The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-05-20

her capacities for rice and tea and sugar
among edibles, and her amethyst and sap
phire and topaz and opal and jasper and
porphyry among precious stones, and her
rosewood and ebony and camphor and var
nish trees among precious woods, and
turned up from her depths half dozen
Pennsylvanias of coal and iron. and twenty
Nevadas Of silver. and fifty CALIFORNIA; OF
gold, and her 500, 100000 Of people shall be
evangelical. Then the Lord will divide 1t
up among the good.
II my text be not a deception, but the
eternal truth, then the time is coming when
all tho farms will be owned by Christian
farmers, md all the commerce controlled Dy
Christian merchants. and all the authority
held by Christian officials, and all the ships
commanded by Christian captains, ana an
the universities under the instructlon OF
Christian professors; Christian kings, Cnris-
tian presidents, Christian governors, Chrls-
tian mayors, Christian common council. Yer;
what securing out! What an upturnlng!
What a demolition! What q resurrection
must precede this new apportioament!
I do not underrate the enemy. julius
Casar cot his greatest Victories by fully estt-
mating the vastness of his foes and prepared
his men for their greatest triumph by saying,
UTo-morrow King Juba will be here with
30 900 horses. 100000 skirmishers and 300
elephants" I do not underrate the vast
forces Of sin and death, but do you know
who commands us2 Johovahiireh. And the
reserve corps behind US are all the armies OF
heaven and earth, with hurricane and thun-
derbolt. The good work OF the worlds re-
demption is going on every minute. Never
so many splendid men and glorious women
on the side of right as to-day. Never 80
many good people as now. Diogenes has
been spoken of as O wise man because he
went with lantern at MONDAY, saying he
was looking for an honest man. If he had
turned his lantern toward himself, he might
have discovered crank. Honest men by
the 10, ,00C! Through the international series.
Of Sunday-sch lessons the next generation
all through Christendom are going to be
wiser than any generation since the world
stood. The kingdom Is coming. God can
do II. No housewife with a chamois cloth
ever polished silver teaspoon with more
ease than Christ will rub of from this world
the tarnish and brighten it up till 1t glow5
like heaven, and then the glorious appor-
tionment, for my text is REINFORCED by
score OF other texts, when it says Of Christ,
"He shall divide the spoil with tho strong"
"But," you say "this is pleasant to think
of for others, but before that time shall
have passed up into another existence and
shall get no advantage from that new ap-
pointment." Ah, you have only driven me
to the other more exciting and transporting
consideration. and that Is that Christ Is go
ing to divide up heaven in the same way.
There are old estates in the celestial world
that have been in the possession Of the In
habitapts for thousands OF year2, and they
shall remain as they are. There are old
family mansions in heaven filled with whole
generations OF kindred, and they shall never
be driven out. Many of the vlctors from
earth have already got their palaces. and
they are pointed out to those newly arrived.
Soon after our getting there We will ask to
be shown the apostolic residences, and ask
where does Paul live and John, and shown
the patrlarchal residences, and shall say,
"Where does Abraham live or Jacob" and
shown the martyr residences and say,
"Where does John Huss live and Ridley"
We will want to see the bouevards, where
the chsriots of conquerors roll. will want
to see the garden where the princes walk.
We will want to see Music row, where Han
del and Haydn and Mozart and Charles Wes-
ley and Thomas Hastings and Bradbury
have their homes, out of their windows, ever
and anon, rolling some snatch Of an earthly
oratorio or hymn transported with the com.
poser. We will want to see Revival ter
ace, where Whitefeld and Nettleton and
Payson and Rowland Hill and Charles Fin
ney and other giants Of soul reaping are
resting from their almost supernatural Ia
bors. their doors thronged with converts
Just arrived, coming to report them selves
But brilliant as the sunset and like the
leaves for number are the celestial homes
vet to be awarded when Christ to you and
millions Of others shall divide the spoil.
What do you want there2 You shall haven't.
An orchard? There It is-twelve manner Of
fruits, and fruit every month. Do you want
river scenery2 Take your choice on the
banks of the river, in longer, wider. deeper
roll than Danube or Amazon or Mississippi,
II mingled in one, and emptvipR into the sea
of glass. mingled with fire. Do you want
your kindred back again? Go out and meet
your father and mother, without the staff or
the stoop, and your children In dance Of i'm
mortal glee. Doyou want throne2 Select
it from the million FURNISHED elevations. Do
YOU want a crown? Pick it out of that
mountain of diamonded coronets. Do you
want your old church friends OF earth
around you? Begin to hum an old revival
tune, and they will flock from all quarters to
revel with you in sacred "reminiscences. All
the earth for those who are here on earth at
the time of continental and planetary dis
tribution and all the heavens for those who
are there.
That heavenly distribution of spoils will
be surprise to many. Here enters heaven
the soul of man who took up great deal
of room in the church on earth, but sacrificed
little, and among his good works selashness
was evident. He just crowds through the
shining gate, but it's very tight squeeze,
so that the doorkeeper has to pull hard to
get him in, aud this man expects half OF
heaven for his share of trophies, and he
would like monopoly of all its splendor
and to purchase lots in the suburbs. so that
be could get advantage Of the growth OF the
city. Well, little by little he gets grace Of
heart, just enough to get him through, and
to him Is given secondhand crown which
one Of the saints wore at the start, but ex-
changed for brighter one as he went on
from glory to glory. And he Is put in an
old house once occupied by an angel who
was hurled out Of heaven at the time OF
satan's rebellion.
Right after him comes soul that makes a
great stir among the ceiestals, and the an
gels rush to the scene, each bringing 10 hera
dazzling coropet. Who is she? Over what
realm on earth was she queen2 In what
great Dusseldorf festival was she the canta-
trice2 Neither. She was an invalid who
never left her room fos twenty years, but she
was strong in prayer-and she prayed down
revival after revival and pentecost after PEN
tecost upon the churches, and with her pale
hand she knit many a mitten or tippet for
the poor, and with her contrivances she add
ed Joy to many holiday festival, and now
with those thin hands so strong for kindness
and with those white lips so strong for SUP
plication she has won coronation and in
fhronenent and jubilee. And Christ said to
the angels who hsve brought each crown
z or the glorifleo invalid: "NoS not these.
They are not good enough. But in the
jewe!ed vase at the right hand side OF My
throne there Is one that I have been prepar-
ing for her many year, and for her every
gang have set an amethyst, and for her
every good deed ] have set pearl. Fetch