The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-02-05
RELIGIOUS READING.
THE LORDS ,LEAp1SGs.

Nothing Is more natural than the deep de-
sire of the young Christian and Of the Chris
tian past youth, but earnest and loving with
the love of the tried and the true, to be up
and doing for Christ. Often this desire is 30
peremptory and so insistent that 1t blinds one
to the fact that the Lords work Is here, as
we'll as yonder, in our own Kitchens, streets
and drawing-rooms, as we'll as on the outly-
ing post Of service.
A sweet young girl. wistful and eager to
fill every day with some blessed and direct
work for Jesus, was one day walking on O
commonplace errand near her own house. A
stranger paused to inquire the way, and the
information was courteously given. Then,
to the girls heart, not too much occupied
with its own concerns to be impressed with
the want Of another, came the thought that
the woman who had asked the question was
aged, looking feeble and bewildered, and
bore the marks Of poverty. The girl turned
retraced her steps, found the woman and
took her to the place she sought. 1t was
half.hour out Of her day and she discovered
in that spa e that the stranger, just dismissed
from hospital, had come from her own
home to seek and save deeply tempted
soul, a soul in extremity. The young girl
took the ministry on her herself, q ministry
of love, care and time that extended over
months, but in the end the soul found peace.
This was leading Of the Lord.
We may not, perhaps, be able to invest
with much glamour OF romance mission Of
the Lord to hard-worklng Mary, bending
over her tubs In our own laundry. Even to
20 o little farther, 1t seems fine: to leave home
and endure hardness In some circumstances,
extending relief and showing compassion to
the poor and the wretched In crowded city
neighborhood, than to give comranionship to
an aged relative sitting alone by our own lire.
Both kinds OF work are right and are the
Lords but we should be very sure OF the
Lords leading when we choose between
them. Are We quite as ready to live in the
and constant presence in our own village as
in distant field ? Is our own tired father, a
little cross and fault-f1nding after wreary
day at business, as much an object OF tender
solicitude in our eyes as somebody's less
worthy and very disreputable father who
lounges around saloons, and does no work
that he can help, but for whom a mission,
properly sets wide its doors of blessing?
Understand, am not speaking one word
against the home mission, or the city mis-
sion, or the foreign mission work, all OF
which I dearly love. Only, for some OF us,
the lords leadings are not in these direc-
tions, but are more strictly limited to the
little brother needing help with his Latin
lesson. the fragile mother with an aching
head on her pillow, the friend gay Of manner
and genial Of temper, who is in danger OF
drifting into evil associations.
On the other hand there are those who
are called. sternly and strongly, to 60
forth, out. into the world, up into the New
England valley, among the hills where the
candle Of faith burns feebly and the churches
languish for lack Of enthusiasm out into the
pathways of sorrow and the purlieus Of sin,
over the ocean to the heathen. II 1t be
Gods call, and you heed it, wherever it lead
it will lead to blessedness. %