The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-03-07

|
to his religion his morals would have been
saved.
There are aged people who wouli have
been dead twenty-five years ago but for
the defenses and the eluipoise Of religion.
You have no more natural resistance than
hundreds OF people who lie in the ceme-
terles to-day slain by their own vices. The
doctors made their case as kind and pleas
ant as they could, and it WAS called con-
gsstion Of the braip OF something else, but
the snakes and the blue flies that seemed
deliriou5 pr ent showed what was the
matter wit an. You, the aged Christian
man, walk, along by that unhappy one
until you came to the golden pillar OF the
Christian life. You went 20 the right; he
went to the left. That Is all the difference
between you. Oh. ii this religion is pro-
test against all forms Of dissipation thenit
long life will satisfy him"
Again religion is friend OF longevity in
the fact that it tnkes the worry out OF our
ftemporaltties. 1t Is not work that kills
| men; it Is worry. When man becomes
genuine Christian, he makes over 10 God
not only his affections. but bis family, his
business, his reputation, his body, bis
mind, his soul-everythiug. Industrious
he will be, but never worrying, because
|
! worry about business when In answer to
| his prayers God tells him when to buy and
when TO sell, and, il he gain, that is best
and, II he lose, thut Is best?
Suppose you had supernatural neighbor
| who came In and said: "Sir, want you to
call on me in every exiGency. I am your
fast friend. could fall back on 800 900
900. I hold the coutr2lling stock in thirty
of the best monetary institutions of this
,nk~ yot,n ra m a
I:ca,l on me. md will help you. You can
have my N oney, and yoY can have my In
| huence. Here Is my hadd In pledge OF It,"
How much would YOU worry about busi-
| ness? Why, you would sny, "Pll Edo the
best can, and then I'll depend on my
friends generosityIor the rest
! Now, more than that Is promised to
every Christian business man. God says
| to him: "I own New York and London and
and California are Mine. can foresee a
panic 1000 years. have all'the resources
otthe universe, and am your fast friend.
Wheh, you get in business trouble or any
otherGtroubIe, callron Me-, and will help.
| Here IS My hand In pledgaof omntpotent
Iideiiyerance." How much should that
Imam worry? Not much. What lion will
Isdnre to put his paw on. that Daniel? ls
ttheregnoE rest In this? Is there not On
4 ii6Earnnl Lutss m
sfoh, ,, You say here Is man who asked
God for q blsssfngdHa certain enterprise.
and he lost $4,000 o1nit. Explain that" II
VIII: Yondersis Is q factory, and one wheel
Bis. going gnorth and tie other wheel is 60
lsinS south. and .one wheel lateraliy and the
| other plays vertically. 90 to the manu-
tfdctures; and q IsHy:"Oh. manufacturer,
Isyouf act tihery xise "a contradiction. Why
/ doyou no max f5the wheels 90 one
/ SSl ~ he says; "I made them to
I 20 I'D 6bpo directions on purpose. and
they pr5dncs the rig BIT result. You 90
EdoWn stairs and examine the carpets we
arr; turning out In this establishment aud
ycuswlll ses" I 20 down On the other
| loor, and I see, the carpets, and l Am
Obliged to coniess't hat though the wheels
| In that factory 20 in opposite directions
| thew turn out a beautiful result, and while
am standing there looking at the exquis-
| ite fabric IN old Scripture passage comes
into my mind-"Al things work together
| for good to them who love God" Isthere
| not rest in that? Is there not tonic IN
| that? Is there not longevity In that?
Suppose man is all the time worrleI
about his reputation. Ohe man says lie lies,
| another says lie is stupid, another says he
| Is dishonest, and hnlf dozen printing es-
| Establishments attack him, and he Is IN
great state OF excitement and worry and
| fume aud cannot sleep, but religion comes
| to him and says: "Man, God Is on your
side; He will take care OF your reputation.
II God be for your. who cantbe against
you?" How much should that man worry
about his reputation? Not much. II that
broker who some years ago In Wall street.
i after he had lost money, sat down and
wrote farewell letter to his wife before
he blew his brains out; IL instead Of taking
out OF his pocket pistol he had taken out
a we'll read New Testament, there would
have been one less suicide. Oh, nervous and
| feverlsh people Of the world, try this al
mighty sedntive! Yon will live twenty-five
years longer under its soothing power. 1t
Is not chloral that you want or morphine
that YOU want; 1t Is the gospel OF Jesus
Christ. "Wlth long life will I satisfy him.
Again, practical religion is friend OF
longevity In the fact that it removes all
corroding care about 4 future existence.
Every man wants to know what Is to be-
come OF him. II you get On board rail
train, you want to know at what depot It
| Is going to stop. If you get on board
! ship, you want to know into what harbor
1t is going to run, and II you should tell
| me you have no interest III what Is to be
YOUR future destiny I would In Us polite
a way as 1 know how tell you did not be-
lieve you. Before had this matter settled
with reference to my future existence, the
question almost worried me into ruined
| health. The anxeties men have upon this
subject put together would make martyr
dom. THIS Is u stato OF awful unhealthi-
ness. There are people who fret them
selves to death for fear OF dying.
| I want to take the strain of your nerves
and the depression off your soul, and
make two or thres experiments. Expert
meut the first: When you 90 out OF this
world, it does not make any difference
whether you have been good or bad or
whether you believed truth or error. You
will 90 straight to glory. Impossible"
you say. "My common sense rs we'll rs my
religion teaches that the bad and the
good cannot live together forever. You
give me no comfort IN that eXperi-
ment." Experiment tho second: When
YOU leave this world, you will go into
un intermediate state, where you can
get converted anl prepared for heaven.
impossible" you say. "4ts the tree
falleth so 1t must lie, and cannot post
| mons to an intermediate state that refor-
nation which ought to have been effected
In this state.' Experiment the third:
There Is no future world. When man
dies, that is the last OF hlm. Do not worry
about what you are to do IN another state
| of being, YOU will not do anything. "Im-
possIbIe," you say. "There is sonsthing
| that tells me that death Is not the appen-
dix. but the preface. There Is something
that tells methat on this side OF the grave,
| | only get started and that I shall go on
forever. My power to think says forever,
my affections say forever my capacity
| 70 enjoy or suffer 'ioraver.'"
/ II. And then saw the storm was over, and
tile rainbow rose higher and higher until
| IL: seemed retreating to another heaven
I and plantlDg one column OF its colors on
one side OF the eternal hill, it rose upward
and Upward, and, behold, there was Il RAIN
bow about the throus.
Accept that,snarifce and quiz worrying.