The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-10-17

hast said the truth, 1or Cnere 10 ohS wv,
and to love Him with all the heart ana
all the understanding, and all the SOU,
and all the strength. is more than Whole
burnt offerings and sacrifices. AND whsn Ga
Jesus saw that he answered discreetly ne
Iaid unto Him. Thou art not far: from
the kingdom of Cod" So a skeptlc was
saved in one interview. But few Chris
tian people treat the skepLlc in that way.
Instead of taking hold Of him with the
gentle hand of love we are, apt TO take
him with the pinchers of ecclesiasticlsm.
You would not be so rough on that man
if vou knew how he lost his faith in Chris
tianity. have known men skeptical from
the fact that they grew Up in houses where
religion .s overdone. Sunday was the
most awful day in the week. They had
religion driven into them with trip ham
mer; they were surfeited with prayer
meetings; kheyswere stuffed and choked
witHAca cateehismS thsS were often told
that hey Esss* *he worst boys the pad5enss deI[a
bill ssss tAea toA,f1ad Bunyans Ill
81 Whenever father and mother talked OF
fd2;Sisa they. drew down the corners OF
;tksit mouth and rolled up their eyes, II
any s6ne thing will send boy or girl to
YiiiH ag fen another that is it., II l
sihill g16er and mother L fear
;ahod! &H an i9hdh. ,,.o,t;oisn
ffiisis + esJGsIy aEonged by some
7 ~ xy6 SpiJfessed to be Christian:
aREey had partner in business VIII, turned
Sut to be a tirst-class scoundrel, though a
professed Christian. Many years ago they
dost all faith by what happened in an oil
company which was formed amid the pc,
troleum excitement. The company owned
no land, or, il it did, there was no sign or
oil produced, but the President OF the
COMPANY was Presbyterian elder and the
Treasurer was an Episcopalian vestryman,
and one director was Methodist class
leader. and the other directors prominent
members of Baptist and Congregational
churches. Circulars were got out telling
what fabulous prospects, opened before
this company. Innoc,n men and women
who had little money to invest, and that
little their all, said: II do not know any.
thing about this company, but so many
rood men are at the head OF 1T that 1t
must be excellent, and' taking stock IN 1t
must be almost as good as joining the
church" So they bought the stock, and
perhaps received one dividend, so as to
keep them still, but after awhile they
found that the company had reorganized'
and had a different president and dlt'
ferent treasurer and different directors;
Other engagements or i'll health hao
caused the former officers OF the company
with many regrets to resign. And all
that lie subscribers of that stock had to
show for their investment was beautl'
fully ornamented certificate. Sometimes
that man, looking over his old papers,
comes across that certificate, and 1t ls SO
suggestive that he vows he wants none OF
the religion that the president and trus'
tees and directors of that oil company
professed. .....
Oh. skepticism is a dark land! There
are men who would give thousand
worlds, if they possessed them, to get
bacl, to the placid faith OF their fathers
and mothers, and it is our place to help
them, and we may help them, never
through their heads, but always through
their hearts.
These siieptics, when brought to Jesus,
will be nightly effective, far more SO than
those who never examined the evidences
OF Christianity. Thomas Chalmers was
once skeptic, Robert Hall a skeptlc,
Robert Newton a skeptic, Christian Evans
skeptic But when once with strong
hand they took hold of the chariot OF the
gospel they rolled it on with what mo-
mentum!
If I address such men and women to-day
7 throw out no Scoff. | implead them by
the memory Of the good old days when at
the.r mothers knee they SAID, -'ow
lay me- down to Sleep" and by those Gays
and nights Of scarlet fever in which she
watched You, giving you the medicine IN
lust the right time, and turning your pll-
low when it was hot, and with hands that
mary years ago turned to dust sootheo
away your pain and with voice that you
will never hear again, unless you JOIN ner
mind, for YOU would feel better by and
by, and by that dying couch where she
looked so pale and talked so slowly, catch
ing her breath between the words, and you
felt an awful loneliness coming over your
sou!-by all that beg you to come back
and take the same religion.
1t was good enough for her; it is good
enough for you. Nay, l have better plan
than that. l plead by all he wounds and
tears and blood and groans and aSonies
and death throes of the Son of God, who
approaches you this moment with torn
brow and lacerated hands and whipped
back and saying, Come unto Me all ye
who are weary and heavy laden, and l will
give you rest.
Again, taere is field of usefulness but
little touched, occupied by those who are
astrav in their habits. All northern ma.
tions, like those of North American and
England and Scotland - that is, in the
colder climates-are devastated by alco-
holism. They take the fire to keep up
the warmth. In southern countries, like
Arabia and Spain, the blood is go warm
they are not tempted to fiery liquids. The
great Roman armies never drank any.
thing stronger than water tinged with
vinegar, but under our northern climate
the temptation to heating stimulants Is
most mighty and millions succumb. When
a mans habits 60 wrong, the church drops
him, the social circle drops him, good in.
fluences drop him-we all drop him. Of
all the men who get OF the track but teW
even get on again.
Destitute children Of the street offer a
field of work comparatively unoccupied.
The uncared for children are in the ma
iority in most of our cities. When they
grow up, if unreformed, they will ortvote
your children, and they will govern your
childre-.
The whisky ring will hatch out other
whisky rings, and grog shops will kill
with their horrid stencil public sobriety
unless the church of God rises up with out
stretched arms and intolds this dying pop
ulation in her bosom.
Public schools cannot do it. Art CALLER
les cannot do it. BlackweA's Island can.
not do it. Almshouses cannot no it.
Jails cannot do it, Church of God, wake
up to your magnificent mission! You can
do it! Get somewhere, somehow to work
The Prussian cavalry mount by putting
their right foot in the stirrup, while the
American cavalry mount by putting their
left foot into the .stirrup. l do not care
how you mount your war charger if you
| only get into this battle for God and gel