The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1901-11-27

nile from the church" In all our great
cities there are men who are 5000 miles
| from church-vast deserts of Indifference
| between them and the house Of God.
| The fact is we must keep our respecta.
bility though thousands perish. Christ
there come to the house of God man
with marks of dissipation upon him people
are almost sure to put up their hands in
horror, as much as to say, us it not
shocking:"
How these dainty, fastidious Christians
| in all our churches are going to get into
| heaven I do not know unless they have
| an especial train of cars cushioned and up
holstered. each one car to himself. They
cannot 90 with the great herd of publi-
| cans and sinners.
o We who curl your lip of scorn on the
fallen. I tell YOU plainly that if you had
been surrounded by the same influences
| instead of sitting to-day amid the cul-
| tured and the refined and the Christian
YOU might have been crouching wretch
| in stable or ditch covered with filth and
| abomination!
1t is not because we are naturally any
| better, but because the mercy of God has
protected us. Those that are brought up
in Christian parentage should not be so
| hard on the fallen.
I think also that men are often hin.
dered from returning by the fact that
churches are anxious about their member.
ship, too anxious about their denomina.
| tions, and they rush out when they see a
| man about to give up sin and return to
| God and ask him how he is going to be
| baptized, whether by sprinkling or INNER
sion, and what kind of church he is
| going to join.
remember that in the Civil War was
at Antietam with other members of the
| Christian commission to look after the
wounded. I went into the hospital after
| the battle, and I said to man, "Where
| are you hurt?" He made no answer, but
| held up his arm, swollen and splintered.
| I saw where he was hurt. The simple
! fact is when man has a wounded soul
all he has to do is to hold it up, before a
symnathetic Lord and get it healed.
"Young man, will stand by you. The
mountains may depart and the hills be
removed, but I will never fail you." And
| then, as the soul thinks the news is too
| good to be true and cannot believe it and
looks up in Gods face, God lifts His
light hand and takes an affidavit, makes
an oath, saying. GAS I live" saith the
Lord God, II have no pleasure in the
death of the wicked" Blessed be God
for such gospel as this! "Cut. the, SLICES
|
there will not be enough to 60 around for
all the children; cut the slices thin
Blessed be God, there is a full loaf for
every one that wants it. Bread and
enough to spare! No thin slices on the
| Lords table! :.
Some one said to a Grecian general
"What was the proudest moment of your
life?" He thought moment, and said,
''The proudest moment was when l sent
word home to my parents that l had
gained the, victory" And the gladd,e:st
will be the moment when you can send
word to your parents that you have
conquered the evil habits by the grace OF
God and become eternal victor.
Oh, despise not parental anxiety! The
time will come when you will have neither
father nor mother, and you will &c
around the place where they used to
watch you and find them gone from the
house and gone from the field and gone
from the neighborhood. Cry as loud TO,
forgiveness as you may over the mound
in the churchyard, they cannot answer
Dead! Dead!
God pity the young man who has brought
disgrace on his fathers name! God pity
er's heart! Better that he had never beer
born. Better if in the first hour of biz
life, instead of being laid against the
warm bosom of maternal tenderness, he
had been cofined and sepulchered.
There is no balm powerful enough t
heal the heart of one who has brought
parents to a sorrowful grave, and wht
wanders about through the dismal ceme
terry rending the air and wringlng tn!
hands and crying: Mother! Mother!
Oh, that to-day, by all the memories {. o
the past and by all the hopes of the fu
ture, you would yield your. heart to God
God be your God forever!
This hour the door of mercy swing
wide open Hesitate not moment. II
At the corner of street I saw tragedy
A young man evidently doubted as t.
which direction he had better take. Hi
hat was lifted high enough SO you coult
see he had an intelligent forehead. HI
had a stout chest and a robust develop
ment. Splendid young man! Culturet
young mani Honored young man! VIII!
did he stop there while so many Were
going up and down? The fact is tha
every young man has a good angel and
bad angel contending for the mastery o
and a bad angel struggling with tina
young mans soul at the corner of tn
street. "Come along with me-" said tn,
good angel; Il Will take you home. | vii
spread my wings over your pillow. l vii
lovingly escort you all through life under
supernatural protection. I will bles
every cup you drink out of, every coucl
you rest on, every doorway you enter.
will consecrate your tears when you weep
your sweat when you toll, and at the las
I will hand over your grave into the hane
| r IL LII of rbr,cf
ton. have been sent of the Lord to pt
your guardian spirit. Come with me,
said the good angel in voice of unearthly
symphony 1t was music like that which
drops from a lutte of heaven when ser
aph breathes on it.
"Oh, no." said the bad angel, "coms
with me. I have something better to Of
fer. The wines I pour are from chalice:
of bewitching carousal. The dance l leac
is over floors tessellated with unrestrainet
indulgence. There is no God to frown or
the temples Of sin where l worship. Tht
skies are italian. The paths I tread art
through meadows daisied and primrosed
Come with me-"
The young man hesitated at a time wher
hesitation was ruin. and the bad ange
smote the good angel until it departed
spreading wings through the starlight
upward and away until door swung oper
in the sky, and forever the wings van
ished. That was the turning point in that
young mans history, for, the good ange
flown, he hesitated no longer, but started
on a pathway which is beautiful at the
opening, but blasted at the last. The bao
angel led the way through gate after gate
and at each gate the road became roughel
and the sky more lurid, and what was pc
culiar. as the gate slammed shut it came
to with a jar that indicated it would never
open. Past each portal there were &
grinding of locks and showing of bolts
and the scenery on each side Of the roat
changed from gardens to deserts. and the