The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1901-03-06

scape as it appears under twenty-mile
fight on summer morning under the
blue heavens.
I do not advise you to be Indifferent to
these great questions that pertain to
church and state and nations. but not to
anarchy that has charge of affairs in thiR
world, but divine government. At the
head of this universe is King whose eye
is omniscience and whose heart is infinite
love. His government is not going to be
a failure. He cannot be defeated. Better
trust Him in the management of this
world and of all worlds. All you and
haveto do is to accomplish the work that
is put in our hands. That is all we have
to be responsible for. In well managed
orchestra the players upon strineed and
The cornetist does not look to see how
the violinist is drawing the bow over the
strings, nor does the flute player scrutin.
ize the drum. They all watch the baton
of the leader. And We are all carrying
our part, however insignificant it may be,
in the great harmony.
The closing years of life ought to be the
best part of it, as an arrival in port ought
to be happier than embarkation. 1t is bet Z
ter to have the cyclones behind you than
before you. Some one will say, David
through so much there is no such thing
for me as reviHifcation." You are wrong.
You have not gone through as much az
David went through. He had all the ex.
periences of shepherd boy, armor bearer,
kings bodyguard hunter of wild beasts,
warrior and monarch. He was forty years
on a rocking throne. He was the Oriental
hero in many battle. made moral mis-.
takes enough to destroy him, prostrated
giant with one stroke, was the father OF
Hebrew poetry and wrote poems which all
the subsequent centuries have been cbant-
ing. dramatized dementia to escape assas-
sination. ran against AhithophePs betray.
al and Saul's jealousy and Absalom's in.
s,lrrection, and made Jerusalem the reli-
gious capital of the world. If after all that
he could renew his youth, you ought to
be able to do the same.
My text suggests that heaven is an eter. S
nal youth. A cycle of years will not leave
any mark upon the immortal nature.
Eternity will not work upon the soul in
heaven any change unless it be more "a.
dance and more wisdom and more rap.
ture. A rolling on from glory to glory!
piest people on earth are aged Christians.
The mightiest testimonies have been given
by the veterans in the gospel army. While
some of the aged have. allowed themselves
to become morose and cynical and impa.
tient with youth and pessimistic about the
world and have become possessed with
the spirit of scold and fault finding, and
are fearful of being crowded out of their
sphere many of the aged have been glad
to step aside that others may have a
chance and are hopeful about the world,
expecting its redemption instead. Of its
demolition, and they are inspiration and
comfort and helpfulness to the household
and to the neichborhood and to the
church. The children hail the good old
man as he comes down the road. His
smile, his words, his manner, his whole
life, make the world think better of reli.
gion.
I congratulate all aged Christians that
the molting season will soon be over, and
you will mount higher than eagle ever as
cended. What good thing that you are
soon to get rid of winters. cold and; sum.
mer's heat and drenching rain and hover:
ing clouds, and live in superbest climate Of
the universe, whether it be this world
made over as to atmosphere and contour
or in some star which mighty telescope
halls from the observatory or in some cen.
ire around which all worlds wheel. 1t is
all ready, and has been ready, as near as
1 can calculate, since 1871 years ago, when
Christ went up after saying, II 60 to pre-
pare place for you" What good thing
to get rid of this worlds vicissitudes and
to have no surprises except those that are
exhilarant, as when Milton may ring
new canto or Chrysostom may speak With
a new eloquence or Handel may render q
new symphony, for do not suppose that
those who were mighty on earth are going
to be idlers in heaven.
What a good thing it is, all ye aged
Christians, that you can soon get rid ot
dulled ear and sight that requires strcug
eyeglasses and infrmities which. make JoQ
hold on to the banister, leaving you pant,
ing at the head of the stairs, and enter q
land of eternal health, where the most ru,
bicund cheek of robust life on earth
would be emaciation compared with the
vigor of the immortals. What u good
and blamed for what you could not help,
and picked at by hard world, and then
pass into heavenly society where all
think well of each other, and Friendships
are eternal, depreciation and SANDER and
ackbiting unknown, for the gate of heav-
ment, Without are dogs" What good
thing to have satisfying and glorious ex'
PLANTATION of things that puzzled you
twenty or forty or eighty years, to have
the interrogation point abolished and alb
mystery solved and Gods government YIN;
dicated, and you will see why He allowed
sin and sorrow to. come into the world,
and why the bad were permitted to live
so long and the good were cut of in the
time OF their greatest usefulness, and why
so many of the consecrated find life q
struggle, while many of the infamous ride
prosperously, princes afoot and beggars
a-horseback, and the last honest question
shall have been answered.
Gibbon in his history says that Moham.
med had dream in which he thought
that, mounted on the horse Borak, he. as:
cended the seven heavens and approached
felt a cold that pierced him to the heart
when his shoulder was touched by, the
hand of God. That might do for Moham
meds HEAVIER, but not for Christian
heaven. No cold hand put upon your
shoulder there, no cold hand OF repulse OF
doubt, but the warm hand of welcome, the
warm hand Of sanity communion. the
warm hand of God.
I congratulate all Christians who are IN
the eventide. Good cheer to all OF you.
Your best days are yet to come. You are
vet to hear the best songs, see the grand
est sights, take the most delightful jour-
news, form the most elevating friendships,
and after 10000 years of transport you
will be no nearer the last rapture than
when you were thrilled with the first.
In heaven you will have what most
pleases you. Archbishop Leighton's de,
sire for heaven was desire for Christ and
purity and love, and be has found there
what he wanted. John Foster rejoiced at
the, thought Of heaven, because there he
without restraint, and he has been regal
ing himself in that search. Southey
thought of heaven as a place where he
would meet with the learned and the
great-Chaucer and Dante and Shakes.
peare. He no doubt has found that style
of communion. That great and good DR.:
Dick was fond of mathematics, and he said
he thought much of the time in. heaven
would be given to that study, and I have
no doubt that since ascension he has made