The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1899-12-27
king, 'atter am deld; that will - safer !:
SO he let the sun OF hts earthly extstencs z

30 he let the sun OF ntS eattuiysoAassohSSsts;
60 down upon bis wrath.
set before forgiveness takes place. becaucesS
we might not live to see another day. Ana
what II we should be ushered Into tAgs1
presence Of our Maker with q grudge' upoLS
our soul2 The majority OF people depart
this life in the night. Between II o'clocR
.. m. and 8 o'clock q. IN. there is soMeAj
thing In the atmosphere which rela xesS the
grip which the body has on the soul ana
most people enter the next world thropgnS
the shadows OF this world. Perhaps 600
may have arranged It In that way.sos az ~
haveseen sunshiny days In this world tnass
must have been almost like the rndiareeso
heaven:,a But as most people leave q
earthkbetween sundown and sunttse they =
quit this world at its darkest, anil heaVen
always bright, will be the brighter for that
contrast. Out Of darkness Into Ira dlhs.
tion. -; Y y. S Z:
Shall we then leap over the roseilte hanas
OF sunset into the fayorite hunting grounds3
Of disease and death, carrying our janimosi.
ties With us? Who would want to confront
his God, against whom We have all donesi
meaner things than anybody has sysndone
can we expect His forgiveness for tho
greater when we are not willing TO forgive:
others for the less2 Napoieon waiI encour-ss
aged to undertake the crossing Of the Alps
because Charlsmagne had ptevlonsI9s
crossed them. And all this rugged path0fS
forgiveness bears the. bleedipg footsteps OF
Him who conquered through suffering, apd:
We ought to be ewiliing TO follow. 0nthl,
night Of our departure from this life tntc4
the next our one plea;wiil have 10 be fpi1
mercy, and It will havs.to be offered In the
rx>11,y
give not men their trespasses, neither VIII
your Heavenly Father forgive your tresst
passes.o What q sorry plight IL We stand
there hating this one, and hating that oles
and wishing that one a damage, and Mtanss
ing some one else calamity, and Mea
ourselves needing forgiveness for u. .04.
obliquities Of heart and. life. When cnts
last hour comes, we want It to fnd us s1ai1s
right. Hardly anything Affects me Aags
much In the uncovering OF Pompeti as the
account OF the soldier who, after the SAfy;
the ashes and scori@ OF Vesuviuss ye6E
found standing In his place on guard hama
on spear and helmet on head. Othefs1cil
at the awful submergement, but the exz.S
plorer, 100 years after, found the body 40B
that brave fellow in right position. And ~
will be grand thing II, when our last mos
ment Genes. we are found In right POSITION;
toward God, on guard and unahrighsea
blythe descending ashes from the mouDtatn'
OF death. do not suppose that ! am any
moreaeoward than most people, but I;dcs
to.n;ght II there were any being fnsail thG;
earth with whom I would not gladly sbak8s
hands lest during the night hours my
spirit dismissed to other reals, ] shouId,
because Of my unforgivlng spirit; be des
MED divine forgiveness. -
. Again, we ought not, to allow the pssssRs
Of the sunset hour before the Dismissal oiS
all our afirontB, because we may faS8ocie&4g
the subIimest action OF the soul VII hsthS5
sublimest spectacle In nntufe. IL ~ g sn1os3!
delightsome thing to Lave our. peTsQhae}Es
experiences allied with certain sub3eef1
There Is a tree or river bank kwheres Goo
( first answered yonr prayer. You wflfn6ve15
pass that place or think OF that place wtthi
out thinking Of the, glorious compunfo9f
There was some gate or seme room oreom4!
garden wall where you we're afaanced With
the companion who has been your ehielt
10y in Iife. You never speak OF that plaza
but with smile. Someof you have pienS*;
ant memories connected with the evening
star, or the moon In Its frst quartexs pr
withthe sunrise, becausesyou sawdt insy a.;
you were arriving at harbt After q tenn
pestuous voyage. Forever and ioreye&s
o hearer, ate the sunset withs yp1fs
msgnanimous, out and lou t, unlimited ~
nuncintion Of all hatreds and forHiyeneet
OF oil foes. b !. Is 5 4 ~ <s1
admit it 10 tho most difficult OF sa1tS
graces to practice, and at thestart yog may
make complete failure, but keep on it
the attempt to practice It. Shakespeares
wrote ten plays before he reached :HhmsS
let - and seventeen plays before he reached
"Merchant OF Venice, and tWenty,etgAt8
plays before he reached Macbeth r. Anda
gradually you will come from the easier
graces to the most difficult. Besides thAtf
It Is not matter OF personal determtnatto4s
mighty arm Of God. who Will kelp us HI az:
ANYTHING we ought to do. Rememberxh94l
in all personal controversies the ono Iedsf
to blame will have to take the flrst stqa
'paciH cation Il It Is ever effected. The con-
test between Eschines and Aristippus syoss
sounds through history. but Ar1stipp
who was least to blame, went to. Esehtnees
and said, "Shal] we not agree to be friends
before we make ourselves the. lnug Ching
stock Of the whole country" And Esshtne4g
said, "Thou art a far better man than II 4
for began the quarrel. but thou has BEEN
the first in healing the breach. And they;s
were always friends afterwards. So let7
tho one OF you that Is least to blame tRkes
the first step toward reconciliation. The.
one most In the wrong will never take 1t. 3.S
Oh. It makes one feel splendid tt, be able
BY Gods help to practice unlimited s6t<S
giyeness. It improves ones body and Soul;
My brother, It will make You meas,ireth three
or four more inches around the chest and
improve your respiration so that you can
take deeper and longer sbreath. 1t Inns,
proves the countennnceI by scattering tte5
gloom and makes you somewhat like God !
Ia uafo pfpofauf nd N annU06s,
CODY that. he Is independent Of all tho
universe, and we cannot copy that. BE u {
creative, aud We cannot copy that J. Hes1Ms
omnipresent, and we cannot copy that. sBnt 1
He forgiYes with broad sweep MI fnuit6,
and all ncglects, and all insults, and all Z
wrongdoings, and In that we may copy Him.
with mighty success. Go harness thnt sub
lime nction Of your soul to the sunset thets
hour when the gate OF heaven opens TO Lett
the day pass into eternities and some otjs
the glories escape this way through the
brief opening. We talk about the Italinns
sunsets, and sunset amid the ApenDineS,
and sunset amid the cordiheras, but VIII:
tell you how you may see q grander sunset
than any. mere lover of nature ever beheldS
that is, by finging into It oil your hatredsss
and amin osities; and let the horses OF .ffe. !
trample them, and the chartots OF fire roll
over them, and the spearmen OF FIRE stabs
them, and the beaehof fire consume then,
and the billows OF fire overwhelm them.
Again, we should not let the sun 20 down
on our wrath, because It Is OF little tm-s
portance what the world says OF you or q
does to you when you have the afaueDt
God OF the sunset as your provider7 and (.
defender. People talk as though It were11
fixed spectacle of nature and always the
same. But no one ever saw two sunsets
alike, and II the world has existed 5000
years there have teen about 2,1 190, 600 sun-ss.
sets, each OF them as distinct from all the
other pictures in the gallery Of the sky as
Titinn's Last Supper RubenS Descent
From the Cross" Raphael's "Transfgura-Gs
tion" and Michael Apgeio's "Last Jude-