The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1901-02-01

81 astlyNyoun6 SIT han$all
1 the d oetorsis 81 nces thestimeGotA x i Escu)n-
5pilry BE obligiug and JUS { sma ke g : 3
Z expe rinent .9Sgl + yoii are Ii ot aconaint4i
with tho ordinary modes OF PRAYER. sn :
in substance: 90 Lord Jes,is ma y. y.
strange thing for me ito do. / knoyy
4 nothing about he formulas Of reii. !.
/ gion. These Christian people have been
{ talking SO long about what thou canst
do for me am ready to do whatever
thou commandest me. If there be any
power III religion, as these people say
let mo have the advantage of IT," Will
you not try that cxperimcnt2
+ do not now say there Is anything
in religion. Do not take ny counsel
\ or tho counsel Of any clei gyman. for
you may dislike clergymcn. Perhaps
Nc may talk professionally. Perhaps
5wo may be projudiced In the mater.
Perhaps our advice is notlworth taxi
ing. Thenft take tho counsel Of some
very respectable layman, ar John Mil
ton, the poet; as William Wilbcrforce.
the emapcipator; as Isaac Newton, tho
astronomer; as Robert Boyle, tho phil
osophcr; as Locke, the metaphyscian;
as Morse, thestelegrapher; as Washing
ton, tho statesman. They never
preached or pretended to preach, yet
putting down one,his telescope and an !.
other his parliamcntarian's scroll and
another his electricians wire, came
forth and commended the religion Of
Christ as the best thing for the cure
of the worlds woes. If you will not
take the recommendation Of ministers
Of the Gospel, take the recommendation
of highly respectable laymen
Oh, mon, skeptical and struck
through with unresti I beg you to
come Off that great Sahara desert Of
doubt into the bright nnd luxuriant
land of Gospel hope md peace. You
do not want your children TO como
up in that skcpticism. If you do not
believe in anything else, you believe
IN loyc--a fathers love, a mothers
love; q wife's love, q child's love. Then
let mo tell you that God loves you
moro than oil these together. Tho
great heart Of Christ aches to have
you como in, and He looks into your
eyes This moment, saying: "Other
sheep have which are not of this
fold"
Again, l remark that the Heavenly
Shepherd Is going TO find great
many Of the bheep among those who
hayo been full Of evil habit. They
were all cheated into sin. The spider
does not say to the ny: "Come into
tho web where kill insects" Oh,
no. The spider says Dearest ny,
come and talk u morning walk with
mo on this suspension bridge of gos-
samer glittcring with diamonds Of
dew" DO not be hard on those gone
astray. 1t mnkes mo sad TO SEQ Chris
tian people give up n prodigal as lost.
There are those who talk rs though
the grace Of God were a chain Of 40
or so links and that when thoy ,had
run out there WAS nothing left to
touch q bad case. If they were hunt
ing and got off the track of the deer,
they would look longer among tho
brakes and bushes for the lost game
| than they would look for that lost
! soul W H
They talk about the catacombs OF
| Naples and the cntacombs of Rome
and the catacombs Of Egypt, TN
great burial places under the city
where lis the dust Of many genera
| tions passed on, but I tell YOU Now
| York has its catocombs and Washing
/ ton its catacoInbs and all our citios
| their catacombs. They are under
ground liquor dives, full Of dead mems
bones and all uncleanliness. There IL
no need of going into the art gallery
to SEQ in sldllful sculpture that won
derfui representation Of man md
his sons wound round with scrpcnts
There are families represented here
to-dayGtha arc wrapped in tho mar.
tyrdon, Of fang and scale and venom
o living Laoooon Of ghostlnoss and
horror.
There is only ono class Of persons
about whom am, dlshcartencd, and
| they arc the Gospel hardened. They
have been faithful in attendance al
churches for 20, 80 and 40 yoar., yet
mover have surrendered themselves tt
| God. AS Christ says: "Publicans ant
harlots go into tho kingdom Of heay
| en- before them" They hayo rcsistod
all the Importantly OF divine mercy
and have gone through most powor
| full earthquakes Of religious feeling
and they are farther away from God
than ever. After awhile they will lii
down sick, and some day 1t will be
told that they are dead. No hopei
But turn to outsiders with an ex.
pectation that thrills through me
body and soul. "Othcr sheep + have
which are not OF this fold" You arc
not Go-pel hardened. You have not
heard my sermons during the last
few years. You feel the holy Ghost
this moment in your heart. You do
not weep, but the tear is not far Of
You sigh, and you have noticed that
there Ia always sigh in tho wind he.
fore the rain falls. There are those
hero who would give anything II they
could find relief in tears. They say,
"Oh, my wasted lifal Oh, tho bitter
| pastl Oh, the graves over whIoh ]
have stumbled! Whittier shall fyf
Alas, for the future! Everything is
so dark, SO very dark! God help mel
God pity mol" Thank the Lord fo,
that last utterancc. You have begun
TO pray, and when man begins tc
! petition, God stops in and beats bacl
the hounds Of temptation to theil
kennel and round about tho poo,
wounded soul puts the covert of hif
pardoning mcrcy. Hark! I hear
something fall. What was that7 II
is the bars Of tho feoce around the
shcepfold. The Shepherd let's dowr
the bars, and the hunted sheep OF the
mountain bound in, some Of then
their fleece torn with brambles, some
OF them their feet lamed with the
dogs, but bounding IN. Thank God
~ r L.