present the Christian religion as It
really Is, in its true attractiveness, al the
people would accept It., and accept 1t right
AWAY. The cities, the nations would cry
out "Give us that, give 1t to US In all It's
holy magnetism and gracious power! Put
that salye on our wounds! Throw back the
shutters for that morning light. Knock on
these chains with that silver hammer Give
us Christ-His pardon, His peace. HIS COM
fort, His heaven! Give Us Christ IN song,
Christ In sermon, Christ in book, Christ IN
living example" "
AS systsm of didactics religion has never
gained one tnch OF progress. as teon-
nIcality 1t befogs more than It trradiates. AS
a dogmatism It is an awful failure. But as
fact, as a reinforcement, as transdgura-
ton, 1t is the mightlest thing that ever
descended from the heavens or touched the
earth. Exemplify 1t In the life OF gooo
man or good woman, and no one can help
but like it. A city missionary visited house
In London and found sick and dying boy.
There was an orange lying on his bed, and
the missionary said, "Where did you get
that orange?" He Said: "a man brought 1t
to ME. He comes here often and reads the
Bible to me and prays with me and brings
me nice things to eat" "What ID MS
name?' said the city missionary. VI
forget his name," said the sick boy,
"but he makes great speeches over In
that great building" pointing to the
Parliament House Of London. The mis-
sionary asked, "Was his name MIR. Glad
stoneY'' ooh, yes," said the boy, ''that Is
his name-Mr. Gladstone" Do you tell me
q man can see religion like that and not like
It? There Is an old fashioned mother In a
farm house. Perhaps she is somewhere IN
the seventies, perhaps seyenty-fVe or sew
enty-six. It is the early evening hour.
Through spectacles No. 8 she Is reading
newspaper until toward bedtime, when she
takes up well-worn book, called the Bible.
know from the illumination In her face
she is reading one OF the thanksgiving
psalms, or in Revelation the story of the
twelve pearly gates. After awhile she closes
the book and folds her hands and thinks over
tho past and seems whispering the names OF
her children, some Of them on earth and
some of them in heaven. Now smile Is on
her face, and now tear, and sometimes the
smile catches the tear. The scenes of long
life come back to her. One minute she
sees all the children smiling around her,
with their toys and sports and strange ques.
ticnings. Then she remembers several OF
them down sick with infantlle disorders.
Then she sees short grave, but over II cut
in marble, "Suffer them to come to Me-"
Then there Is the wedding hour, and the
neighbors IN, and the promise OF 81 viii, "
and the departure from the old homestead,
then scene of hard times, and scant bread
and struggle. Then she thinks OF few
years with gush of sunshine and fittings OF
dark shadows and yicissitudes.
Then she kneels down slowly, for many
years have stiffened the joints, and the Ill
nesses of lifetime have made her less sup
pie. Her prayer is mixture OF thanks for
sustaining grace during all those years, and
thanks for children good and Christian
and kind, and prayer for the wandering
boy, whom she hopes to see come home be-
fore her departure. And then her trembling
lips speak OF the land OF reunion, where she
expects to meet her loved ones already
translated, and after telling the Lord in very
simple language how much she loves Him,
and trusts Him, and hopes to see Him soon,
I hear her pronounce the quiet "Amen," "and
she rises up-a little more difficult effort
than kneeling down. And then she puts her
head on the pillow for the night, andthe
angels OF safety and peace stand sem
tinel about that couch In the farm
house, and her face ever and
anon shows signs Of dreams about
the heaven she read OF before retiring. In
the morning the days work has begun down
stairs, and seated at the table the remark Is
made, 'Mother must have oversight her.
SELF" And the grandchildren also notice
that grandmother is absent from her usual
place at the table. One of the grandchildren
goes to the foot of the stairs and cries,
"Grandmother But there is no answer.
Fearing something Is the matter, they 20 up
10 see, and all seems right. The spectacles
and Bible on the stand, and the covers of
the bed are smooth, and the face is calm
her white hair on the white pillow case like
SHOW Oh SHOW llEeduS loilous Oul ucE eOul
Is gone up to look upon the things that the
night before she had been reading Of In the
Scriptures. What transporting look on her
dear old wrinkled face! She has seen the
"King in His beauty" She has been well
coined by the "Lamb who wes slain" And
her two Oldest sons, having hurried up
stairs, look and whisper, Henry to George,
"That is religion" George to Henry, eyes,
that is religion!"
There Is New York merchant who has
been In business I should say forty or fifty
years. During an old-fashioned revival of
religion in boyhood he gave his heart to
God. He did not make the CHASTITY and in
finite and everlasting mistake Of sowing
"wild oats" with the expectation Of sowing
good wheat later on. He realized the fact
that the most OF those who SOW "wild oats"
never reap any other crop. He started right
and has kept right. He went down In 1857.
when the banks failed, but he failed honestly
and never lost his faith In God. Ups and
downs-he sometimes laughs over them
but whether losing or gaining he was grow
ing better oil the time. He has been in many
business ventures, but he never ventured the
experiment OF gaining the world and los
ling his soul. His name was q power
both in the church and in the business
world. He has drawn more checks for contri-
buttons to asylums and churches and schools
than any one. except God, knows. He has
kept many business man from falling by
lending his name on the back of note till
the crisis was past. All heaven knows about
him, for the poor woman whose rent he paid
IN her last days, and the man with consump-,
tion in the hospital to whom he sent flowers