The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1899-01-18


use, but they make Q poor ,yardstfck
which to measure. life. ..tfThey that hd
themselves I'd Their wealth and trust IN
multitude OF their riches, none or th
can, by any means, redeem his brother
give to God a ransom for him that
should not see corruption"
But remark, there are many-I wi
there were more.-vho estimate their
by their moral and spiritust deyelopmei
It Is not sinful egotism for Christia
man to say: ~ am purer than = used
be. I am more consecrated to Christ tha'
used to be. have got over q gred
many OF the bad habits IN which I used q
indulge. am great deal better maj
than I used to ben There Is no sinfu
egotism in that. It Is not base egotism fol
soldier to say, "I know more abont milf
tary tactics than used to before ItookrAy
musket in my hand and learned to .presentl
arms and was a pest to the drill oficer.
It is not base egotism for sailor to say.sI
'topsail thansI used to before i had ever
seen q ship" And there Is no sinful
egotism when Christian man, lighting the
battles OF the Lord, or ifyou Will have II,
voyaglng toward p haven Of eternal rest,
says, "I kuoy more about spiritual tactics
and vcTaglng toward heaven than ! used !
TO-" .sss 81
Now, do not know what your adysnsS
tages or disadvantages are. do not know 3
what may be the fascination OF your rnan-
ners or the responsiveness OF them, Dut &
know this: There Is for you, my heaIer, Q
field to cultivate, g harvest to reap, a tear
to wipe away, a soul to save. II you have I.
worldly means, consecrate them to Christ
II you have eloquence, use It on the side &
that Paul and. Wlberforce used theirs. II
you have learning, put. It all Into the poor
box OF the worlds suffering. But II you
quence nor leafning-you at sny rate have
smile With which you can encourage the
disheartened, frown with which you may
blast injustice, voice with which You may
COLL the wanderer back to God. Oh, = you
say, THAT Is very sanctfmoni view OF !
Iiiel'' 1t fs not. It is the only bright
view Of life, and It is the oHly bright
view OF death. Contrast the death, sc6ne
Of man who has measured life by the !.
man who has measured life by the
Christian standard. Quin, the actor; In I
bis last moments said, II hope this tragic
scene will soon be over. and hope to keep
nv dignity to the last" Malesherbes 1aid Z.
in his last moments to the cenfessor:5 &
"Hold your tonguel Your miserable style
ppts me out OF conceit with heaven. -
Lord Chesterfield In his last moments
when he ought to have been praying for
his soul, bothered himself about tha
prophecies Of the sick room and said 4
hGiye Dayboles chair" Godfrey Kneller
spent his last hours on earth In drawing Q,
diagram OF his own monument
Compare the silly and horrible depar-S
ture OF such men with the seraphic glow
on the face of Edward Payson as he said In
his last moment: 4. The breezes OF heaven
fan me. I float. in d sea OF glory. Or 4
with Paul'th apostle, who said In his last
hour: "I am now ready to be offered ups
and the time OF my departure is ut hands
the faith. Henceforth there is laid up fer
me a crown of righteousness which the !
Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me-
Or compare;it with the Christian denthbed /
that you Witnessed In yourown household.
Oh, my friends. this world Is false god
It will consume, you with the blaze In
which 1t accepts your sacrifice, while tho
membrance, and when the thrones have :
fallen and the monuments have crumbled
and the world has persisted they shall ban
ouet with the conquerors OF earth ,and the Z
hierarchs OF heaven. r., ss iis5s
This is agood day In which to begin 3 J;
new style of measurements Howeold ATT
thou? You see the Christian way Of
measuring life and the worldly way Of
measuring It: leave It to you to say
which is the 'wisest and best way. The.
wheel OF time has turned very swiftly,
has gone, The new year has come. For
what you and i have been lsunched npS
on II God only knows. Now let me ask
you all, have you made any preparation &
for the future? You hare made prepaIa-
tion for time, my dear brother. Hare
you made any, preparation for, eternityf
Do you wonder that when that man on 4
the Hudson River In indignation tote up
the tract which was handed to him and
lust one word landed on his coat sleeve,
the rest Of the tract being pitched Into the
river, that one word aroused hfB souf2 It
was that one word. so long, so broad, So
high, so deep-'Eternity." Adyipg wom-
an, In her last moments, said Call H.
back" They said, "What do you wanss'ssa
"Time," she said, ttcall It back. Oh, Il
cannot be called back. We might lose our
fortunes and call them back; We might loses:
our health, and perhaps recover tive
might lose our good name and get that
back, but time gone Is gone forever.
Now, when one can sooner get to the ean.ts
ter of things Is he not to be congratulated? :
Does not our common sense teach Us
that It Is better to be at the center than 70 Y,
be clear out on the rim Of the wheel, hold
ing nervously fast to the tire lest we be 2
suddenly hurled into light and eternnl
felicity? Through all kinds OF optical in-s3
struments trying to peer In through the
that, both doors OF; the celestial mRn1fon
will be swung wide open before our en-
traneed vision-rushing about among the
apothecary shops OF this world wondextng 8
II tftIs is good for,rheumatfsm and that II
good for neuralgia and something ellie y Z
good for bad cough, lest we be suddenly
ushered into land OF everlasting health
where ethe inhabitant never says. am stckt
What fools we vi are to prefer the cir
cumference to tue center! What dread. 4
full thing 1t would be II We should be sud-
the May time orchards of heaven. and II 7
our paupensm Of sin and sorrow should be
suddenly broken up by presentation OK
an emperor's castle surrounded by parks
with springing fountains and paths, mp
and down which angels OF God walk two 4
and two! A,....
In 1885 the French resolved that at q
Ghent they would have kind OF mu-t.5
steal demonstration that had never been 4
heard OF. It would be made up OF the chimes
of bells and the discharge OF cannon. The !,
experiment was perfect success. What
with the ringing OF the bells and the report
of the ordnance the city trembled and the !
hills shook with the triumphal march that
was as strange as 1t was overwhelming.
With most glorious accompaniment Will
Gods dear children 20 int their high
residence when the trumpets shall sound :;
and the last day has come. At the sig
nal given the bells OF the towers, and
OF the lighthouses. and Of the cities
will strike their sweetness into last
chime that shall ring into the heavens and
float Off upon the sea, Joined by the boom
Of bursting mine and magazine, augmented
by all the cathedral towers OF heaven-the
harm onies OF earth and the symphonies OF
the celestial realm making up one great
triumphal march, ft to celebrate the as.