The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1901-05-08

paid them ana then Ofered us the receipt
And how much we need Him in our sor-
rows! We are independent OF clrcum'
stances if we have His grace. Why, He
made Paul sing in the dungeon; ana under
| tha: grace st. John from desolate Fatmos
heard the blast of the apocalyptic trum-
| pets. After all other candles have been
snuffed out this is the light that gets
! brighter and brighter unto the perfect
day, and after. under the hard hoofs of
calamity, all the pools of worldly enjoy
ment have been trampled into deep mire,
at the foot of the eternal rock, the Chris.
tian, from cups of granite, lily trimmed
and vine covered, puts out the thirst OF
| his soul. =,
Again remark that Christ is above all
in dying alleviations. :! have not any sym
our demise. The Emperor of Constantine
pie arranged that on the day of his coron:.
nation the stonemason should come and
consult him about his tombstone that after
while he would need and there are men
VINO are ,nonomanical on the subject OF
departure from this life by death, and the
more they think of it the less prepared
are they to go. This is an unmanliness
not worthy of you, nor worthy of me-.
Saladin, the greatest conqueror of his
day. while dying ordered the tunic he had
on him to be carried after his death on
spear at the head OF his army, and then
the soldier ever and anon should stop and
say: Behold all that is left of Sal adm. the
emneror and conoueror! OF all the states
he conquered, of all the wealth be accumu-
lated, nothing did he retain but this
shroud!"
I have no sympathy with such behavior
or such absurd demonstration, or with
much that we hear uttered in regard 20 de-
parture from this life to the next. There
is a common -senscal idea on this subject
that you and need to consider - that
there are only two styles of departure.
A thousand feet under ground. by light
of torch toiling in a miners shaft, ledge
of rock may fall upon US, and we may die
miners death. Far out at sea. falling
from the slippery ratlines and broken o. on
the halyards, we may die n sailors death.
On mission Of mercy in hospital, amid bro
ken bones and reeling leprosies and raging
fevers, we may die a phIla2thropists
death.
On the field of battle, serving God and
OFT country, slugs through the heart, the
gun carriage may roll over US. and we may
die patriots death. But. after all, there
are only two styles of departure--the, death
of the righteous and of the wicked, and
we all want to die the former.
God grant that when the hour comes
You may be at home! You want the hand
of your kindred in your hand. You want
your children to surround You. You want
the light on your pillow from eyes that
have long reflected your love. You want
the room still. You do not want any Gu
rious strangers standing around watching
YOU. Yon want your kindred from afar to
hear your last prayer. / think that Is the
wish of all of US. But is that all? Can
earthly friends hold us when the billows
of death come up to the girdle? Can hui
man voice charm open heavens gate! Can
human hands pilot us through the mar
rows of death into heavens harbor? Can
an earthly friendship shield US from the
arrows of death and in the hour when
Satan shall practice upon US his internal
archery9 No, no! Alas. poor soul. if that
is ALL Better die in the wilderness, far
from tree shadow and far from fountain,
alone, vultures circlirg through the air
waiting for our body. unk known TO men
and to have no burial if only Christ would
say through the solitudes. Il will never
leave thee; will never forsak ke thee
From that pillow Of stone ladder would
soar heavenward. angels coming and going,
and across the solitude and the barrenness
would come the sweet notes OF heavenly
mirstrelsy.
What did the dying Janeway say? II
can as easily die as close my eyes or turn
my head in sleep. Before few hours have
PASSED I shall stand on Mount Zion with
the one hundred and forty and four thou
sand and with the just men made perfect,
and we shall ascribe riches and honor and
glory and majesty and dominion unto God
and the Lamb" DIR. Taylor, condemned
to burn at the stake, on his way thlther
broke away from the guardsmen and went
bounding and leaping and jumping toward
the fire. glad to 60 to Jesus and to die for
Him. Sir Charles Hare in his last moment
had such rapturous vision that ne crled.
Upward, upward, upward: And so
great was the peace of one of Christ's dis
ciples that he put his finger upon me
pulse in his wrist and counted it and o5,
served its halting beats until his life had
ended here to begin in heaven. But
Crander than that was the testimony OF
the wornout first missionary when IN the
Mamartine dungeon he cried: Il am now
ready to be offered, and the time OF my
departure is at hand! l have fought the
GOOD fight. l have finished my course. L
have kept the faith. Henceforth there is
laid I'D for me a crown Of righteousness;
which the Lord, the righteous judge, Will
give me in that day, and not to me only; ny;
but to all them that love His appearing:
do YOU not see Cndt SHfisI - dpo'S oA' 49,
dying alleviations!
Toward the last hour of our earthly resi-
dence we are speeding. When ] see the
snrirr blossoms scattered. say. "Another
season gone forever" When I close the
Rible on Sabbath night, l say, Another
Sabbath departed" When l bury trlend,
I saw. "Arother earthly attraction gone
forever" What nimble feet the years
have! -,
so fast. From decade to decade, from SKY
to sky, they 60 at a bound There IS a
place for us, whether marked or not, whe[e
YOU and will sleep the last sleep; and the
men are now living who Will with solemn
tread carry lis to our resting place.
Brighter than banuueting hall through
which the light feet OF the dancers 60 up
and down to the sound of trumpeters Will
he the sepulcher through whose riffs the
holy light Of heaven streameth. God Will
watch YOU. He will send His angels TO
guard your siumbering ground until, at
Christ's behest, they shall ro!! away the
stone. ,-
So. also, Christ is above all. in heaven.
The Bible distinctly says that Chrs! Is
the chief theme of the celestial ascrint'on,
all the thrones facing His throne, all the
palms waved before His face, all the
crowns down at His feet. Cheru6lm 70
cherubim. seraphim to seraphim, redeemed
spirit to redeemed spirit, shall recite the
Savours earthly sacrifice,
Stand on some high hill of heaven, and
in all the radiant sweep the most glorious
object will he Jesus. Myrlads. gazing on
the scars of His suffering. in silence frst'
afterward breaking forth into acclamation.
The martvrs. all the purer fo" the flame
through which they passed will say, This
Is is Jesus. for whom we died" The apos;,
ties Si all the m happier for the shipwreck and
the scourging through which they went,
III 60 e..lfhis is the Jesus whom we