The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-07-14
"Honor All Men,"
Sermons by the late Rev. Robert A. Lee.
Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor IN
King. l Peter ii, II.

How very vague and indefinite are these words-''Hon-|
or all men," So broad and general are they, that they
seem lacking in meaning, verging upon the trlte and COM
mon-place. Who ever set his mind to obey this command
to honor all men? These words in the regular course OIL
the Church's service are read three times every year. Yet
in the MANY times you have heard them have you ever
CHARGED yourself with them, and gone forth with the deter
mination to obey them? In their universal sweep, do they
not appear lacking in any partiular meaning or application!
Do thew not appear, like so many things good and glorious,
as misty and visionary' Do they not appear incapable OF
application and practice in daily life? Did you ever try to|
honor all men d? Meaningless and vapd as these words
may appear to US, they we're full of truth to the man who
wrote them-St. Peter. The time was very shortly before
this, when he did not honor all men; when as a Jew he
hated and despised most OF the race, as being Gehtnes,
shut out from the privileges of Gods people, and lett OF
God to perish. And so s%tubbornly did ne MAINTAIN MS
Jewish p~rejudces, that it required a special VISION a VI
sion of the sheet let down from heaven by the tour corners,
and enclosing all manner OF creatures, beasts and lows OF
the ART required that vision to convince him that Gen-
tiles. without becoming Jews, might be baptized and receive
the gift of the Holy Ghost. Out of the tullness and depth
of his own experience, then, st. Peter utters these words
they spring from that breadth and light which the Gospel
of Christ had bestowed upon him. AS a Jew, st. Peter
had hated and Stunned all Gentles E.: as Christian, he had
come to learn that men everywhere were his brethren,
that there is such a thing as humanity; and, in the enthusl-
asm of that new and glorious vision, he cried out, "Honor
all men"
AS these words then come to US, what truth and mean
ing do thew bring The honor of humanty-what IS that
Why are we to honor men? How are we to honor men ?
Is humanity worthy of honor? Does it deserve respect
and esteem? Look at that record 1t is making, that Jour-
nal and diary it is keeping of itself in the daily press OF
this country. What a portrayal there of lust and drunk
enness and murder. IS that the humanity we are to honor
My friends, during the session of the Court IN the week
past, many of you have seen a humanity degraded and SIN
laden put on trial, and convicted, and sentenced. Are we
to honor all men-those men , And in the week just past,
and in every other week, you have seen in men who have
the religion of Christ, who are striving to obey that reh-
gion-you have seen self-seeking, and self pleasing. Are
we to honor all men? We are to honor all men because
Jesus Christ was a man. In the thirty-three years He
lived on this earth Christ has shed deathless lustre on our
race. By His life on this earth as man, Christ has added
dignity and worth to every member OF our race. He took
sin-cursed humanity, and showed OF what 1t lscapaDle );
He showed how this humanity of ours could be true, and
pure, and good. He showed US what this human life Of
ours is-something grand and glorious. He showed us
what a noble thing it is to be a man in this world. He has
: shown, then, that humanity is something sacred, and holy,
and divine. Therefore honor all men, even the corrupt and
depraved, because they are men, and do share in that fade
less lustre shed upon our race by the Man Christ Jesus.
They may be battered and torn specimens OF the race, and
yet l tell you they do bear within them that same human
ity that Christ had-a humanity capable therefore OF be-
ing true and pure and good, as was Chrlsts humanity.
Christ thought that humanity worthy to be joined to His
immortal and divine nature He thought it worth while to
dwell among US, for more than thirty years, to show the
beauty and power of this humanity He deemed 1t worthy
to be Joined to Himself, forever, on the throne of God.
i ClClOlC uCNS1 lNilSo VI SSP oHy $1,000 ~
member of the race and family to which Christ belongs );
never despair of any man, for Christ was a man, and in
Him you see and know what every man may be and ought
to be honor all men, because that humanity which IS
theirs is to-day seated on the throne of the universe.
Honor, then, mankind for the true honor that belongs to it );
respect it for the true dignity and worth that ithas and
if at times you do not find these qualities in men. If you
find them false and impure and unholy, if your faith in hu-
mainly is about to forsake you, think of what this human
iy was in Christ, and, therefore, of what it may be in men,
and new hope and confidence for mankind will be yours,
But again, unless you do thus honor men, unless you
understand and know the dignity and value of mankind,
you can never labour for men, and your life will be fruit
less, so far as the interests of humanity are concerned.
For unless the race has worth and value, unless it is worthy
of honor and esteem, it would be folly for US to labour for
it, or in any way to deny ourselves for it. The difficulty
in the world to-day is that while men believe in God they
do not believe in men, in the value and Importance of the
race, and of all that it may be. Their gaze is fixed on
men about them. they never take a comprehensive view OF
marvellous progress men are making in morality and intel
Igence and religion, and they know nothing of the magnli-
cent achievements of that race to which they belong, and
of what the future has in store for it. They never stop
to think that there is such a thing as mankind; they know
nothing about humanity-its powers and possibilities
they care nothing for it. With no inspiration to love hu-
manity, they enter life not to hell men, but to fight men,
to over-reach and thWart men in fierce conflict with men,
they enter the race for money, and place, and power.
You cannot blame men for SO doing. Their attention has
never been directed to the priceless wealth OF humanity
that awaits only a hand to develop it. They devote their
whole time to developing the resources OF this earth, and
do not know, or think, of the boundless riches that the
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