The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1901-11-06

What we all neea, "nether up or down
in life or half way between, is the infinite
~ we employ the word come" It will take
all eternity to find out the number of
business men who have been strength
ened by the promises of God and the peo-
pie who have been fed by the ravens
when other resources gave out and the
men and women who, going into this bat.
tie armed only with needle or eaw or axe
or yardstlck or pen or type or shovel or
shoelast, have gained a victory that made
the heaven resound. With all the re-
sources of God promised for every ext
I like the faith displayed years ago in
Drury lane, London, in an humble home
where every particle of food had given
out and kindly soul entered with tea
and other table supplies and found ket-
tie on the fire ready for the tea. The
benevolent lady said, "How is that you
have the kettle ready for the tea when
You had no tea in the house," And the
daughter in the home said: Mother
would have me put tbe kettle on the fire,
doing 80 when. we have nothing in the
house?' she said My child, God will pro-
vided for me through all pain and help
lessness, and He will not leave me to
starve at last. He will send US help
though we do not see how We have been
waiting all day for something to- come,
but until we saw you we knew not how
it was to come" Such things the world
may call condolences, but I call them
Almighty deliverances, and, though ycu
do not hear of them. they are occurring
every hour OF every day and in all parts
But the word "corae" applied to those
who need solace will amount to nothing
unless it is uttered by some one who has
experienced that solace. That spreads
the responsibility of giving this gospel
call among a great many. Those who
religion in that trial are the ones to in
vite those who have failed in business.
Those who have lost their health and
been consoled by religion are the ones to
invite those who are in poor health.
Those who have bereayements and 6een
consoled in those bereavements are the
ones to sympathize with those who have
lost father and mother or companion or
child or friend. What multitudes of US
are alive to-day and in good health and
buoyant in this journey. of life who
would have been broken down or dead
long ago but for the sustaining and cheer
ing help of our holy religion! So we say,
"Come!" The well is not dry: The buck
cts are not empty. The supply is not ex-
hausted.
What dismal work OF coincidence the
world makes when i. attempts to con-
dole The plaster .ey spread does not
stick. The broken bones under their
bandage do not knit. A farmer was lost
in q snowstorm on a prairie of the Far
West. Night coming on and after he was
almost frantic from not knowing which
way to 90, his sleigh struck the rut of an
other sleigh, and he said, "I will follow
this rut, and it will take me out to safe
ty." He hastened on until he heard tho
bells of the preceding horses, but, coming
up, he found that that man was also lost,
and, as is the tendency of those who are
thus confused in, the forest or on the
moors, they were both moving in circle,
and the runner of the one lost sleigh was
following the runner of the other lost
sleigh round and round. At last it oc-
Cured to them to look at the north star,
which was peering through the. night,
and by the direction of that star they got
home again.
do not tell US how to come" That
charge shall not be true on this occasion.
Come believing! Come repeating! Come
praying! After all that God has been
doing for 5000 years, sometimes through
patriarchs and. sometimes through pro-
phets and at last through the culrli1s-
ton of all the tragedies on Go:gotha, can
any one think that God will not welcome
your coming? Will father at vast out.
lay construct mansion for his SON and
Law out parks white with statues and
green with foliage and all a-spark.e with
fountains and then not allow his son to
live in the house or walk in the parks?
Has God built this house of gospel mercy
and will He then refuse entrance to His
children? Will a Government at great
expense build life-saving stations all
along the coast, and boats that can hover
unhurt like petrol over the widest
surge and then. when the lfebtoat has
reached the wreck of ship in the ofing,
not allow the drowning to seize the life
line or take the boat for the. shore il.
safety? Shall God provide at the cost CT
his only Sons assassination escape for
sinking world and then turn deaf ear to
the cry that comes up from the breakers?
"But," you say, "there are SO many
things I have to believe and so many
things in the shape of creed that I have
to adopt that I am kept back" No, no!
You need believe but two things-name..
ly, that Jesus Christ came into the world
to save sinners and that you, are ore Of
Of o'f those , things" Do you really believe
them with all your heart? eyes" Why,
then, you have passed from death into
life. Why, then, you are son OF,
daughter Of the Lord Almighty. Why,
then, you are an heir or al heiress Of an
inheritance that viii declare dividends
from now until long after the stars are
dead. Halleluiah Prince of God, why
do you not come and take your coronet!
Princess of the Lord Almighty, why do
you not mount your throne? Pass up
into the light. Your boat is anchored,
why do you not go ashore? Just plant
under them the Rock of Ages.
I challenge the universe for one in
stance in which O man in the right spirit
appealed for the salvation OF the gospel
and did not get it. Maa alive, are you
going to let all the years of your life go
away with you without your having this
great peace, this glorious hope, this bright
expectancy?
Are you going to le. the pearl of great
price lie in tie dust al y-Cr feet because
you are too indolent or too proud to
stoop down and pick it up? Will you
wear the chain of evil habit whe? reai
by you is the hammer chat could with
one stroke snap the shackie? VIII you
stay in the prison Of sin when here is a
gospel key that could unlock your incar-
cerat;on? No, no!
As the one word "come" has some.
times brought many souls to Christ, I
will try the experiment of .pi;irg up into
mountain and then send down II al
avalanche of rower many of these gospel
comes" "Come thou and all thy house
into the ark" Come Unto Ne, all ye
who labor and are heavy laden,, ard 1
will give you rest;n Come; TOR r. all IL tH1gs ,gs
will do you good" Come and sec;"'
'"rhe Spirit and the bride say come,
and let hrn that heareth say come and