The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1896-04-22

,rOWneC. LOOK 2L tne masterpieces
If divine grace if you want to know
what religion is.
We learn also from this story OF
Joseph that the result of persecution
IS elevation. Had itnot been for his
being sold into Egyptian bondage by
his malicious brothers and his false
Joseph never would
have become agovernor. a Everybody
the promise, Blessed are they
that are prosecuted for righteousness
sake, for theirs is the kingdom OF heav
eu," but they do not realize the fact
that this principle applies to worldly as
we'll as spiritual success. 1t IS true IN
all departments. Men rise to high OF
fetal positions through mlsrepresenta..
ton. Public abuse is all that some OF
our public men have had to rely upon
for their elevation. It has brought to
them what talent and executive force
could not have achieved. Many OF
those who are making great effort for
place and power will never succeed,
lust because they are not of enough
Importance to be abused. 1t is the
nature of men-thatis, Of all generous
and reasonable men-to gather about
those who are prosecuted and defend
them, and they are apt to forget the
fault ofthose who are the subjects OF
attack while attempting to drive back
the slanderers. Persecution is eleva-
ton. Helen Stirk, the Scotch mar
tyr, standing with her husband at the
place of execution, said: Husband.
let us rejoice today. We have lived
together many happy years: This IS
the happiest time of all our life. You
see we are to be happy together for:
ever. Be brave uow-oe brave. l
will not say Good night! to you, for
we shall soon be in the kingdom OF our
Father toeether." Persecution shows
the heroes and heroines. 60 into
another department. and I find those
great denominations of Christians
which have been most abused have
spread the most rapidly.
No good man was ever more violent
" maltreated than John Wesley-be-
lied and caricatured and slandered,
until one day he stood in pulpit IN
London, and a man arose in the audi
ence and said, you were drunk last
night" and John Wesley said: Thank
God, the whole catalogue is now com
plete, I have been charged with ev-
ervthing but that" His followers
were hooted at and maligned and cali
ed by every detestable name thatinfer-
nal ingenuity could invent, but the
hotter the persecution the more rapid
ly they spread, until you know what a
great host they have become and what
a tremendous force for God and the
truth they are welding all the world
over. 1t was persecution that gave
Scotland to Presbyterianism. 1t was
persecution that gave our land first to
civil liberty and afterward to oreligious
freedom. Yea, 1 might 60 farther
back and say it was persecution that
gave the world the great salvation of
the gospel. The ribald mockery, the
huns ngering and thirsting, the unjust
charge, the lgnominious death, when
all the force Of hell's fury was hurled
against the cross, was the introduction
of that religion which is yet to be the
earth's d=liverance and our eternal
salvation. The fsate sometimes said
to the church, Come. take my hand,
and I will help you" What was the
result2 The church went back, and It
lost its estate of holiness, and it be-
came ineffective. At other times the
state said to the church. Il will crush
you" What has been the result2 At
ter the storms have spent their fury
the church, so far from having lost
any of its force, has Increased and IS
worth infinitely more after the assault
than before. Read all history, and
YOU will fnd that true. The church
is far more indebted to the opposition
of civil government than to It's appro-
val. The fires OF the stake have only
been the torches which Christ held in
his hand. by the light of which the
church has marched to her present
glorious position. In the sound OF
racks and implements of torture hear
the rumoling of the gospel chariot.
The scafolds of martyrdom have been
the stairs by which the church mount
ed.
Learn also from our subject that sin
will come to exposure. Long. long
ago had those brothers sold Joseph
into Eeypt. They had made the old
father believe that his favorite child
was dead. They had suppressed the
crime, and it was profound secret
well kept by the brothers. But sud
denly the secret is cut. The old father
hears that his son is in Egypt, having
been sold there by the malice of his
own brothers. How their cheeks must
have burned and their hearts sunk at
The flaming out of this long suppressed
crime. The smallest iniquity has
thousand tongues, and they will blab
out exposure. Saul was sent to destroy
the Canaanites, their sheep and their
oxen, but when he got down there
the pastures he saw some fine
sheep and oxen too fat to kill, so be
thought he would steal them. No
body would know it. He drove these
stolen sheep and oxen toward home,
but stopped to report to the prophet
now he had executed his mission,
when in the distance the sheep began
70 bleat and the oxen to below. The
secret was out, and Samuel said to the
olushing and confused Saul, what
neaneth the bleating of the sheep that
hear and the believing of the cattle"
All, my hearer, you cannot keep an
niouity still. At just the wrong time
he sheep will bleat and the oxen will
below. Achan cannot steal the Baby
.onish garment without being stoned
10 death nor Arnold betray his county
without having his neck stretched.
Look over the police arrests. These
thieves, these burglars, these counter
letters, these highwaymen. these assas-
sins, they all thought they could bury
heir iniquity so deep down it would
never come to resurrection, but there
was some shoe that answered to the
IL. fo1 1ro-1