The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1901-03-29

kha Time kind words, gospel iHordSs
/ helpful words, snving words Call tho
oyangelisticl nlklorn into serY ice q iii
the early morning, when yot, feel wellS
md you aro grateful for tho protec.s
ton during your sleeping hours, md
write before you retire ut close of day
tn those who MI nightlong will be say
Ing: "Would to God it wero NOM
ingl" How many bruised and disnp-
pointed and wronged souls Of Garth
would DO glad to get u lctter fromyou!
Stir up that consolatory inkhorn.
All Christendom has, been waiting
for great reyiyals Of religion to start.
from tho pulpits and prayer meet
ings. now suggest thnt tho
| greatest revival of all tino may
start concerted and organized
movement through the inlhorns
Of oil Christcndoin, each writer Dip
| ping from the inllhorn nearest him ~
letter Of gospel invitation, gospel
1 hope, gospel warning, gospel in
structlon.. The ink is all ready onsa
hundred thousand tnblcs, and beside
it are the implements with which to
dip it out. Why not, through such
| process, hayo millions Of souls brought
TO God boforo next summer? BY let
ter you could make tho invitation
moro effective than by word of mouth.
The invitation from your lips may be
argued back, may evoke qucrulous
reply, may be answered bya joke, but
IL good, warm, gospel letter, written in
prayer and started with prayer and
followed by prayer, will be read over
and over again and cannot bo an
swcrod III IL frivolous way. 1t will
| speak from the tnblo by day and night
or, If pettishly torn up, will, In its
scattered fragmcnts, speak louder
than when it remained whole. Within
arms reach Of whcro you sit there
may be II fluid that you may put on
wing with message Of light and love.
Tho othcr angels spoken Of in my,
text wcro destroying angels, and each
had what tho Biblo calls "slaugh-
ter weapon" III his hand It was n
lance or a bnttlcax or Il sword. God
hasten the time when tho last lance
shall be shivcred nnd tho last bat
tlcax dullcd aud tho last sword
shcathcd, never again to leave tho
scnbbard, md the angel Of the text,
who, Matthew Henry says, was tho
Lord Jesus Christ, shall, from the
full inkhorn Of Ills mercy, give saw
| ing call to nll nations. That day may
| be far Off, but it is helpful to think
Of its coming. As DR.. Raleigh do
clarcd that when so miles at seq
Off tho coast of New England tho
cattle on board tho ship, rs we'll as
himself, scented tho clover on tho
New England hills, so we, amid all
the tossing waves Of the worlds con.
white lilies of universal peace. Is
It not time that the boasted invcn-
ton Of new and moro explosive and
more widely devastating weapons OF
death bo stopped forever and tho
Gospel have chance and the ques-
tion be not asked: "IIow many shots
can be fired in n minute?" but "1Iow
many souls may be ransomed in
day?" The world needs less powder
and moro grace, fewer fortrcsscs and
moro churches, less power to destroy
nnd moro power to save. Oh, I am
sick Of tho war cries and the cxtin-
guishcd cycsight and tho splintcrcd
bones and tho grave trenches and
the widowhood and orphanage and
chi1dlessncss which sob and groan
and dio in tho wake Of the armies on
both sides Of tho seal Oh, for less
OF tho slaughter weapon and more
Of the eyangelizing inlshorn! OH
for tho stopping Of tho science aof
ASSASSINATION, that crime Gof crimes
that WOO Of woes, that horror Of hor-.
rors, that hell of hclls war, which
this moment stands reclsing with
blood and washing itself in tears
and disappearing tho heavens and
pushing or the edge Of this life men
who have rs much right to live as
you and I have and blast ting homes
in which there dwclls rs much loveli-
ness rs in our owni Would that tho
merciful angel of my text take tho.
last weapon Of war and fling it Off
and fling 1t down with such forco
that it shall clang on tho lowest
round Of the pcrdition whero the
first l1eon edge Of human strife was
sharpened! War! In the name OF
Almighty God and Of all tho homc.
steads it has destroyed and Is now
destroying, I hate 1t, 7 dcnounce it,
If our Bible is truc--and no other
book that was ever printed is as
truo ns that book, which Moses be-
gan and John finishcd--then tho ti,ne
will como when all the weapons OF
cruelty will stop and the inlhorna
OF cvangclization will have their way.
In tho museums OF tho world tho
carbno and the cannon and the bomb
will bo kept rs curiosities, and chill
dren will be incredulous MS parents
tell them that civilized nations once
| employed such instruments Of death
md more incredulous when told by
| their parents that tho army that
killed the most men was considered
tho most glorious army. The red
horse of carnage that st. John saw
in vision, and tho black horse Of
famine, and the pale horse OF death
will be stabbed, and tho white horse
Of prosperity and peace, mounted by
tho King Of Kings, will lend tho
great army with banners. Through
tho conyicting, converting, sanctify-
ing power Of tho Etcrnal Spirit may
wo all march In that procession!
Hail, thou Mighty Rider Of the whito
horse in the final Triumph Sweep
down and sweep by, thou Angel OF
the New Covenant. with tho inlshorn
of tho worlds evangelization! "rhe
L At, 8, rl>u 4. =.