The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1899-04-12

IL tney were ScaIt0rou NY tuo SuLoo Aohes' =
With what q ruthless plowshare bereave.
ment rips up the heartl But Jesus knows
all about that. You cannot tell Him any.
thing now in regard to bereavement. He
had only a few friends, and when Hesl lost
one 1t brought tears to His eyes. Lazarus
had often entertained Him at his house.
Now Lszarus Is dead and buried, and
Christ breaks down with emotion, the con.
vulsion OF grief shuddering through auth
ages OF bereavement. Christ knows what
It is to go through the house missing Q
familiar inmate. Christ knows what is
to see an unoccupied place at the table.
We're there not four Of them-Mary and
Martha and Christ and Lazarus2 Four OF
them. But where's Lazarus2 Lonely and
afflicted Christ. His great loving eyes filed
withtears! Oh, yes, yesI He knows. all
about the loneliness and the heartbreak.
he took the vinegar 90
Then there Is the sourness Of the death
hour. Whatever else we may escape, thar
acid sponge will be pressed to our lips. I
sometimes have curiosity to know how
will be calm or excited, whether will be
filled with reminiscence or with anticipa-
tion. I cannot say. But come to the
point I must and you must. An officer
from the future world will knock at the
door OF our hearts and serve on us the
writ OF ejectment, and We will have to sur
render. And We will wake up after these
autumnal and wintry and vernal and sum-.i
merry glorles have vanished from our
vision. We will wake up into realm
which has only one season, and that the
season of everlasting love.
But you say: "I don't want to break out;
from my present associations. It is So
chilly and so damp to 20 down the stairs,
Of that vault. I don't wait anything
drawn so tightly over my eyes. II there
were only some way OF breaking through
the partition between worlds without tear
ing this body all to shreds! I wonder IL
the surgeons and the doctors cannot eon1-I
pound mixture by which this body and
soul can Ill the time be kept together. Is
there no escape from this separation2"s.
tumble through the gates OF the future, as
1t were, and We do not know where they
have gone, and they only add gloom
and mystery to the passage, but Jesus
Christ so nightly stormed the gates OF
that future world that they have never
since been closely shut. Christ knows
what 1t Is to leave this world, OF the
beauty OF which He was more apprecia-
tive than We ever could be-. Re knows
the exquisl.eness OF the phosphorescence
OF the sea; he trod It. He knows the
were the spangied canopy OF his wilder
ness pillow. He knows about the lilies; He
twisted them into His sermon. He knows
about .he fowls OF the air; they whirred
they way through His discourse. HeknowS
about the sorrows OF leaving this beautiful
world. Not 4 taper was kindled In the
darkness. He died physiclaDless. he died
in cold sweat and dizziness and hem
morhage and agony. that have put Him in
sympathy with ali the dying. He goea
through Christendom and gathers up tie
stings out Of all the death pillows, and He
puts them under His own neck and head. ~
To all those to whom life has been an
a"erbity-a dose thev could not swallow,
q draft that set their teeth on edge and a.
preach the omnipotent sympa-
thy OF Jesus Christ. Tho sister OF Her.
schell, the astronomer, used to spend much
OF her time polishing the telescopes
through which he brought the distant
worlds nigh, and 1t Is my ambition now
this hour to clear the lens OF your spiritual
vision 80 that, looking through the dark 1
may behold the glorious consteiIGLSi
a Savlour's love. Oh, my friends, do not
try to carry all your Ills alonel Do not put 4
your poor shoulder under the A2ennines
when the Almighty Christ is ready to lift
up all your burdens. When you have a
trouble CT any kiad, you rush this way and 4
that way, aud you wonder what this man
will say about 1t and what that 10 an will say
about 1t. aud you try this prescription and
that prescription and the other prescrlp-7
tion. Oh, why do you not go straight to-
the heart OF Chrlst, knowing that for our,
own SHINING aid suffering race He took the
it
There was vessel that had been tossed !.
on the seas for @ great many weeks and
been disabled, aud the supply OF water
gave out, and the crew were dying OF
thirst. After many days they saw sail
against the sky. They sisnalei it, Wren y
the vessel came nearer the people ol the
suffering ship cried to the captain OF the
other vessel: "Send us some waterl We
are dying for lack OF water!" And tho
captain on the vessel that was hailed re-
spcnded: "Dip your buckets where You are:
You are in the mouth Of the Amazon, and
there are scores Of miles OF fresh water
all around about you and hundreds OF
feet deep!" And then they cropped their
buckets over the side o: the vessel and !
brought up the clear, bright, fresh water
and put out the fire OF their thirst SO I
hail you to-day, after Il long and perllouS
voyage, thirstiDg rs you are for pardon,
and thirsting for comfort, and thirstinR
for eternal life, and I ask you what Is the
use OF your going il tina. death-struek
state, while all around you is the deep,
clear, wide, sparklin; food o. Gods SYM
pathetic mercy? Oh, dip your buckets
and drink and live forever! "Whosoeyeri
will. let him come and take OF the water OF
lie freely" -
Yet there are people who refuse tcis
divine sympathy, and they. try toy fight
their own battles, and drink their own
vinegar. and carry their own burdens, ano
their life, instead OF being q triumphal
march from victory to victory, will be
hobbIin2 on from defeat to defeat until
they make final surrender to retributtve
disaster. On, wish could to-day gather
up in my arms all tho woes OF men and
women, all their heartaches, all their disap-
take them right to the feet OF sympathiz-
ing Jesnsl He took the vinegar. Mana
Sahib, after he had lost bis last battle
in India, fell back into the jungles OF 1heri
-junsles so full OF malaria that no mortal
can live there. He carried with him also
ruby OF great lustre and OF great value.
He died In those junSles. His body was
never found, ani the ruby has never YET
beer recovered. And I fear that to.de9
there are some VINO will fall back from
this subject into the sicksning, killing jun
cIeS OF tnelr slD, carTyiuH Se,E - n
i,e yalue-a Driceiess soul tc DC lost for.
ever. Oh, that that ruby might fash in the
eternsi coronation! But, no. There are
some, I fear, who turn away froT this
offered mercy and comfort and diVlLe
sympathy Notwithstanding that Christ, for
all who accept His grace, trudged the long :
way, ard suffered the lacerating thongs.
and received iu His face tho expectora-
lions of the filthy mob, aud for the guilty,
and the discouraged, and the discoratorsed
Of the race took the vinegar May God
Almighty break the iafatuatlon aid lead
you out into the strong hope, and :Ae 5000
cheer, and the glorious sunshine of this
SOS pei! .
rcoekh coySREjcN,s REFORMS