The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-03-18
REV. DIR. TAIIMAGE
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE
NOTED DIVINE.
Subject: "Gathering Around Christ y

TEXT: unto Him shall the gathering Of th
people ba"-Genesis Xix, 10.
Through supernatural lens, or what
might call prophescope, dying Jacob look
down through the corridors OF the centurie
until he sees Christ the center Of all popula
attraction and the greatest being in all th
world, so everywhere acknowledged. It wa
not always so. The world tried hard to pu
Him down and to put Him out. In the yea
1900, while e1cavating for antiquities fifty
three miles northeast OF Rome "a copper plat
tablet was found containing the death war
rant OF the Lord Jesus Christ. reading in thi
wise:
I'm the year L. of the empire Of Tberiu
Caesar, and on the 25th OF March, !, Pontiu:
PLATE, governor of the Prstore, condemn
Jesus Of Nazareth to die between two thieves
Quintius Cornelius to lead him forth to the
place OF execution"
The death warrant was signed by several
names. First, by Daniel. rabbi Pharisee
secondly, by Johannes. rabbi; thirdly. by
Raphael; fourthly, by Capet. a private citi
zen. This capital punishment was executed
according to law. The name or the THE
crucifed on the right hand side OF Christ
was Dismss The name Of the thief cruci
fed on the left hand side Of Christ was Ges-
tus. Pontius Plate describing the tragedy
says the whole world lighted candles
from noon until night. Thirty-three years
OF meltreatment. A wall Of the city, built
about those times and recently exposed by
archaologists, shows a caricature Of Jesus
Christ ,evidencing the contempt in which he
was held by many in His day, that caricature
on the wall representing a cross end DON
key nailed to it. and under 1t tie inscription,
''This Is the Christ whom che people wor-
ship" But rejoice that that day is gone
by. Our Christ is cc:ltng out from under
the worlds abuse. The most popular name
on earth to-day IS the name OF Christ. Where
He had one friend Christ has thousand
friends. The scoffers have become the wor-
! fidels in Great Britain in our day sixteen have
come back to Christ. trying to undo the
blatant mischief OF their lives - six
teen out OF the twenty. Every man
who writes letter or signs a doc
ument. Willingly or unwittingiy, honors
Jesus Christ. We date everything as B. c.
or A. D.-B. c., before Christ; A. D., Ammo
Domini. in the year OF our Lord. All the
ages Of history on the pivot OF the upright
beam OF the cross of the Son OF God, B. c.,
A. D. I do not care what you call Him
whether Conqueror or King or Morning Star
or Sun Of Righteousness or Balm OF Gilead
or Lebanon Cedar or Brother or Friend or
take the name used in the verse from which
take my text and call Him Shilo, which
means His Son, or the Tranquilator, or the
Peacemaker, Shiloh. I only want TO tell
you that 'unto Him shall the gathering OF
the people be-"
In the first place, the people are gathered
around Christ for pardon. No sensible man
or BEAUTIFULLY ambitious man Is satisfied
with his past life. A fool NAV think he is all
right. A sensible man knows he Is not. l
do not care who the thoughtful man is the
review of his lifetime behavior before God
and man gives to him no especial satis&ec-
tion. "Oh," he says, there have been so
many things have done ought not to
have done; there have been so many things
I have said ought never to have said; there
have been so many things / have written l
ought never to have written; there have been
80 many things I have thought ought never
to have thought! I must somehow get
things readjusted. I must somehow
have the past reconstructed. There are days
and months and years which cry out against
me in horrible vociferation." All, my brother,
Christ adjusts the past by obliterating 1t. He
does not erase the. record OF our mlsdolng
with dash Of ink from registers pen, but
lifting His right hand crushed. red at the
palm. He puts it against His bleeding brow
and then against His pierced side, and with
the crimson accumulation OF all those wounds
He rubs out the accusatory chapter. He
blots out our riniquities. Oh. never be anxious
about the future; better be anxious about
1.-THE past! put it not at the end Of my SER
mon; must put it at the front-mercy and
pardon through Shiloh. the sin pardoning
Christ. Unto Him shall the gathering of
the people be-" "Oh." says some man, ~
have for fortyye been as bad asI could
be. and is there any mercy for .:e?
one here, "i had a grand ancestry.
the holiest OF fathers and the tenderest of
mothers, and for my perfldy there is no ex-
cuse! Do you think there is any mcrcy for
me?" Mercy for you. But" says another
man. 81 fear have committed what they
call the unpardonable sin, and the Bible
SAYS II man commit that sin he Is neither
TO be forgiven in this world nor the world to
come. Do you think there is any mercy for
me?" The fact that you have any solicitude
about the matter at all proves positively
tina, YOU have not committed the unpardon-
God which bringeth salvation!
The grace Of God! Let US take the SUI
veyo-'s chain and try to measure Gods
mercy through Jesus Christ. Let one sur
veyor take that chain and 60 TO the north,
and another surveyor take that chain and go
to the south, and another surveyor take that
chain and go to the east, and another sur
veyor take that chain and go to the west.
and then make report Of the square miles
of that vast kingdom OF Gods mercy. Aye,
you will have to wait to all eternity for the
report Of that measurement. It cannot be
measured. Paul tried to climb the height OF
il, and he went height over height, altitude
above altitude. mountain above mountain,
then sank down in encouragement and gave
1T up, for he saw Sierra Nevadas beyond and
MatterhornS beyond, and waving his hands
back to us in the plains he says, past find
Ing out; unsearchable. that in all things he
might have the pre-eminence." You notice
that nearly all the sinners mentioned rs par
loned in the Bible were great sinners-Davld
a gysat sinner, Paul a great sinner,
RRehao great sinner, Magdalene a
sinner. The world easily understood how
Christ could pardon half and half sinner.
but wha. the world wants to be persuaded Of
! IS that Christ will forgive the worst sinner,
the hardest nner the oldest sinner, the most
|ineEcusab!e sinner. To the sin pardoninc
Shiloh let all the gathering oithe people be.
3u:. I remark again, the people will
gather around Christ rs n sympathizer. Oh,
4 we all want sympathy hear people talk
as though they were independent OF it.
None OF us could live without sympathy.
SWhen parts OF our family are away, how
lonely the house seems until they all get
home! But, alas, for those VINO never come
Rhome Sometimes 1t seems as II it must be
3impossible. What, will their feet never
3again come over the thresholtp Will they
aneyer again sit with us at the table? Will
they never again kneel with us at family
prayer? Shall We never again look into
eheir sunny faces? Shall we never again
Ion earth :ake counsel with them
for our work? Alas me. who can stand un-
der these griefs! Oh, Christ. Thou canst do
nore for bereft soul than any one else! 1t
is He who stands beside US to tell Of the res
urrectiop. 1t is He that came to bid peace.
It is He that comes to US and breathes into
us the s";rit OF submission until We can look
[hnp from he wreck and suin OF onr brightest