The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1901-06-14
p1EIZ ARR ONsPREAOHEks..
He Does Not Like the Modern sensa-
ts ti0nal Sermons.

~ III
TBere seems to be an nusual com.
.motipnsi in the flsld ofrsligious thought.
Oat bf two or three hundred difforont
Christian orcods and forms Of worship,
ono would suppose thoro were already
enough TO choose from, but somo new
asd startling onos keep coming in and
the seger, crsT;og minds of tho un-
settled people arc falling out with tho
old and falling in with tho now theories
and doctrines. Thoro is no osuso for
worry great alarm in this, for it proves
tho natural instinotivo desire of weak
and unsettled minds for eomo religion
that will satisfy and comfort tho long
iirg heart II proves tho universal
beIiof in God tho creator and tho univor
sal dcs 70 to secure His favor. There
is nothing now er strange in this. It is
history repeated. One hundred and
eighty years ago Alcxand Pope, the
great poet and philosopher, wrote:
For modes of faith let graceless zealots
fight;
IIo can't bo wrong whose life is in tho right.
In faith and hopo tho world will disagree,
But all mankind concern is charity"
Popo was great and good man and
diod Uhristian His devotion to bis
mother was intonso and beautiful Ho
took the tenderost caro- Of her and sho
livod with him until she died, in her
ninety third yoar. This is tribute
enough for any man.
There are many mon of many minds.
Thoro arc some in our day just like
those Of Athens Of WHOM St. Paul
wrote, Who spont their time in telling
or hearing somo new thing" Eyen
somo preachers have morbid craving
for sensation, and they create oom-
motion wherovor they 60 Tbey be.
long to tho church militant and bolievo
in thundor and lightning and OF clones
aud oven war as agencies for he prop.
agation of Christianity. Tho news
papers are orowdod with nbstruso
essays on tho now religion both for
and against. These distract the skep,i
cal and unsettled minds Of many, but
only for timo. Spirltualism did the
Same thing for half ccntury, but
happily il has run its course as Lho last
census shows largo dtcresso in tho
number of its followers. But true
christianity movos on serencly amidst
all these commotons. Moteors and
comets may como and go--cvcn the
SUI itself may for brief interval be
eolipsod; but, like Christianity, il
shines on year aftor year, century after
century, bringing light aui lie 10 tho
world,
Ma, DO this sensational preaching is
needed in these degenerate timos,
whom tho spiri. Of war and tho loyo Of
money seems to i .vo dcmotaiz ID tho
young mon Of tho land; when murdc
and suicides arc Of daily occurrence,
aud getting money by gambling in
stocks and other short cuts 10 fcrtuue
has become national SIN. But to my
mind, tho old, conservative modes sro
still tho best. | don't like the pleaoh
or who asoouds the pulpit with q whip
in his hand and cracks its lash at every
malcdiotion. That would be all right
if every man had pulpit aud whip,
20 that he could fight back. If wore
good neugh to be preacher l would
tako text and stick to it rcvorontly
and plead with the people in the name
Of tho Lord. Old Dr.. Axson, Of
Savaarah, was my ideal of preacher;
a man Of God whose vory presence in
tho pulpit increased our reverence for
it. HIS texts still Iiuger ia tho memo
ries Of those who listened ard carry
with them moro enduring solemnity.
When David pleaded with tho Lord
for forgiveness and said, "Remember /
not against mo the iniquitios of my
YOUTH" every one recalled with grief
and sorrow tho many, many orrois of
his young life. What grief to evory
man are the sins Of his youth and how
earnestly he wishes they could be
blotted out from bis own memory. l
recall another toxt, when David OK
claimed in tho agony of his heart,
my Gin is ever before mo-" Whist q
subject for an earnest, eloquent divine
the impossibility Of escaping from the
memory of sin.
But the love Of God was his favorito
theme, and tho holplessness of m an in
contrast. We know not whenoe we
oame nor whithor wo are going. We
cannot add day nor an hour 10 our
existence. Wo cannot foreseo afllio.
tions nor calamities nor fortify against
them. We are utterly helpless and
arc depord rdant on tho U.casor Then
~ SaFo q pOotAo plOtuCo ol Cuo won
drous love Of tho Creator for His orea-
tures and proved it by the adaptation
Of our sconses to the beauties and
luxuries of nature-the moon and stars,
tho mountains, rivers, trees, fruits and
flowers; tho birds to sing, tho flowers
to bloom, tho Garth to boar us food,
and how carefully Ho holds tho rolling
earth in His mighty hand while we sloop o
unconscious of any danger, and too
ofton forgotful that our Maksr is at tho
holm, watching over us and counting
every pulso that beats. Young man,
young man, stop and tbinkl" ho OK
claimed, in tender, toarful pleading,
That is tho kind Of preachiI G like.
It is we'll to have creeds and faith "a
thom; but creods are at last tho work
OF men and arc controvsrted and hawk.
Cd at by those who differ; but when
tho Lord says, "Do justly, love morcy
and walk humbly with thy God, !"
Humble yourselves under tho mighty
hand of God," "Lovc the Lord with
all thy strength and thy nelghbor as
thyself," ard "Lovo is tho fulfilling Of
tho law, thoro is no need Of any bettor
creeds. Humility is one of the ohicfost
cardinal virtues. A man who is vain
or conoeited is oloso akin to an idiot.
The poet says, 'On, why should tho
spirit Of mortal be proud" and the
naalmiat saya sI,ord what ia man tba r