The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-11-20


boy purchased with 81? or course not! II
God give wealth or social position or eo-
uuenre, or twenty times the faculty to man
than He gives to the ordinary man, is be go'
ing 10 give to the favored man reward De!
cause he has more power and more lnlluence;
On. no. In other words. II you and were
to do our whole duty, and you had twenty
times more talent than I have. you Will get
no more divine reward than l will. Is God
going to reward you because He gave you
more? That would not be fair; that would
not be right. These 200 men ofthe text who
tainted by the brook Besor didtheir whole
duty. They watched the baggage, they took
care OF the stuff. and they got as much Of the
spoils Of victory rs the men who went to
the trout LAS his part is that coeth down
to the battle. so shall his part be that tar
rieth by the stuff"
There is high encouragement in this for
all who have great responsibility and little
credit for what they do. You know the
names OF the great commercial houses OF
these cities. Do you know the names of the
confidential clerks-the men who have the
key to the safe, the men who know the COM
bination lock? A distinguished merchant
goes forth at the watering place, and he
flashes past. and you say, "Who is that?"
"Oh," replies some one, "don't you know?
That Is the great importer; that is the
great banker; that is the great mannfac-
turer" The confidential clerk has his week
off. Nobody notices whether he comes or
goes. Nobody knows him. and after
awhile his week is done, and. he sits
down again at his desk. But God will
reward his fidelity just as much as He recog-
nizes the work of the merchant philanthro-
pist whose investment this unknown CLERK
so carefully guarded. Hudson River Rail-
road, Pennsylvania Railroad. Erie Railroad,
New York and New Haven Railroad-oust-
ness men know the names of the Presidents
ofthese roads and of the prominent directors,
but they do not know the names OF the en-
gineers, the names of the swltchmen. the
names of The flagmen, the names OF the
brakemen. These men have awful re-
sponsibilities. and sometimes, through
the recklessness OF an engineer
or the unfaithfulness of switch
man. it has brought to mind the faithfulne5s
of nearly all the rest Of them. Some men do
not have recognition of their services They
have small wages and much complaint.
very often ride upon locomotives, and very
often ask thequestion. as we shoot around
some curve or under some ledge OF rocks.
"How much wages do you get?" And am
always surprised to find how little for such
vast responsibility. Do you suppose God Is
not going to recognize that fidelity? THOMAS
Scott, the President OF the Pennsylvania
Railroad, going up at death to receive from
God his destiny, was no better known IN
that hour than was known last night the
brakeman who. on the Erie Railroad, was
iammed to death amid the car couplings.
"As his part is that goeth down to the bat
tie. so shall his part be that tarrieth by the
stuff"
Once for thirty-six hours we expected
every moment to go to the bottom OF the
ocean. The waves struck through the sky
lights and rushed down into the hold OF the
ship and hissed against the boilers. 1t was
an awful time. but by the blessing OF God
and the faithfulness of the men In charge we
came out Of the cyclone, and we arrived at
home. Each one before leaving the ship
thanked Captain Andrews. I do not think
there was man or woman th-t went of
that ship without thanking Captain Andrews,
and when, years after. heard OF his death.
7 was impeled to write a letter OF con-
doence to his family In Liverpool. Ev-
erybody recognized the goodness. the cour-
age, the kindness Of Captain Andrews, but
it occurs to me now that we never thanked
the engineer. He stood away down in the
darkness, amid the Kissing furnaces, doing
his whole duty. Nobody thanked the enSi-
neer, but God recognized his heroisn and
his continuance and his fidelity. and there
will be Just as high reward for the engineer
who worked out Of sight as the CAPTAIN who
stood on the bridge Of the ship in the midst
OF the bowling tempest. GAS his part is that
goeth down to the battle, so shall his part
be that tarrieth by the stuff.
Fret not. We aged ones. Just tarry by the
stuff and wait for your share OF the spoils.
Yonder they are coming. hear the bleat-I
ing Of the fat lambs. and I see the jewels
CLINT in the sun. 1t makes me laugh to think
how you will be surprised when they throw
a chain of gold over your neck and tell you
to go in and dine with the king. I see you
backing out because you feel unworthy. The
shining ones comes up on the one side and
the shining ones come up on the other side.
and they push you on, and they push
YOU up, and they say, "Here is
an old soldier of Jesus Christ" and
the shining ones will rush out toward YOU
and say, "Yes; that man saved my soul" or
they will rush out and say, "Oh, yes; she
was with me in the last sickness" Aud then
the cry will go round the circle: "Come in,
come in, come in, come up! We saw you
away down there; old and sick aud decrepit
and discouraged because you could not 90
to the front. but AS his part is that goeth
down to the battle, so shall his part be that
tarrieth by the stuff"
There Ia high consolation also In this for
aged ministers. I see some OF them here to-
day. They sit in pew5 in our churches.
They used to stand in pulpits. Their hair
is white with the blossoms OF the tree OF
life, their names marked on the roll Of the
general assembly, or Of the consolation.
emeritus. They sometimes hear text an
nounced which brings to mind asermon they
preached fifty years ago on the same sub
ject. They preached more gospel on S4OO 4
year than some OF their successors preach on
$4,000. Some Sunday the old minister is in,
church, and near by in another pew
there are q husband and a wife and al
row Of children. And after the benedict
ton the lady comes up and says. "Dontor,
you don't know me. do you?" SWELL" he
saws, 'syour face Is familiar. but cannot
call you by name" "Why," she says, "you
baptized me, and you married me, and you!
buried my father and mother and sisters. '"
"Oh, yes" he says. "My eyeslght isn't as
good as 1t used to be-" They are in all our
churches-the heroes OF 1920. the heroes of
1882, the heroes Of 1857. BY the long gravel
trench that cut through half century they
have stood sounding the resurrection. They
have been in more Balaklavas and have takenI
more Sevastopols than you ever heard Of.
Sometimes they get little fretful because
they cannot be at the front. They hear the.
sound OF the battle and the old war horsel
champs his bit. But the 10000 ministers of
religion this Gay standing in the brunt OF the
fray shall have no more reward than those
retired veterans. "lIy father. my father.
the chariots of Israel and the horsemen
thereof" LAS his part Is that goeth down toI
the battle. so shall his part be that tarrieth!
by the stuff" |
Cheer up. men and women of unapprecated
services. You will get your reward, If not
here, hereafter. When Charles Wesley comes
up to judgment. and the thousands of souls
which were waited into glory through his
songs shall be enumerated, he will take his!
throne. Then John Wesley will come up toj
Judgment, and after his name has been mem
toned In connection with the salvation of