The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-02-12

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any idea that you can carry along
your sins, your lusts, your worldll'
ness, and yet get at the end of the
Christian race, you are SO awfully mis-
taken, the name of God, shatter the
delusion.
Still further, the road spoken OF is d
plain road. 9Th, wayfarlng men,
though tools, shall not err therein
that is, if a man is ee-fourths an
idiot, he can find this road just as well
as if he were a philosoper. The I'M
becile boy. the laughing stock OF the
street, and followed by a mob hooting
at him, has only just to knock once al
the gate of heaven, and it swings open
while there has been many man who
could lecture about pneumatics and
chemistry and tell the story of Fara
days theory of electrical polarization
and vet has been shut out of heaven:
There has been many a man who stood
| in an observatory and swept the heav,
ems with his telescope and yet has moi
been and yet has not been able to SET
the morning star. Many man has
been familiar with all the higher bran
ches of mathematics and yet could nol
do the simple sum. What shall II
profit a man if he gain the whole
world and lose his own soul?" Many
man has been fine reader of TRACE
dies and poems and yet could not
''read his title clear to mansions in
the skies"
Many a man has botanized across
the continent, and yet not known the
Rose of Sharon, and the Lily of the
Valley. But if one shall come in the
right spirit, asking the way to heaven,
he will find it plain way. The par
don is plain. The peace is plain.
Everything is plain. He who tries to
get on the road to heaven through the
New Testament teaching will get on
beautifully. He who goes through
philosophical discussion will not gel
on at all. Christ says, "Come to me
and I will take all your sins away, and
I will take all your troubles away"
Now what is the use of my discussing
it any more? Is not that plain2 II
you wanted togo to some city, and
pointed you out highway thorough
ly laid out, would I be wise in detain'
ing you by a geological discussion
about the gravel you will pass over, or
a physiological discussion about the
muscles you will have to bring into
play2 No. After this Bible has pointed
you the way to heaven, is it wise for
me to detain you with any discussi on
about the nature of the human will, OF
whether the atonement is limited OF
unlimited2 There is the road-go on
it. tits a plain way. This is faith
full saying and worthy of all accepta
ton that Christ Jesus came into the
world to save sinners" And that is
you and that is me. Any little child
here can understand this as we'll as I
can. UNLESS you become as little
child you cannot Sc the kingdom OF
God" If you are saved, it will not
be as a philosopher; it will be as lit,
tie child. "Of such is the kingdom OF
heaven" Unless you get the spirit OF
little children you will never come
out at their glorious destiny.
Still further, this road to heaven is
a safe road. Sometimes the traveller
in those ancient highways would think
himself perfectly secure, not knowing
there was a lion by the way, burying
his head deep between his paws, and
then, when the right moment came,
under the fearful spring the mans life
was gone, and there was a mauled car
cass by the roadside. But, says my
text, mo lion shall be there" Iwish
I could make you feel your entire Sc
curity. I tell you plainly that one
minute aftei man has become child
of God he is as safe as though he had
been 10, 900 years in heaven. He may
slip, he may slide, he may stumble,
but he cannot be destroyed; kept by
the power of God, through faith, unto
complete salvation, everlasting safe.
The severest trial to which you can
subject a Christian man is to kill him,
and that is glory. In other words, the
worst thing that can happen a child
of God is heaven. The body is only
the old slippers that he throws aside
just before putting on the sandals OF
light. His soul, you cannot hurt it.
No fires can consume it; no floods can
drown it; no devils can capture it.
Firm and unmoved are they
Who rests 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, suppose his store burns up?"
Why, then it will be only a change of
investments from 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 fails2''
God will pour into him the floods of
everlasting health, and it will not
make any difference. Earthly sub
traction is heavenly addition. The
tears of earth are the crystals of heav-
en-. 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 eman-
cipation. There was one passage of
Scripture the force of which I never
understood until one day at Chamou.
nix, with Mont Blanc on one side and
Montanvert on the other, I opened
my Bible and read, "As the noun.
tains are around about Jerusalem, so
the Lord is around about about them
that fear him." The surroundings
were an onninotent commentary