The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-04-21

his willard before he has got through with
that midnight ride he will drop the relns on
the horses neck and will take his right hand
and smite on his heart ant say, "God, be
has stabbed his horse be Will take his feet
out OF the stirrups. and he will slide down
on the ground, and he will kneel crying:
"Have mercy on me, O God. according to
Thy loytas kindness, according unto the
multitude Of Thy lender mercies! Blot out
my transgressions, tor 1 acknowledge my
transgressions, and my sins are ever before
| Thee"
Again, my subject gives me specimen OF
busy and triumphant sadness; II there was
any man In the world who had right to
nope and give up everything as lost, IT was
Nehemiah. You say, "He was cupbearer
In the palace of Shushan, and It was grand
place." So It was. The hall OF that palace
was 200 feet square, and the roof lowered
over thirty-six marble pillars, each pillar
sixty feet high, and the intense blue OF the
sky aud the deep green Of the forest foliage,
and the white OF the driven snow, all hung
trembling In the upholstery. But, my
friends, you know very well that fine archi-
Yet Nehemiah did not give up. Then,
when you saw him going among
these deso!ated streets and by these
dismantled towers and by the torn
up grave Of his father, you would suppose
that he would have been dlsheartened and
that he would have dismounted from his
horse and gone to his room and said: "Woe
is me! NY fathers grave Is torn up. The
temple Is dishonored. The walls are broken
down. have no money with which to re-
build. I wish had never besn born. wish
were dead" Not so says Nehemiah.
Although he had grief so intense that 1t
<la 20 ~ limo
penniless, expatrated Nehemiah rouses him.
self up to rebuild the city. He gets his per-
mission of absence. He gets his passports.
He hastens away to Jerusalem. BY night
on horseback he rides through the ruins.
he overcomes rhe most ferocious opposition.
He arouses the piety and patriotism OF the
people, and in less than two months
namely, flfty-two days-Jerusalem was re-
built. That's what call busy and triumph.
ant sadness.
NY friends, the whole temptation is with
you when you have trouble to do just the
opposite to the behavior OF Nehemiah, AMI
that is to give up. You say, II have LOST my
child and can never smile again." You say,
"I have lost my property, and never can
repair my fortune" You say, "Ihave fallen
into sin, and I never can start again for
new life." If Satan can make you form that
resolution and make you keep 1t, he has
ruined you. Trouble is not sent to crush
you, but to arouse you, to animate you, to
propel you. The blacksmith does not thrust
the iron into the forge and then blow away
with the bellows and then bring the
hot iron out on tine anvil and beat with
stroke after stroke to ruin the iron, tut
to prepare 1t for a better use. on;
rouse up all broken hearted people to re.
build! Whipped, betrayed, shipwrecked,
imprisoned, Paul went right on. The Italian
martyr Algerus sits in his dungeon writing
a letter. and he dates 1t, "From the delecta.
BILE orchard Of the Leonine prison." That
is what call triumphant sadness. I knew
a mother who buried her babe on Friday and
on Sabbath appeared In the house Of God
and said: "Give me class; give me Sab.
bath school class. have no child now left
me. and would like to have class OF little
children. Give me real poor children;
Give me class Off the back street." That
saw Is beautiful. That Is triumphant sadness.
At 8 o'clock every Sabbath afternoon, for
years, in beautiful parlor in Philadelphia
q parlor pictured and statuetted-there were
from ten to twenty destitute children Of the
street. Those destitute children received
religious instruction, concluding with cakes
and sandwiches. How do know that that
was going on for sixteen years2 know 1t
in this way: That was the first home In Phil
adelphia where I was called to comfort
great sorrow. They had splendid boy, and
he had been drowned ut Long Branch. The
father and mother almost idolized the boy,
and the sob and shrek Of that father and
mother AS they hung over the coffin resound
in my ears to-day. There seemed to be no
use of praying, for when knelt down to
pray the outcry in the room drowned out all
the prayer. But the Lord comforted
that sorrow. They did not forget their
trouble. II you should 90 any afternoon In.
10 Laurel Hill, you would find monument
with the word "Walter" inscribed upon 1t
and wreath Of fresh flowers around the
name. I think there was not an hour in
twenty years, winter or summer, when there
was not wreath OF fresh flowers around
Walters name. But the Christian mother
who sent those flowers there, having no child
left, Sabbath afternoons mothered ten or
twenty of the lost ones OF the street. That
is beautiful. That Is what call busy and
triumphant sadness. Here is a man who
has lost his property. He does not go to
hard drinking. He does not destroy his own
life. He comes and says: "Harness me for
Christian work. My moneys gone. I have
no treasures on earth. want treasures in
heaven. have voice and heart to serve
God" You say that that man has failed.
He has not failed-he has trlumphed!
Oh, wish could persuade al the people
who have any kind Of trouble never to give
up. wish they would look ut the midnight
rider of the text and that the four hoofs OF
that beast on which Nehemiah rode might
cut to pieces all their discouragements and
hardships and trials. Give up! Who 1s 60
ing to give up when on the bosom OF God he
can hive all his troubles hushed2 Give up!
Never think of giving up. Are you borne
4 ,,n Nth ,orartr0 A l{ttta child rupa for1 nd
holding her dead mothers hand in the dark.
ness OF tenement house, and some one COM
ing in the little girl looked up while holding
her dead mothers hands and said. "Oh,
do wish that God had made more light for
poor folks" My dear. God will he your
light, God will be your shelter, God will be
your home. Are you borne down with
the bereavements OF life? Is the
house lonely now that the child is
gomez Do not give up. Think OF what the
old sexton said when the minister asked him
why he put so much care On the little graves
In the cemetery-so much more care than on
the larger graves-and the old sexton said,
"Sir, you know that of such is the kingdom
of heaven and think the Saviour Is
pleased when he sees 80 much white clover
growing around these little graves" But
when the minister pressed the old sexton
for q more satisfactory answer the old SEX
ton said. ''Sir, about these larger graves. I
don't know who are the Lords saints and
who are not. but you know. sir. it ia clean
different with the bairns." Oh, II you have
had that keen, tender, indescribable sorrow
thar comes from the loss Of q child. do not
give up. The old sexton WIS right. 1t is
all we'll with the BARNS. Or, If you have
sinned, If you have sinned grievously-
sinned until you. have been cast out by the
church, sinned until you have been cast out
by society-do not give up. Perhaps there
may be in this house one that could truth.
fully utter the lamentation ofanother:
Once was pure as the snow, but fell
Fall lila IA snn,rnaka from henYnn TO hall