The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-08-07
REV. DIR. TAIMAGE
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE
NOTED DIVINE.
Subject: "Plain People,"

Subject: "PIain People,"
TEXT: "Salute Asyncritus. Phlegon. Her
mas, Patrobas, Hermes, Philologus and
Julia. Romans xvi, IA, Is.
Matthew Henry. Albert Barnes. Adam
Clark, Thomas Scott and all the commenta
tors pass by these verses without any especia
remark. The othertwenty people mentioned
In the chapter were distinguished for some
thing and were therefore discussed by the
illustrious expositors. but nothing Is saiG
about Asyncritus. Ph!egon. Hermas, Patro-
bas, Hermes, PhiloloGus and Julia. Where
were they born? No one knows. Where did
they die? There Is no record of their decease.
For what were they distinguished Abso.
luteiy for nothing, or the trait Of character
would have been brought out by the apostle.
II they had been very intrepid or opulent or
style or in anywlse anomalous, that feature
would have been caught by the apostolic
camera. Butthey were good people, because
Paul sent to them his high Christian regards.
They were ordinary people, moving in ordi-
nary sphere, attending to ordinary duty and
meeting ordinary responsibilities.
What the world wants Is religion for
ordinary people. If there be in the United
States IS, ,000. Goa people, there are certainly
no. more than 1000, 900 extraordinary, and
then there are 6400l.0J0 ordinary, and We do
well to turn our backs for little while upon
the distinguished and conspicuous people OF
the Bible and consider in our text the seven
ordinary. We spend too much Of our time
in twisting garlands for remarkables and
building thrones for magnates and Sculptur-
ing warriors and apotheosizing philanth-
ropists. The rank and file of the Lords
soldiery need especial help.
The vast majority Of people to whom this
sermon comes will never lead an army, will
never write State constitution, will never
electrify Senate, will never make an i'm
a new philosophy, will never decide
the fate OF a Nation. You DO not ex-
pect to; you do not want to. You will not
be a Moses to lead Nation out of bondage.
You will not be Joshua to prolong the day
light until you can shut five kings in cav
ern. You will not be st. John to unroll an
apocalypse. You will not be Paul to pre-
side over an apostolic college. You will not
be Mary to mother Christ. You will more
probably be Asyncrltus or Phlegon or Her
mas or Patrobas or Hermes or Philologus or
Julia.
Many Of you are women at the head of
family for Sabbath observance. Your brain
decided the apparel. and your judgment was
final on all questions of personal attire.
Every morning you plan for the day. The
culinary department OF your household Is In
your dominion. You decide all questions OF
diet. All tho sanitary regulations OF your
house are under your supervision. TO regu-
late the food. and the apparel, and the habits
and decide the thousand questions OF home
life Is tax upon your brain and nerve and
general health absolutely appalling If there
be no divine alleviation.
It does not help you much to be told that
Elizabeth Fry did wonderful things mid the
criminals of Newgate. It does not help you
much to be told that Mrs. Judson was very
brave among the Bornesian cannibals. 1t
does not help you much to be told that Flor
ence Nightingale was very kind to the
wounded in the Crimea. It would be better
for me to tell you that the Divine Friend Of
Mary and Martha Is your friend, and that he
sees all the annoyances and disappointments
and abrasions and exasperations OF an ordin-
ary housekeeper from morn till night,
and from the first day of the year to the last
day Of the year and at your call He Is ready
with help and re-enforcements.
They who provide the food Of the world
decide the health of the world. One Of the
greatest battles Of this century was lost be-
cause the commander that morning had a tit
Of indigestion. You have only to so on some
errand amid the tavarns ana the hotels OF
United States and Great Britain to appre-
ciate the fact that vast multitude of the
human race are slaughtered by incompetent
cookery. Though a young woman may have
taken lessons in music and may have taken
lessons in painting and lessons in astronomy.
she is NOT we'll educated unless she has taken
lessons in dough. They who decide the APP
parel Of the world and the food OF the world
decide the endurance Of the world.
An unthipking man may consider 1t mat.
ter OF little importance-the cares IT the
household and the economies Of domestic life
but tell you the earth is strewn with the
martyrs of kitche and nursery. The health
shattered womanhood of America cries out
for God who can help ordinary women in
the ordinary duties Of housekeeping. The
wearing. grinding, unappreciated work goes
on, but the same Christ who stood on the
bank OF Galilee in the early morning and
kindled the fire and had the fish already
cleaned and broiling when the sportsmen
stepped ashore, chilled and hungry: will help
every woman to prepare breakfast, whether
by her own hand or the hand Of her hired
help.
The God who made indestructible eulogy
of Hannah, who made coat for Samuel,
her son, and carried it to the temple every
year, will help every woman in preparing the
family wardrobe. The God who opens the
Bible with the story OF Abraham's entertain
ment OF thethree angels on the plains Of
Mamre will help every woman to provide
however rare and embarrassing.
It is high time that some Of the attention we
have been giving to the remarkable women
of the Bible-remarkablef for their virtue or
want of it or remarkable for their deeds
Deborah and Jezebel and Herodia and Atha-
liah and Dorcas and the Marys, excellent and
abandoned-it Is high time some Of the at
tention we have been giving to these con-
spicuous women Of the Bible be given to
Julia Of the text, an ordinary woman amid
ordinary circumstances, attending to ordi-
nary duties and meeting ordinary response
bilities.
Then there are the ordinary business men.
They need divine and Christrian help.
When we begin to talk about business life,
we shoot right off and talk about men who
did business on large scale, and who sold
millions Of dollars OF goods q year, but the
vast majority of business men do not sell a
million dollars OF goods. nor half million,
nor quarter of q million, nor the eighth
part Of million. Put all the business men
of our cities, towns, villages and neighbor-
hoods side by side, and you will find that
they sell less than 100000 worth Of goods.
All these men in ordinary business life want
divine help. You see how the wrinkles are
printing on the countenance the story Of
worriment and care. You cannot tell how
old business man Is by looking at him.
Gray hairs at thirty. A man at forty-ilve
with the stoop Of a nonogenarian. No time
to attend to improved dentistry, the grinders
cease because they are few. Actually dying
of old age at forty or fifty when they ought
to be at the meridian.
Many Of these business men have bodies
like q neglected clock to which you come,
and Won wind il I'D and il begins to buzz