The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1896-01-08
ask tho samo question. Ii has boon 80 with

INC hiiiDt DO you hot Ike 50 1"r.
Yes But You shy: M SHWhpi;o Hp I was us prosper ) /
md happy ,hoss colors woro nccordaut wit Y
my feelings. Now they would be discord to
my SOUL Aud 80 you hayo plated up tho
snauows u y sos Into your apparel. Tho world is u
have It quiet littlo whllo.". Il Is too quiet.
Nome, people say that thoy would not
bring b.tck thotr departed friends from
but II you Ind tho opportunity you would
bring back your loYod onea, and soou their
foot would DO sounding in tho hail. aud soon
their voices would bu heard ID the family,
tho festat days OF Christmas and Thanssgiv-
lhg.dnys gono forever. On. 1t is tho carth-
Inaio that startled you to asking this qucs-
,lon.-tho earthquake Of domcsi ic misfortune.
D'atn IS 50 cruoi. so devourlng, 50 relent-
less, that whom 1t swallow. up our lovod
onos wo must have somo ono to whom wo
Can carry our torn and bleodng hearts. Wo
mood u balsam better than anything TINT
oyer eXuded from earthly troo TO heal tho
ping OF tho soul. 1t IS pleasant to have our
friends gather around lis nnl tell us how
sorry they are, aud try to break up tho lone
Illness, but nothing but tho hand OF Jesus
Christ Gun take tho bruised soul und put 1t
ha IN Ills bosom, hushins i with tho lullaby Of
stone will novor DO lifted from your heart
until Christ lifts 1t. Was 1t not tho loss Of
your friends. or tho persecution Of your one
mics. or tho overthrow Of your worldly es-
tntc-wns 1t not IN earthquake that START lod
you out to nsk this stupendous question OF
my toXt?
But 1 remark nyain, charactorizo this
question Of tho ngitatrd jail kccporns hasty,
run. BY tho light oi his torch rs ho goes to
look for tho apostles, behold his face, SEQ tho
stnrtlod look and sDD tho earnDstnuss. No
ono can doubt by that look TINT tho man Is
Ia. 4,
swerod before tho earth stops rocking, or
perhaps he will noyor havo it answered ut
oil. Is that tho way my brother, my sistor,
You are putting this question? Is It on tho
6ia,e2 II 1t is not, it will not be answered.
That is tho only kind OF question that is an
swered. 1t Is tho urgont and Immediate
question OF tho gospel Christ answers. a
great many are asking this question, but
they drnwl 1t out, and horo is indifference
in their mnnnor. us II they do not mean it.
Make 1t an urgont question md then ) on
will have 1t answered before ,,n hour passes,
before q minute passes When man with
oil tho earnestness OF his soul crios out for
God, he finds Him, and finds Him right
away.
Oh, nro thoro not in this house to- day those
who nre postponing until tho last hour OF
living tho attending 10 the things Of tho soul?
givo 1t rs my opinion that nincty-nino out
OF tho ono hundred doath-bnd rcpentunccs
amount TO nothing. OF all tho scores of pcr-
sons mentioned as dying In tho Bibio. Of how
many DO you read that they successfully re-
No. Of3oi No. Of2,2 No. or 10? No.
Of6? No. OIL? Only ono, barely one, us
If to demonstrate tho fnct til 1t thore is baro
possibility OF ropontnnce In tho last hour.
But that Is improbable, awiullY Improbable,
torriflca,ly improbable. Ono hundred TO
ono ayatust tho man. II, my brother,
my nistor, you have over seon mnn
try to repent in tho lust hour. you
hayo seen something very sad. do not
know anything on earth SO sud as to SEQ II,
man to repent on dcathbed. rhcro is not
from tho moment that lifo begins to breathe
IN infancy TO tho last gasp such an unfavor-
able. completely unfavorablo, hour for ro-
pontanco rs tho death hour, tho last hour.
| There arc tho doctors standing with tho
medicines. There is the lawyer standing
| with tho half written will. rhcre is tho
family in constcrnntton rs to what is to bo-
| como Of thom. Ali tho bells OF nternity ring
| rising before us and ail the future. Oh, Tint
| man is an intlnite fool wno procrastin mates TO-
t';o deathbed his repentance!
MY text does not answer the question. Il
oniy aSF0 1t, with deep aud importunato car
nsstness asks it, aud according to tho rules
| OF sermonizing YOU would say, .Adlourn
| That to eo,no Other time" but [ d;re II ii.
| What arc tho rules Of sormonizng to mo
could have whom perhaps this is the only
| time? This might no my last time 70.
prenching; this might DO your inst timn for
| hearing.
After my friend in Philadelphia died, his
| childron gavo his church Bible to mo. aud |
| read 1t, looked over it With much interest
saw in tho margin, written in lead pencil,
"Mr. Tnlmago said this morning that tbs
| most useless thing in Gods universe is that
| Dor saying 1t, but 1t is true and say II
| now whether sail 1t then or not-tho most
useless thing In all God's universe is that any
| sinner should perish. Twelve gates wido
open. Have you not heard how Christ boro
our sorrows. AMI how sympathetic Ho is with
| all our woes Have you not heart how that
| with all the sorrows OF heart nnd all tue
| agonies OF holl upon Him, Ho cried, "Father.
forgive them they know not what they dos"
BY HIS feet biisteresi of tho mountain way,
! hy His back whipped until the skin came OH,
by His death couch OF four spikes. two for
tho hands and two for tho feet; by His scpui-
cher, In which for tho first time for thirty
three years the cruel world lot Him alone.
and by tho heavens from which He now
bends in compassion, Offering pardon aud
peacea and lifo eternal TO nll your souls, leg
of you put down your all ut His fect.
saw ono hanging on trco
In agony and blood,
Who nxed His languid oycs OH mo
AS near His cross stood.
Oh, never till my latest breath
VIII forget that look,
1t seemed to charge mo with His dcatll,
Though not n word Ho spoke.
In tho troubled times Of Scotland Sir John
Cochrano was condemned to de:.th by tho
King. Tho death warrant was on the way
Sir John Cochrano WAS bidding farewell 10
his daughter Grizo Mt tho prison door. IIn
said Farewell, my darling child! must
| die" His daughter said "No, father, you
| shall not die" "3ut," ho said, 'stho King IS
against me, md tho law Is after nc.
md tho death warrant Is on Its way. and
| must die; do not deceive yourself, my dear
chtld." Tho daughter sntd, "Fathor, you
shall not die" as sho loft tho prison gate At
night, on the moors OF Scotland, n disguised
wayfaror atood waiting for tho horsomaM
carrying tho malhags containing tho death
warrant. Tho disguised wayfarer. rs tho
horse camo by. clutchod tho hridlo ,tnd
shouted to tho rIder--io tho man who cnr-
ried the mnilbags, "Dismount!' IIn felt for
| his arms and was about to shoot. hut tho
| wayfaror jerko him from his saddle. and no
| fell fiat Tho wayfaror picked up the mail.
bags. put them on his shoulder and vanished
| gatned for tho prisoners life. during which
| tho father oontessor was pleading for tho
pardon OF SirJohn Coehrane.
Tho second time tho death warrant is on
| Its way. Tho disguised wnyfaror comes
along and asks for q lttlo bread and q little
| wine, starts on across tho moor3. and they
| say, "Poor mar, to have to 70 out Oh such
n stormy night. 1t is dark and you will loso
| Yourself on tho moors ""Oh no." no says,
II will not" I[o trndgod on and stopped
amid the bramblos and waited for tho horse
man 10 como carrying tho mailbaga contain-
| ing tho death warrant OF Sir John Coehrane.
| Tho natl carrier spurrod on his stced, for no
was fearful because OF what had occurred on
| tho former Journey spurrod on his stecd.
III o,1I6 n1,t ost, la .1o.