The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-02-19

Il
that one minute after a man has become O
child of God he is as safe as though he had
been 10, 900 years in heaven. He may slip
he NAV slide; he may stumble; but he can:
not be destroyed. Kept by the power OF God
through faith unto complete salvatlon. Ever
lastincly safe. The severest trial to whlch
you can subject Christian man ls TO kll
him. and that is glory. In otner words, tne
worst thing that can happen a child OF God
is heaven. The body is only the old slipper:
that hs throws aside just before putting on
the sandals of light. His soul, you cannot
hurt it. No fires can consume it. No floods
can crown it. No devils can capture it.
Firm and unmoved are they
Who rest their souls on God;
Fixed as the ground where David stood,
Or where the ark abode.
His soul is safe. His reputation is safe.
Everything is safe. "But," you say. sup.
pose his store burns up9" Why, then, II
earthly to heavenly securities. "But," you
say, suppose his name goes down under
the hoof OF scorn and contempt?" The name
will be so much brighter in glory. Suppose
his physical health fails?" God will pour
into him the floods Of everlasting health. and
1t will not make anv difference. Earthly
subtraction is heavenly addition. The tears
| of earth are the crystals Of heaven. AS they
take rags and tatters and put them through
the paper mill and they come out beautiful
white sheets Of paper, so often the rags OF
earthly destitution, under the cylinders OF
death, come out white scroll upon which
shall be written eternal emancipation. There
was one passage OF Scripture, the force OF
which never understood until one day at
| Chamounix, with Mont Blanc on one side
and Montanvert on the other, opened my
| Bible and read, "As the mountains are
| around about Jerusalem so the Lord is
| around about them that fear Him." The
surroundings were an omnipotent COM
mentary.
Though troubles assail and dangers alright.
Though friends should all fail and foes all
unite,
Yet one thing secures US. whatever betide,
| rne Scripture assures US the Lord will pro-
vide.
Still further. the road spoken of is pleas.
ant road. God gives bond Of indemnity
against all evil to every man that treads It..
"All things work together for good those
who love God" No weapon formed against
them can prosper. That Is the bond, signed,
sealed and delivered by the President OF the
whole universe. What is the use of your
fretting, oh, child of God, about food? "Be.
hold the fowls OF the air, for they SOW not,
neither do they reap, nor gather into barns,
yet your Heavenly Father feedeth them" ="
And will He take care of the sparrow, will He
take care of the raven, will Ee take care OF
the hawk and let you die? What Is the Use
OF your fretting about clothes? "Consider
the lilies OF the field. Shall He not much
more clothe you, oh, ye OF little faith?"
What Is the use Of worrying for fear some
thing will happen to your home? "He
blesseth the habitation OF the just" What is
the use of your frettinG lest you will be over.
come OF temptations? "God is faithful. who
will not suffer you to be tempted above that
we are able, but will with the temptation
able to bear it, Oh, this Kings highway
Trees OF life on either side bending over un-
til their branches interlock and drop mid
way their fruit and shade. Houses Of enter
tainment on either side the road for poor pill
grims. Tables spread with feast eof good
things and walls adorned with apples OF gold
in pictures of silver. I start out on this
Kings highway. and find harper and
say, "What is your name?" Th harper
makes no response, but leaves me to guess as
with his eyes toward heaven and his hand
upon the trembling strings this tune comes
ripping on the air: "The Lord is my light
and my salvation. Whom shall fear? The
Lord Is the strength of my life. OF whom
shall I be afraid?"
Igo a little farther on the same road and
meet a trumpeter OF heaven, and say,
Haven't you got some music for tired
pilgrim?" And wiping his lip and taking a
long breath he puts his mouth to the trumpet
and pours forth this strain: "They shall
hunger no more, neither shall they thirst
any more, neither shall the sun light on
them, nor any heat. for the Lamb which IS
in the midst Of the throne shall lead them to
living fountains of water, and God shall
wipe away all tears from their eyes," go q
little distance farther on the same road. and
I meet maiden of Israel. She has no harp,
but she has cymbals. They look as il they
had rusted from sea spray, and / say to the
maiden Of Israel. "Have you no song for q
tired pilgrim?" And like the clang Of VIC
tors shields the cymbals clap as Miriam be-
gins to discourse: "Sing ye to the Lord, for
He hath triumpheted sloriously. The horse
and the rider hath He thrown into the sea. !"
And then see white robed group. They
are they? The happiest and the brightest,
and the fairest in ALL! heaven-who are
they?" And the answer comes, "These are
they who came out OF great tribulations and
had their robes washed and made white in
the blood OF the Lamb"
I Ipursue this subject only one step further.
What is the terminus? T do not care how
fine road you put me on; want to know
where it comes out. My text declares, Tho
redeemed Of the Lord come to Zion." You
know what Zion was. That was the Kings
palace. 1t was mountain fastness. 1t was
impregnable. And so heaven is tho fastneSs
of the universe. No howitzer has long
enc ugh range to she'll those towers. Let all
the batteries Of earth and hell blaze away
they cannot break in those gates. Gibraltar
was taken; Sebastopol was taken; Babylon
fell, hut these walls OF heaven shall never
surrender either to human or satanic be-
siegement. The Lord God Almighty Is the
defense of it. Great capital of the universe!
Terminus OF the Kings highway!
DR.. Dick said thar, among other things.
he thought in heaven We would study chem
istry and geometry and comic sections.
Southey thought that in heaven no would
have the pleasure of seeing Chaucer and
Shakespeare Now, DR.. Dick may have his
mathematics for all eternity and Southey his
Shakespeare Give mo Christ and my old
| friendS-that is all tho heaven l want.
| Christ and His people that / knew on earth
that is heaven enough for me. Oh, garden
| or light, whose leaves never Wither. and
whose fruits never fail! Oh. banquet OF God,
whose sweetness never pals the taste and
| whose guests are kings forever! Oh, city OF
| light, whose walls are salvation and whose
gates are praise! On, palace OF rest. where
| God is the monarch and everlasting ages tho
length Of His reign! Oh. song louder than
the surf beat OF many waters, yet soft as tho