The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-07-07

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pied into the overwhelming, and 1t H
as true now as when the Bible first pre-
sented II, "The wicked live not out hall
their days" Longevity is not a positive
proof Of goodness, but it Is prima facie evil
dence in that direction. A loose life has
killed hundreds Of eminent Americans. a
loose life Is now killing hundreds OF emil
nent Americans and Europeans. The doc
tors are very kind and the certificate given
after the distinguished man Of dissipation
ts dead, saws, "Died OF congestion OF the
brain" although 1t was delirium tremens,
or "Died OF cirrhosis of the liver" al.
Sthough 1t was q round Of ibertinism,
or "Died Of heart failure" although 1t
was the vengeance of outraged law that
slew him. Thanks, doctor, for you are
right in saving the feelings OF the bereft
household by not being more specific.
Look, all We who are in high places Of earth,
and see one who has been piled by ell the
temptations which wealth n honor and
the secret place OF palaces could produce,
and yet next Tuesday she will ride along in
the presence Of 1000, 900 people, II they can
get within sight Of her chariot, IN the vigor-
Gus old age, no more hurt by the splendors
that have surrounded her for seventy-eight
wears than Is the plain country woman
come down from her mountain home IN an
oxcart to attend the Saturday marketing.
But as all Of US will be denied attendance
on that sixtieth anniversary coronation l
invite YOU not to the anniversary Of q coro-
nation. but to q coronation itself-aye, to
two c~oronations. Brought up as we are. to
love as no other form Of government that
which Is republican and democratic, we,
living on this side Of the sea, cannot 80
easily as those living on the other side OF
the sea appreciate the two ~coronations to
which all up and down the Bible you
and I are urgently invited. Some OF you
have such morbid ideas Of religion that
you think Of 1t as going down into a dark
cellar, or out on a barren common, or as
hagellatiop, when, 30 far from a dark eel
lar, 1t Is q palace, and instead OF o barren
common 1t Is q garden, atoss with the
brightest fountains hat were ever rain
bowed, and instead Of flagellation 1t tS
coronation, but a coronation utterly eclips-
ing one whose sixtieth anniversary is now
being celebrated.
It was a great day when, about On eighth
of q mile from the gate OF Jerusalem, IN
der q sky pallid with thickest darknesS,
and on q mountain trammeled OF earth
quake, and the air on fire with the bias
pEemies Of a mob, q crown OF spikes was
put upon the pallid and agonized brow OF
our Jesus. But that particular coronation,
amid tears and blood and groans and shiv-
ing cataclysms, made your Own corona
ton possible. Paul was not a man to lose
his equilibrium, but when that old mis-
sionary, with crooked back and in
famed eyes, got a glimpse OF the crown
coming to him, n coming to you, II you
will by repentance and faith accept 1t, he
went into ecstasies, and his poor eyes
flashed and his crooked back Strengthened
as he cried to Timothy, There is laid up
for me a crown of righteousness" and to
the Corinthians, ''These athletes run to
obtain a %corruptible, we an i~ncorruptible,'
crown" And to the Thessalonians he
speaks Of "the crown Of glory" and to the
Philippians he says, "My Joy and crown"
The apostle Peter catches the inspira-
ton and cries out, eye shall receive a
crown of glory that fadeth not away"
and st. John joins in the rapture and says,
Faithful to death, and I will give thee a
crown OF life," and elsewhere exclaims,
"Hold fast that no man take thy crown"
Crowns, crowns, crowns! You did not ex-
pect in coming here to-day to be invited to
a coronation. You can scarcely believe
your own ears, but in the name OF a par
doning God and a sacrificing Christ and an
o%mnipotent Holy Spirit and q triumphant
heaven / offer each one q crown for the ask
ing. Crowns, crowns! How to get the
CROWN? The way Victoria got her crown,
on her knees. Although eight duch-
esses and %marquises, all in cloth OF
silver, carried her train, and the win
dows and arches and roof of the abbey
shook with the "Te Deum" Of the organ In
full diapason, she had to kneel, she had to
come down. To get the crown Of pardon
and eternal life, you will have to kneel, you
will have to come down. Yea. History
says that at her coronation not only the en-
tire assembly wept with profound emo.
ton. but Victoria was in tears. SO you will
lave to have your dry eyes moistened with
tears, in your case tears ofrepentance, tears
of joy, tears Of coronation. and you will feel
like crying out with jeremiah, "Oh, that
my head were waters and mine eyes CUNT
aims Of tears"
In all the ages Of time no one ever had
such q hard time as Christ while he was
on earth. Brambles for His brow, expec.
torations for His cheek, whips for HIS BACK,
spears for His side, spikes Tor His feet,
contumely for His name, and even in or
time how many say He is no CHRIST at ai,
and there IRE tens Of thousands OF hands
irving to push Him back and keep Him
down. But, oh, the human and satanic
impotency! Can q spider stop an albatrossi
Can the hole which the toy shovel OF q
child digs in the sand at Cape May
swallow the Atlantic? Can the breath OF
a summer fan drive back the Mediterranean
! euroclydon? Yes, when all the combined
forces of earth and hell can keep Christ
from ascending the throne OF universal
dominion. David the psalmist foresaw
that coronation and cried out in regard to
the Messiah, upon Himself shall His
| crown flourish" From the cave Of black
basalt St. John foresaw it and cried, o
His head were many owns" Now do not
miss the beauty of that figure. There is
no room on any head for more than
one crown Of silver, gold or diamond.
Then what does the book mean when It
sa VS., "On His head were many rowns!'
Well, 1t means twisted and enwreathed
flowers. To prepare a crown for your child
and make her the queen Of the May" you
might take the white flowers out OF one
p%arterre and the crimson flowers out of
another parterre and the blue flowers out
of another ~parterre and the pink flowers
out of another p~arterre and gracefully and
skillfully work these four or five crow
into one crown Of beauty. SO all the
splendors Of earth aud heaven are to be
enwreathed INTO one coronal for our Lords
forehead-one blazing glory, one dazzling
brightness, one overpowering perfume, one
down flashing, up rolling, outspreading
maoniicence and so on his head shall be
man crowns.
The worlds best music will yet be sound
ed in His praise. the worlds best architec-
ture built for His worship, the worlds best
paintings descriptive OF His triumphs, the
worlds best sculpture perpetuate the men,
ory of His heroes and heroines. Already
the crown woven out Of many crowns is be-
ing put upon His brow. His scared feet
are already ascending the throne. A care
full statistician estimates that in 1850 there
will be ia, 600, 900 people in the United
States, and by the present ratio OF unit
ing with the church 100, 600, 900 of
them will be church members. What
think ye of that, ye pessimists inspired by
the devil? The deadest failure in the uni
,,arsa is Tho kinodom os satan. The grand