The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1901-08-28

height, all depth, oil length, all breadth,
all eternity; all are yours" We do not
appreciate the promises Of the gospel.
When an aged clergyman was dying,
man very eminent in the church, young
theological student stood by his side, and
the aged man looked up and said to him,
Cant you give me some comfort IN my
dying hour No. SAID the young nan, nan;
long" "Well," said the dying, man,
"iust recite to me some promises" The
young man thought q moment, and ne
came to this promise, "The blood of Jesus
Christ cleanseth from all SIM" and the
old man clapped his hands and in his dy-
ing moment said: "That's just the prom
ise have been waiting. for, The blood OF
Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin" Oh,
the warmth, the grandeur, the magnih-
cence of the promises!
IF could gather all the griefs OF an
sorts from these crowded streets and could
put them in one scroll, neither man nor
angel could endure the recitation. Wen,
what do you want? Would you like to
have your property back again? No"
you say as u Christian man, "I was be-
coming arrogant, and think that is why
the Lord took it away. I don't want to
have INV property back" Well, would
you have your departed, friends back
again? "No," you say. II couldn't take
the responsibility of bringing them from
fearless realm to realm Of tears: !
couldn't do, it." Well. then, what DO you
want? A thousand VOICES in the AUDIENCE
cry out: Comfort! Give us comfortl"
For that reason I have rolled away the
stone from the wells mouth. Come, all
We wounded of the flock, pursued Of the
wolves, come to the fountain where the
Lords sick and bereft ones have come:
| "Ah," says some one, "you are not old
enough to understand my sorrows. You
have not been in the world as long as
have, and you can't talk to me about my
misfortunes in the time OF old age" Wen,
may not have lived az long as you, but
have been great deal among old people,
ing health and about their departed
| friends and about the loneliness that some.
times strikes through their souls Alter
two persons have lived together TOR forty
or fifty years, and one of them ID taken
away, what desolation!
shall not forget the cry Of Dr.. De
Witt, of New York, when he stood by the
open grave of his beloved wife, and after
the obsequies had ended he looked down
into the open place and said: Farewell,
my honored, faithful and beloved wife.
| The bond that bound us is severed. Thou
art in glory, and am here on earth. We
shall meet again. Farewell! FAREWELL"
To lean on a prop for fifty years and
then have it break under you! There were
only two years difference between the
death of my father and mother. After my
mothers decease my father used to go
around as though, looking for something.
He would often get up from one room
without any seeming reason and go to an
other room, and then he would take his
cane and start out, and some one would
be- iS'' would answer, II don't Know exactly
where I am going" Always looking for
something. Though hes was tender.
hearted map I never saw him cry. but
once, and that was at The burial OF my
mother. After sixty years living together
it was hard to part. And there are aged
people to-day who are feeling. just such .
pang as that. want to tell them there ls
perfect enchantment in the promises OF
this gospel, and I come to them and otieT
them my arm, or take. their arm and ]
bring them to this gospel well. Sit down,
father or mother; sit down. See If thers
is anything at the we'll for you. Come,
] encouraging to offer them? eyes" says
the psafmist; "they shall still bring forth
fruit in old age; they shall be fat and
fourishing to show that the Lord ls up
| right. He is my rock, and there is no un'
righteousness in Him." Come, Isaiah,
have you anything to cay out of your pro.
phecies for these agek people! Yes,
shss shss tssa and to- hosry ay hairs viii carry thee
Well, if the Lord is going to carry you,
you ought not to worry much about your
ailing eyesight and failing limbs.
You get little worried for fear that
some time you will come to want, do you!
Your children and grandchildren some
times speak little sharp to you because
of your ailments. The Lord will not
speak sharp. Do you think you will CONG
to want? What do you think the Lord
is? Are His granaries empty! Win dc
feed the raven and the rabbit and the hon
in the desert and forget you? Why, nat.
uralists tell US that the porpoise will not
do you suppose the Lord of heaven and
earth has not as much sympathy as the
fish of the sea? But you say, Il am 80
near worn out, and am of no use to God
any more9 I think the Lord knows
whether you are of'any more use or not.
If YOU were of no more use he would have
taken you before this. Do you think God
has forgotten you because He has taken
care of you seventy or eighty years! He
thinks more OF you to-day than He ever
did because you think more of Him. May
the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob
and Paul the aged be your God forever.
group, and I ask the shepherds to drive
their Aocks of lambs and sheep up to the
IpaaAhbs man who sSpst Goa sorrecteth." "fhoush BE
cause grief, yet will He have compassion"
Many are the Affections of the righteous,
but the Lord delivereth him out of them
ALL" weeping may endure for q night,
but joy cometh in the morning" am
determined that no one shall 60 out OF
this house uncontrolled.
So come to your timid and shrinking
soul to-day and compel you to come out
in the presence of the Divine Physician.
He will not hurt you. He has been heal
ing wounds for many years, anu He viii
give you gentle and omnipotent medica-
ment.
But people, when they have trouble, go
anywhere rather than to God. De Quin-
cey took opium to get rid of his troubles,
Charles Lamb took to punch, Theodore
Hook took to something stronger. Edwin
Forrest took to theatrical dissipation, and
men have run all around the earth, hop
ing in the quick transit to get away from,
their misfortunes. It has been a dead
failure. There is only one we'll that can
slake the thirst of an afflicted spirit, and
that is the deep and inexhaussible we'll OF
the gospel.
But some one in the audience says,
Notwithstanding all you have said this
morning, find no alienation fol, my trou;;
bles." Well I am not through yet. l
have left the most potent consideration
for the last. l am going to soothe you
with the thought of heaven. However
time when the stoutest and most en-
phatic interrogation will evoke from us
no answer As soon as we have closed
our lips for the final silence no power on
.,,tL am hrc,l- that tao;turD;tv R,,t