The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1897-06-23
n;nfinr rnrr own aitairs.

IS usara,i>ts E2ve pronounced them. 1hey
come rcar the verge Of the precipice Just 10
look 81. They want 10 see how far il really
;s down. bat they lose their balance while
taev, look and.:aIl into remeiiles5 ruin, or,
catching themselves, Chamber up, bleeding
and ghastly, on the rock, gibberi2g. with
curses o.. groau;ng Intellectual prayer. 81
al means encourage heal;hful inqUisi,ive-
ness: b. all means discourage ii regulated
curiosity.
This subject also impcesSes me with the
fact that fruits thar are sweet to the taste
may atterwarl produce great agony For
hidden fruit for Eve was 50 pleasant she IL
vite6 her husband also TO take OF II. b@,
her punishment from paradise and 6.ot"
wears of sorrow and wretchcdneSs aud WAY
and woe paid tor the luxury. Sin may oe
very sweet al the start, and 1t may induce
Great wretcheduess afterward. The cup Of
sin is sparkling at the top. but there Is death
al the bottom Intoxication has great eN
hilara,ion for awhile, and 1t n!!lps the
blood, and it makes man see i've stars
where others can see only one star, and II
makes the poor man rich, and turns cheeHs
which are white red As roses. But what
about the dreams that come after, when ne
seems falling from great heights or Is pros
tratcd bv other fanc;ed disasters and the
rerSpi~ation stands on the forehead-the
NIGHT dew of everlasting darHpeSs-and ne
i Ground under the horrible hoof OF night
mares shriekiDg with lips that crack!e with
al, consuming torture: ''iteioice, Oyoung
man. in thy youth and let thy heart cheer
thee in the days Of thy youth. But know
thou that for all these things God will bring
thee into Judgment Sweet at the start,
horrible at the last. Go into that hall Of
reve!ry. where uDgodly miTth staggers and
blasphemes Listen TO the senseleSs gabb!e.
See the last trace of intelligence dashed out
from faces made IN Gods ownimage. Aha,
aha" says the roistering inebria;e. This
is 10Y for you Fill nigh Jour cups, my
BOYS. drink to my wife'S misery, and my
children's rags, ami my Gods defiance. ,
And he knows not that fend stirs the COB
let in his hand and that adders uncoil from
the 6regs and thrust their forked tongues
Kissing through the froth on the rim. The
Philistines jeered and laughed and shouted
at Samson. Oh. they wanted him TO make
sport for them, and he made sport for them:
How bright and gay was the scene for lit
tie while. After awhile the giant puts one
hand against this pillar and the other hand
against that pillar and bows himself, and
:, 1000 merrymakerS are mashed like grapes
in winepresS. Sin rapturous at the start,
awful at the last.
That one Edenic ;ransgression did not
seem to be much, but 1t struck blow which
to this day makes the earth stagger. 10
find out the consequences Of that one sin
You would have TO compel the world to
throw open all its prison doors and display
the crime, and throw open al its hospitals
and display the disease, and throw open all
the insane asylums and show the wretched-
ness, and open all the sepulchers and show
the dead, and open al the doors Of the lost
world and show the damned. That one
Edenic tra3Sgression stretched chords OF
misery across the heart Of the wcrld and
struck them with dolorous wailing, andlt
has seated the plaques upon the air. and
the shipwrecks upon the tempest, and :as-
tened, ike leech, famine TO the heart Of
the sick and dying nations. Beautiful at the
start, horrible at the last. On, how many
have experienced it.
Are there here those who are Votarles Of
pleasure? Let me warn you, my brother
Your pleasure boat is far from shore, and
your summer DAY is ending roughly. for
the winds and the waves are loud voiced,
and the overcoming clouds are all awrithe
and agleem with terror. You are past the
Narrows, and almost outside the Hook, and
if the Atlantic take thee, frail mortal, thou
shalt never get to shore again. Put back;
row swiftly, swifter. swifter! Jesus from
the shore casteth rope. Clasp it quickly,
now or never. On, are there not some OF
you who are freightins all your loves and
Joys and hopes upon a vessel which
shall never reach the port Of heaven:
Thou nearest the breakers. One heave
upon the rocks. Oh, what an awful crash
was that. Another luDge may crush thee
beneath the spars or grind thy bo1es to
powder amid the torn timbers. Overheard
for your life, overheard. Trust not that
loose plank nor attempt the wave, but quick
" clasp the feet of Jesus walking on the
watery pavement, shouting until he near
thee, Lord, save me or l perish" Sin
beautiful at the start-oh, how sad, how dis
tressful, at the last. The ground over
which it leads you is hollow. The fruit II
offers to your taste is poison. The promise
it makes to you is lie. Over that ungodly
banquet the keen sword Of Gods judgment
hangs, and there are omnious handwritings
on the walls.
Observe also in this subject how repell-
ing sin is when appended to great attract
i7eness. Since Eyes death there has been
no such perfection of womanhood. You
could not suggest an attractiveness TO the
body or suggest any refinement TO the
manner. You could add no gracefulness TO
the gait, no lustre to the eye, no sweetness
to the voice. a perfect God made he2 per-
feet woman, to be the companion OF a per-
feet man in a perfect home, and her entire
nature vibrated in accord with the beauty
and song Of paradise. But she -ebelled
against Gods government, and with the
same hand with which she plucked the fruit
she launched upon the world the crime, the
wars, the tumultS that have set the universe
awaiting.
4 terrible Offset to al her attractiveness.
We are not surprised when We find men and
women naturally vulgar going into trans
gression. We expect that people who live IN
the ditch shall have the manners Of the
ditch, but how shocking when We fnG an
appended to superior education and to the
refnements of social life. The accomplish
ments Of Mary, queen Of Scots, make her
patronage of Darnley, the prohigate, the
more appalling. The genius Of Catherine
II Of Russia only sets forth in more power
ful contrast her unappeasable ambition. The
translations from the Greek and the Latin
by Elizabeth and her wonderful qualidca.
tions for a queen make the more disgusting
her caprieiousness of affection and her hot
ness Of temper The greatness of Byron
mind makes the more alarming Byron SEN
suaity.
Let no one think that refinement of man
ner or exquis;teness Of taste or superiority
of education can in any wise apologize for i'll
temper, for an oppressive spirit, for unkind-
ness, for any kind OF sin. Disobedience Sod
ward and transgression manward can give
no excuse. Accomplishment heaven high is
no apology for vice hell deep