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

There fingers on this side Of the river that
divides earth and heaven, ready at any time
to cross over. the apostle OF prayer Tor this
century. Jeremiah Calvin Lanphler, tne
founder OF the Fulton street prayer meeting
and IL he should put on his spectacles and
read this salute him as more qualified than
any man since Bible times IN demonstrating
what prayer can do. Dear Brother Lam
nhierl The high heavens are full OF bis
fame Having announced a meeting for Il
O'Clock, September %, 1857, he sat in the
upper room on Fulton street, New York,
waiting for people to come. He waited fol
a half hour, and then q football was heard
on the steps, and after awhile in all six per-
sons arrived, but the next day twenty, and
the next day forty and from that time to this,
for over thirty-eight years, every day, Sab
bath excepted, that Fulton street prayer
Meeting has been place where people have
asked prayer and answers to prayer nave
! been announced, and the throb OF that great
heart of supplication has thrilled not only
into the heavens. but cleae around the worio,
more than any spot on earth. That mas pee9
| the place where the redeemed OF the Loru
| said so!
Let the same outspokenness be employed
| toward those by whom We have oeen perSon-
ally advantaged. We wait until tney are
dead before we say SO. Your parents nave
planned for your best interests al lhese
| wears. They may sometimes, tnelr nervous
Sisa sannointments, the woriments of life, be
more irritable than they ought to be, and
thew probably have faults which have be-
come oppressive as the years 60 by. But
| those ewes, long before they took on spec
tacles, were watching for your welfare, and
their hands, not as smooth and much more
deeply lined than once, have done Tor
YOU many good days work. Life has been
to them more of struggle than you Will
ever know about, and much OF the struggle
has been for you. and how much they are
wrapped upin your welfare you Will never
appreciate.
Have You by word or gift or behavior ex-
pressed your thanks2 Or If you cannot quite
get up to say it face to face, have you written
il in some holiday salutation2 The time will
soon pass, and they will be gone out Of your
sight. and their ears will not hear, and their
ewes will not see. If you owe them any
kindness Of deed or any words Of apprecla-
ton, why do you not say so! How much
we might all OF US save ourselves IN the
matter of regrets If we did not delay until
too late an expression OF obligation that
would have made the last years OF earthly
life more attractive. The grave Is deaf, ana
epitaphs on cold marble cannot make re-
paration.
In coniugal life the honeymoon Is soon
past, and the twain take it for granted that
each Is thoroughly understood. How depen-
dent on each other they become, and the
wears so by, and perhaps nothing is said to
make the other fully understand that sense
of dependence. Impatient words sometimes
come forth, and motives are m1sinterpreteo,
and it is taken as matter of course that the
two will walk the path OF life side by slde
until about the same time their journey snail
be ended. but some sudden and appalling ILL
ness unloosens the right hands that were
clayped years ut before the altar OF orange
blossoms, the parting takes place, and among
the worst Of all tha sorrowS Is that you did
not oftener, if you ever did at all, tell her or
tell him how indispensable she was or how
indispensable he was to your happiness, and
that In some plain, square talk long ago you
did not ask for forgiveness for intrmit1es
and negiects, and by some unlimited utter
ance make it understood that you fully ap..
preciated the fidelity and reinforcement OF
many years. Alas, how many such have TO
lament the rest Of their Lives, "Oh, II had
only said sou =,
MY subject takes wider range. The Lord
has hundreds OF thousands Of people among
those who have never joined His larmy be-
cause OF some high ideal OF what Christian
should he or because OF p fear that they may
not hold out or because OF spirit OF pro-
crastination. They have never publicly
professed CHrlst. They have as much right
to the sacraments and as much right to all
the privileges of the church as thousands
who have for years been enrolled In churcn
membership, and yet they have made no
positive utterance by which the world may
know they love God and are on the road to
heaven. They are redeemed of the Lord and
vet do not say so. Oh. what an augmenta-
ton it would be II by some divine impulse
all those outsiders should become insiders. l
tell YOU what would bring them to their
right places, and perhaps nothing else will
Gays of persecution. II they were compelled
to take sides as between Christ and His enc
mics, they would take the side OF Christ, and
the fagots and the instruments Of torture
and the anathemas of all earth and hell
would not make them blanch. Martyrs are
made out Of such stuff as they ore. But let
them not wait for such days as pray to God
NAV never come. Drawn by the sense of
fairness and justice and obligation. let them
show their colors. Let the redeemed OF the
Lord say so.
This chapter from which take my text
mentions several classes OF persons who
ought to be outspoken, among them all those
| who 60 on journey. Whit an opportunity
you have, you who spend 80 much OF your
on lake or river or sea. Spread the glory of
Gods goodness and your own redemption
| wherever you go. You will have many a
| long ride beside some one whom you will
| never see again, some one who is waiting Tor
| one word Of rescue or consolation. Make
every rail train and steamer moving palace
| OF saved souls. Casual conversations have
| harvested great host for God.
| There are many Christian workers in pull
pits, in mission stations, Sabbath schools. in
unheard Of places who are doing their best
for God and without any recognition. They
60 and come, and no one cheers them. Per-
haps all the reward they get is harsh critic
ism, or repIlse, or their own fatigue. If you
have ever heard of any good they have done,
let them know about it. If you find some
one benefited by their aims, or their prayers,
or their cheering word, 60 and tell them.
They may be almost ready to give up their
mission. They may be almost in despair be-
cause OF the seeming lack Of results. One
word from you may be an ordination that
| will start them on the chief work OF their
| lifetime. A Christian woman said to her
pastor: "My usefulness is done. I do not
know why my life is spared any longer, be-
cause can do no good" Then the pastor
replied: ''Ynu do me great good every Sab
| BATH" She asked: .How do I do you any
good?" ard he replied: "In the first place,
YOU are always in your seat in the church,
and that hell me, and in the secont place
you arc alwa,s wide awake and alert, look
ing right up into my face. and that helps me,
and in the third place often see Gears run.
ming down your cheeks. and that helps me. u
What good thing he did not wait until she
was dead before he said so!
t-FF4hsssa- are hundreds OIL ministers who have
hard work to make sermons because no one
expresses auyapprecintion. They are afraid
| az m q at,inn him vain ThA moment the