The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-02-21

the work of the pew. II men go to ruin,
there will "a as much blood on your skirts
as on mine.
Let US quit this grand farce OF trying
to save the world by Il few clergymen,
and let all hands lay hold Of the work.
Give US in all our churches two or
three aroused and qualified men and
women to help. In most churches to.
day five or ten men are compelled to do
all the work. A vast majority OF churches
are ut their wits end how to carry on a
prayer meeting II the minister Is not there,
when there ought to De enough pens up
energy and religious force to make ame et-
ing 20 on with such power that the Minis
ter would never be missed. The churc5
stands working the pumps OF few
ministerial clsterns until the buckets
are dry and choked, while there are
thousands Of fountains from which
might be dipped up the waters OF eter-
nal life. Before you and I have the
sod pressing our eyelids We will under
God decide whether our children shall grow
up amid the accursed surroundings OF vice
and shame or come to an Inheritance Of
righteousness. Long, loud, bitter will be
the curse that scorches our grave II, hold
ing within the church to-day enough men
and women to save the city, we. act the
coward or the drone. wish I could put
enough moral explosives under the con-
ventiouallties and majestic "stuplditiey Of
the day to blow them to atoms and that
.then, With, 90, 900 men and women from all
lskaowing nothing but Christ
and q desire to Bfitg al The world to Him.
we might move upon The ehsf6ys R6fkfs..
For a little while heaven would not have
.trumpets eaough to celebrate the victories.
! Again, learn from this subject that we
X, IL ~,olI - al, Al
worlds grindstones. These Israelites were
reduced to file, and 80 they went over to
the garrison Of the Phllistines to get their
axes and their goads and their plow5
sharpened. The Bible distinctly states it
the text which read at the beginning OF
the servlce-that they had no other instru-
ments now with which to do this work, and
the Isrilelites did right when they went over
to the Philistines to use their grindstones.
My friends, is 1t not right for US to employ
the worlds grlndstones? II there be art,
II There he logic, II there be business facu1-
ty on the other side, let US 20 over and en-
ploy 1t for Chrlst's sake. The fact is We
fight with too dull instruments. We hack
and We maui when we ought to make
clean stroke. Let US 70 over among sharp
business men and among sharp literary
men and hnd out what their tact Is and
transfer 1t to the cause OF Christ. II they
have science and art 1t will do US good to
rub against 1t.
.In other words, let us employ the wor Ids
ygfindstones. We will listen to their music,
and we will witch their acumen, and We
will use their grindstones, and will borrow
their philosophical apparatus to make our
experiments, and we will borrow their
printing presses to publish our Bibles, and
weIwill borrow their rail trains to carry
our Christian literature. and we will borrow
their ships to transport our missionaries.
his day, he not only got all the learning
he could get Of, Dr.. Gamaliel, but after
ward, standing on Mars hill and In crowd.
ed thoroughfare, quoted their poetry, and
grasped their logic, and welded their elo-
Quenee, and employed their mythology un-
I'll Dionysus, the Areopaglte, learned In
the schools OF Athens and Heliopolls, went
down under his tremendous powers.
4That was what gave Thomas Chalmers
his powor in his day. He conquered the
worlds astronomy and compelled 1t to ring
out the wisdom and greatness OF the Lord
until, for tho second time, the morning
shouted for Joy. That was what gave to
Jonathan Edwards his influence In Ills day.
He conquered. the worlds metaphysics and
forced 1t into the service OF God until not
only the old meeting house at Northamp.
ton, Mass, but all Chrlstendom, felt thrilled
by his Christian power. Well, now, my
friends, we all have tools OF Christian
power. Do not let them lose their edges.
We want no rusty blades In this fight. We
want no coulter that cannot rip up the
glebe. We want'no axe that cannot fell
the trees. We want no goad that cannot
start the lazy team. Let us get the very
l~ook IoEo Ind
be In possession OF the Philistines. compel.
ling them to turn the crank while We benz
down with all our might on the swift re.
volvIng wheel until all our energies and
faculties shall be brought up to bright
keen, sharp, glltterlng edge.
Again, my subject teaches US on what
q small allowance Philistine iniquity puts
a Esn. Yes, these Philistlnes shut up the
mines, and then they took the spears and
the swords; then they took the blacksmiths;
then they took the grlndstones, and they
took everything but q file. Oh, that IS the
way sin worksl It grabs everything. 1t
begins with robbery and ends with rob.
berry. It despoils this faculty and that
faculty and keeps on until the whole nature
is gone. Was the man eloquent before, 1t
generally thIckens his tongue. Was he fine
IN personal appearance, 1t mars his visuge.
Was he aflusnt, It sends the sheriff to sell
him out. Was he influential, 1t destroys
his popularity. Was he placid and genial
and loving, 1t makes him splenetlc and
cross, and 80 utterly Is be changed that
YOU can see he Is sarcastic and rasping and
that the Phillstines have left him nothing
but file.
."Oh, ;the way Of the transgresssr Is
hardl'' The cup Is bitter. His night is
dark. His pangs are deep. His end Is ter
III Dhtltot;po ipfn - d q t,u f0 fh of m
"Now, surrender to me, and I will give you
all you want-music for the dance, swift
steeds for the, race, imperial couch I'd
slumter on, and you shall be refreshed
with the rarest fruits In baskets or golden
flligree." He lies. The music turns out
to be a groan. The fruits burst the rlnd
with rink poison. The filigree Is made up
OF twisted reptiles. The couch is q grave.
Small allowance OF rest. small allowance
of peace, small allowance Of comfort.
Cold, hard, rough-pothing but file. So
1T was with Voltuire, the most applauded
man OF his day. - h,
h Seized with hemorrhage OF tho lungs In
Paris, where he had gone to be crowned as
the idol OF all France. he sends a messenger
to get priest, that he may, be reconclled
to the church before he dies. 4 great ter
ror falls upon him. Philistine ipiquity had
promised him all the worlds garlunds, but
In the last hour of his life, when he needed
a solacing, sent tearing across his con-
science and bis perve file, "A file. So II
was with Lord Byron. HIs uncleanness In
England only surpassed by his unclean..
ness In Venice; then going en- to the end
his brilliant misery at MissoIonghl, frettine
ut bis nurse Fletcher, fretting at himself,
fretting ut the world, frettlng at God, and
he who gave the world "Ohilde Harold
and "Sardunapaius" and 'The Prisoner oil
Chillon" and "The Siege OF Corlnth" re.
great facility for making promises. but
1t has Just as great facility for breaking
them!
learn from this subject what a sad thing
1t is when the church OF God loses Its
metal! These Philistines saw that II they
could only get all the METALLIC .ieapons
n,,t nf tha In nda nP tha IsrnalitnG ali HOnld