The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-03-25

to the custom to this day in the East, when
they have any great grief, began to beat
himself and cry, as no smote upon his breast,
"God be merci'ul to me, a sinner" ! WAS,
like many Of you, brought up In the county
and know some OF the habits of sheep, and
when it says, "All We, like sheep, have gone
astray." Sheep get astray In two ways
either by trying to get into other pasture. or
from being scared by DOGS. In the former
way some o: US got astray. We thought the
religion OF Jesus Christ put US on short COM
mons. We thought there WIS better pastur-
age somewhere else. We thought IL we could
only lie down on the banks Of distant
stream. or under great OAKS on the other
side of some hill, we might be better fed. We
wanted other paSturace than that which
God, through Jesus Christ. gave oursoul. and
We wandered on and We wandered on and
we were lost. We wanted bread. and We
foun1 garbage. The farther We wandered.
instead of finding rich pasturage, We found
blasted heath and sharper rocks and more
singing nertles. No pasture. How was 1t
In the club house when you lost your child2
Did they come around and help you very
much! Did your worldly associates console
you very much? Dill not the plain Christian
man who came into your house and sat up
with your darling child give you more COM
fort than all worldly associates? Did all the
convivial songs you ever heard comfort you
in that day Of bereavement so much as the
song they sang to you?-perhaps the very
song that was sung by your little child the
last Sabbath afternoon of her life:
There Is happy land
Far, far away,
Where saints immortal reign
Bright, bright es day.
Did your business associates in that day
OF darkness and trouble give you anv especial
coincidence? Business eXasperated you.
business wore you, out, business left you
limp as rag, business made you mad. You
got dollars, but you gotno peace. God have
mercy on the man who has nothing but
business to comfort him! The world afforded
you no luxuriant pasturage. AfamousE Eng
lish actor stood Oh the stage impersonating,
and thunders OF applause came down from
the galleries, and many thought 1t was the
psoudest moment Of all bis life, but there
was 9. man asleep just in front Of him. and
the fact that that man was Indifferent and
somnolent spoiled all the occasion for him,
and he cried, "Wake up, wake up" So one
little annoyance in life has been more per-
ysding to your mind than all the brilliant
congratulations and success. Poor pastur-
age for your soul you find in this word.
The world has cheated you, the world has
belied you. tine world has misinterpreted
you, the world has prosecuted you. 1t
never comforted you. Oh, this world Is q
good rack from which horse may pick
his food. 1t Is a good trough from which
the swine may crunch their mess, but
It gives but little food to q soul blood
bought and immortal. What Is soul? It
Is hope high as the throne of God. What
Is man? You say, 1T Is only man." It
is only a man gone overheard In sin. It Is
only man gone overheard in business life.
WHAT'S man? The battle-ground of three
worlds. with his hands taking hold o: des-
TIMES OF light or darkness. man! No line
can measure him. Nolimit can bound him.
The archaDgel before the throne cannot out
live him. The stars shall die, but he will
watch their rextinguishment. The world will
burn, but he will gaze at the confagration.
Endless ages Will march on. He will watch
the procession. A man! The masterpiece
OF God Almighty. Yet you say. ut is only
man." Can nature like that be fed on
husks OF the wilderness?
Substantial comforts will not grow
On natures barren soil:
All VIC can boast till Christ We know
Is vanity and toll
Some Of you got astray by looking for bet
dogs. The hound gets over into the pasture
field. The poor things fly in every direc-
tion. In few moments they are torn Of the
hedges and they are splashed of the ditch,
and the lost sheep never gets home unless
the farmer goes after 1t. There Is nothing
80 thoroughly lost as lost sheep. It may
have BEEN in 1857, during the financial
panic. or during the financial str 50 in the
fall OF 1878 when you got astray. You almost
beoame an atheist. You said, "Whereis God
that honest men go down and thieves pros
PERI" You we're do2ged Of fcreditors, you
were dogged Of the banks. you were doaged
ofworldly disaster, and some Of you went
into misanthropy and some of you took to
strong drink and others Of you fed out OF
Christian association, and you got astray.
Oh, man, that was the last time when you
ought to have forsaken God. Standing
amid the laundering OF your early failures,
how could you get along without God to
comfort you and God to deliver you and
God TO help you and God to save your
You tell me you have been through
you. I know 1t. I cannot understand
how the boat could live one hour in that
chopped sen. But I do not know by what
process you got astray; some in one way and
some in another, and if you could really see
the position some Of you occupy before God
your soul would burst into an agony OF tears
and you wonld pelt the heavens with the cry,
.'God have mercy" Sinai's batteries have
been un!imbered above your soul. and at
times you have heard 1t thunder, "The
wages Of sin is DEATH" "All have sipned
one man sin entered into the world, AMI
death by sin, and so death passed upon all
men, for that all have slnned." ''The soul
that sinnetb, it shall die" When Sevastopol
was being bombarded, two Russian frigaIes
burned all night in the har or. throwing
glare upon the trembling fortress. and some
of you, from what you have told me YOUR
selves. some OF you are standing in the night
of your souls trouble, the cannonade, and
the confagration, and the multiplication.
and the multitude Of your Sorrows and
troubles think must make the wings OF
Gods lowering angles shiver TO the tip.
But the last part Of my text opens door
wide e-.ough to let US all out and to let all
heaven in. Sound 1t on the organ with all
the stops ou. Thrum 1t on the harp with all
the strings atune. With all the melody pos
sible let the heavens sound it to the earth
and let the earth tell 1t to the heavens. 'The
Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity OF US all" ="
I am glad that the prophet did not stop to
explain whom he meant by Him" Him OF
the manger Him Of the bloody sweat. Him
of the resurrection throne, Him Of the cruci
fixion agony. son Him the Lord hath laid
the iniouity Of US all" oh" says some
man, "thar isn't generous; lnat isn't fair.
Let every man carry his own burden and pay
his own debts" That sounds reasonable. II
Ibaye an obligation, and have the means
to meet ir, aud come to you and ask you to
settle thar obligation. you rightly say. Pay
your own debts" II you and /, walking
down rhe streeet-both hale, hearty and we'll
Il ask You to carry me, you say rightly,
~"Walk on your own feet!" But suppose you
and were in regiment. aud I was wound
na in tha hnftle and I fell nnnnn scinuS at