The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-06-17
RELIGIOUS READING.
THE HAUNTING PAST.

In the last analysis there is only one ting,
| after all. of which a human hring Is afraid
and that is his own past life. with It's aG-
| cruing results. Most men ar" not really
afraid of death per So. or Of Pain. or OF any
| catastrophe which is likely To beiai thelh,
| These facts are proven Il thousand times n
| day. RecklcssncSs AMI lndlilcrehce are lar
more prevalent than coWarhlce anu ureau.
But there is hardly n man or woman III the
world who does not look back Win more or
| less of arrrrhension and trembling
unon rast If" rs registered in the
| iItlivi,,ial consciousness. The world
may not understandable world may even
| account them saints from infancy; but they
krow how God looks upon them, and how
| tb"v look upon themselves. How rare
| how almost inhumanly rare Is the man
who has no haunting past. To every soul,
rendering the problem OF the future life
whether that soul be avowedly Christian or
not-the chance of salvation seems to rest
upon the righting, in some way, OF
condemning past. So long as that
hangs about mans neck like a
milestone, there is no possible tendency
for him, in time or eternity. but down,
down, forever down. Somehow that 1ncu-
bus must be thrown off; somehow the past
must be washed out or made right before
anv man can be saved. This Is the instructive
conviction of the race, no matter what may
be the form of its religious. or irreiiglous,
belief. Superstition must even have Its sac
riflces made and its message sung Tor the
soul that has already passed to its account.
On all hands men are crying out, and strlv-
ing, and being cried and striven TOR,
TO get rid of their own accusing past.
1t is to this vast. troubled. yearning multi
tude that Jesus Christ comes, with HIS won
derful, precious message Of hope. "hat
7 49, -, h,,rl pa1 al -hQnnfn6
soul? The message is strangely BRIEF and
simple yet how marvelously sweet and sufh-
cient "Come unto Me, all ye that labor and
are heavy-laden, and will give you rest.
The invitation Is personal and direct. We are
simply to come and cast the burden OF our
guilt upon Him. and He will per-
sonally assume it, and forever re.
move it from US. The solution OF
the whole casuistical problem IS 80 simple,
when this light or perfect love falls upon II !!
By reason of His divine nature Christ has
perfect moral right and power to assume
YOUR sin-burden and mine-just as much
right as your creditor has to assume or re-
nit your debt to him. We have sinned
against Christ, and He, and He alone, can
unsin US. Where in all the history OF human
thought, is there so sure and logical an an
swer to the universal problem, How shall a
man escape his condemning past = None
was ever offered that brought the peace and
assurance of Christ's personal invitation
and promise. Oh, all ye who are laboring
under the dread and discouragementt
of past sin, unforgiven, come and
taste the sweet, immediate peace OF the
Divine forgiveness! There is no other
escape from this haunting sense OF condem-
nation for soul-recorded evil. There is no
other spiritual peace save the peace OF God
in Christ. In vain many men labor TO atone
for past i'll deeds and thoughts by present
virtue. In vain may they strive to reason
God, and future. and judgment, out Of
the universe. A thought, consciousness, q
premonition will increasingly torment them !;
and they will know that it is not we'll with
them unless they are forgiven. No soul ever
got rid of its haunting past until it yielded 1t
up to the loving, burden-bearing Son OF
God