The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-02-13
:. .Blassed Are the Peacemake ers.'

A good man, eminent and beloved
as IL teacher of the young, says that
that many years ago he adopted the
following for of the rules of his life as
q teacher Il will be blind when /
might see, deaf when | might hear,
and dumb when L might speak. |
will put out all the fires | can, and
never kindle any" Associated almost
constantly with young people, earnest
ly desiring not only to instruct them,
but also to help them to become noble,
unselfsh, peace-loying, and peace
making men and women, experience
had taught him it was one of the best
rules for him TO follow.
Would not his rule be good one for
anybody, old or young, TO adopt who
aims to be a peacemaker Is there
any thing un-Christlike in it? II will
be blind when | might see." That
does not mean that our eyes should be
closed to anything we ought to see, not
even to evil when we ought to see it.
deaf when / might hear" That
does not mean that our ears should be
stopped when language is used in our
hearing Of which a Christian should
be prompt to manifest disapproval.
dumb when ! might speak" Nor
does that mean that our tongues should
be tied when our eyes have seen OF
our ears have heard that which No
Christian could see or hear without re-
buking it. Put out all the fires
can, and never kindie any," That
would show Christ's spirit. To do
that would make one a peacemaker.
II quarrel is beginning, ora misun-
derstandiDg, or an estrangement, that
fire may often be auenched by the
peacemaker. and thus Christs work
be done. But it is easy to fan the fire
to fiercer flame, and thus DEVILS work
be done. The teachers rule is a
text on WHICH any OF us can think out
a long and good sermon.
Once in my boyhood, | was playing
around the workshop Of builder who
was largely interested in a WATERPROOF
er mill on the river near us. The ma
chinery of the mill was out of order
and needed repairs. This builder had
secured two men, millwrignts, from
another town to do the repairing.
They were at their employment in his
workshop within my sight and hear
ing, and from some cause had got into
"a loud and bitter controversy. They
were very angry with each other.
Their employer was Il neighbOr and
friend of ours-a Christian man. He
was soon drawn to the spot by their
loud voices, 1t was near the close of
day, and the sun shone in ut the Win
d0ws from the west. He drew near 20
the excited and angry disputants, and
in Il kindly, calm, and gentle voice,
but so distinct that 1 heard every
word, said, My friends, let not the
sun 20 down upon your wrath" The
alteration ceased in moment.
There was brief silence. and then one
of the men replied in subdued voice,
1.-THE sun shall not go down upon my
wrath"
The man who might have famed
the flame had put the fire out. 1t was
more than fiftv years ago. But it
made an ineffaceable impression upon
my young heart.
Our old neighbor and friend long
since went TO that other world, where
pcacemakers are welcomed, and where.
like the pure in heart, they see God. !
do not know how often he practiced
the grace, but he did it then SO natural
ly. and SO well that it could hardly
have been unfamiliar work, ond he
has, no doubt, long since learned the
full meaning of the beatitude, "Bless-
ed are the peacemakers {: for they shall
be called the children Of God. ."-Con-
gregationalist.