The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-07-15

from the t.oor OF any church. the gospel ar
row has not been pointed at them. The tract
distributor and city missionary sometimes
catch a glimpse of them, as hunter through
the trees gets a momentary sight of a. part
ridge or roebuck. The trouble Is, we are
waiting for the game to come 10 us. We are
not good hunters We are standing in some
street or highway expecting that the timid
antelope will come up and eat out OF our
hands. We are expecting that tho prairie
fowl will light on our church steeple. 1t Is
not their habit.
If the church should wait 100000 OF
years for the world to come in and be saved,
It will wait in vain. The world will not
come. What the church wants now Is 70 llft
its feet from damask ottomans and put them
in the stirrups. We want pulpit on Wneels.
The church wants not so much CUSHIONS as
it wants saddlebags and arrows. we nave
col to put aside the gown and kid gloves ana
put on tine hunting shirt. We have oeen llsh-
ing so long in the brooks that run unoer ene
shadow of the church that the fsh know us'
that they avoid the hook and escape as sq1n
as we come to the bank, while yonoer Is up
ner Saranac and BIG Tuppers lake, Wnere
10 sret swinc OF the gospel net would break
II for the multitude Of the fishes. There is
outside work to be done. What Is that see
IN the backToods? It is tent, The hunters
have made a clearing and camped out.
What do they care II they have wet feet, or
If they have nothing but a pine branch for
pillow or for the northeast storm2 II q
moose in the darkness steps into the lake to
drink. they hear it right away. II loon
| cry in the moonlight, they hear It. SO in
the service Of God we have exposed work.
We have got to camp out and rough IT. We
are putting all our care on the people who
come to our churches. What are we doing
for the thousands upon thousands that do
not come2 Have they no souls? Are they
sinless that they need no pardon? Are there
no dead In their houses that they need no
comfot2 Are they cut of from God to go
into eternity-no wing to bear them, no light
to cheer them, no welcome to greet them? 1
hear to-day surgine up from the lower
depths grcan that comes through our
Christian assemblages and through our
beautiful churches, and 1t blots out all this
scene from my eyes to-day, as by the nists
of a great Niagara, for the dash and the
plunge of these great torrents OF life drop
ping down into the fathomless and founder
ing abyss of suffering and woe. Isometimes
think that just as God blotted out the
churches Of Thyatira and Cornth and
Laodicea, because of theirs 9th and stolldtt!,
He will blot out American and English
Christianity and raise on the ruins stal.
wart, wideawake. missionary church that
can take the full meaning Of that command,
"Go into all the world and preach the gospel
to every creature"
Iremark, further, If you want to succeed In
spiritual archery you must have courage. II
the hunter stand with trembling hand OF
shoulder that flinches with fear, instead OF
mis- taking the catamount, the catamount
takes him. What would become of the Green.
lander If. when out hunting for the bear, he
should stand shivering with terror on antce-
berg2 What would have become OF Du
Chaillu and Livingstone in the African
thicket with faint heart and weak knee?
When panther comes within twenty PAGES
Of you and 1t has its eye on you and 1t has
squatted for the fearful spring. "steady
there!"
think it was tn 1898 that there went ou
from Lucknow, India, under the sovereign,
projected. There were 10000 armed men In
that hunting party. There were camels and
horses and elephants. On some princes rode,
and royal ladies under exquisite housings,
and 500 coolies waited upon the train, and
the desolate places of India were invaded
by this excursion, and the rhinocerous, the
deer aud elephant fell under the stroke OF
saber and bullet. After awhile the party
brought back trophies worth $4,000 rupees,
having lett the wilderness of India ghastly
with the slain bodies OF wild beasts. Would to
God that, instead Of here and there strag-
gler going out to fight these great monsters
of iniquity in our country, the million mem.
bership Of our churches would band togeth-
er and hew in twain these great crimes that
make the land fdghtful with their roar and
are fattening upon the bodies and souls OF
immortal men! Who is ready for such a
party as that2 Who will be mighty hunter
for the Lord?
Iremark. again, if you want to be success
full in spiritual archery you need not only to
bring down the game, but bring 1t IN. !
think one of the most beautiful pictures OF
Thtrwaldsen is his Autumn" Itrepresents
a sportsman coming home and standing un-
de. grapevine. He has staff over his
shoulder, and on the other end Of thar stah
are hunga rabbit and u brace of birds. Every
hunter brings home the game. No one would
think Of bringing down reindeer or whip
ping up q stream for trout and letting them
lie in the woods. At eventide the camp Is
adorned with the treasures of the forest
beak and fin and antler. II you go out to
hunt for immortal souls, not only bring them
down under the arrow of the gospel, but
bring them into the church OF God, the en-
campment We have pitched this side OF the
skies. Fetch them in. Do not let them lie
out in the open field; They need our prayers
ing of the church of God-help. o ye hum
tiers for the Lord. not only bring down the
game. but bring 1t in
II NIlthridates liked hunting so we'll that
for seven years he never went indoors, what
enthusiasm ought we to have who are hunt
ing for immortal souls! IfDomitlanus prac-
ticed archery until Re could stand boy
down in the Roman amphitheater, with
hand out, the fingers like that, and then the
king could shoot an arrow between the
fingers without wounding them. to what
drill and what practice ought not we sub
iect ourselves in order to become spiritual
archers and "mighty hunters before the
Lordr' But let me say, you will never work
any better than you pray. The old archers
took the bow, put one end of it down beside
the foot, elevated the other end, and It was
the rule that the bow should be just the size
of the archer: if 1t were just his size then ne
would 20 into the battle with confidence
Let me say that your power to project good
in the world will correspond exactly to your
own spiritual stature. In other words, the
first thing in preparation for Christian work
is personal conservation.
Oh, for closer walk with God.
A calm and heavenly frame,
a light to shine upon the road
That leads me to che Lamb.