The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1901-02-06

tlanne.s, kindlng fire for them and seeing
that they got plenty of food? All, he
knew that there were Others who would
do that. He says: "Yonder are men and
men and women freezing in the rigging OF
that wreck. Launch the lifeboat." Now
see the oar blades bend under the strong
pull, but before they reach the wreck
woman was frozen and dead. She was
washed off, poor thing. "But," he says,
there is man to save" And he cries
out: Give minutes longer, and will save
you. Steady, stead Give me your hand.
Leap into the lifeboat. Thank, God, he is
saved!" So there are those who are safe
on the shore of Gods mercy. They are as
safe as though they had been 1000 years
in heaven, "kept by the power of God
through faith unto salvation" But there
are some who are freezing in the rigging
of sin and surrounded by tempest. Pull
away, my lads Let us reach them. Alas,
one is washed off and gone. There is one
more to be saved. Let US push out there
for that one. Clutch the rope: . dying
man. Clutch it as with death grip.
Steady, now, on the slippery places!
Steady! They are saved, saved. just as 1
thought, for Christ has declared that there
|, are some still in the breakers, who shall
are not of this fold" ..-
remark again the heavenly Shepherd
is going to find great many OF His sheep
among those who are now rejecters. OF
Chriltianity. Some of the mightiest advo-
Gates of the gospel were once skeptics:
Thomas Chalmers once skeptic, Robert
Hall skeptic, Christmas Evans skeptlc,
Charles e.. Finney q, skeptic, laul, the
APOSTLE. once a skeptic. But when once
with strong hand they laid hold of the
gospel chariot they rolled it on with what
momentum! I do not know how you
came to reject Christianity. It may have
been through the inidel talk of some
Young man in the store or shop or factory:
It may have been through the trickery OF
some professed Christian man, who dis.
gusted you with religion. It may be that
thirty years ago You lost all faith by what
happened in an oil company which was
formed amid the petroleum excitement.
The company owned no land, or, If they
did. there was no sign of oil produced.
But the president of the company was a
PRESBYTERIAN elder and the treasurer an
Episcopal restryman and one director was
a Methodist class leader and the other
officers prominent members of Baptist and
CONGREGATIONAL churches. Circulars were
got out telling what fabulous prospects
opened before this company. The circu,
lar had all the hues Of earth and sea and
sky. The letters famed with all the beauty
of gold and jasper and amethyst. limo
cent men and women who had little
money to invest and that little their all
said, HI do not know anything about this
company, but 80 many good men are at
the head of it that it must be excellent,
and taking stock in it must be almost as
good as Joining the church" So they
bought their stock, and perhaps received
one dividend to keep them still. But after
awhile they found that the company had
reorganized and had a different president,
different treasurer and different direc-
tors. Other engagements or an overcoming
modesty had caused the former officers of
the company, with many regrets, to resign,
and all the subscribers Of that stock had
to show for their investment was beautl'
fully ornamented certificate. Sometimes
that man. looking over his old papers,
comes across that certificate, and 1t is 80
suggestive that he vows he wants none OF
the religion that the president and direc'
tors of that oil company professed.,
But do not stop now to know how you
came into rejection of Christianity. You
frankly tell me that you do reject it.
You do not believe that Christ is divine
being, although you admit that He was
very GOOD man. You do not believe that
the Bible was inspired of God. although
Won think there are some very tine things
in it. You believe that the Scriptural de.
scription of Eden was only an allegory.
There are fifty things that believe that
you do not believe, and yet you! are an
accommodating man. Everybody that
knows you says that of you.
If should ask you to do q kindness for
me, or if any one else should ask of you a
kindness, Y u would do it. If when you
are i'll I should come to you with phlal
of medicine and say, "This kind of medi.
cine has cured' fifty people who were, just
as badly off as you are. Take it" and you
replied, "I do not want to take it. have
to oblige me-" and you would say. We'll,
if it will accommodate you I will take it."
Now, you have found that this world is
insufficient, and you are sick Of sin. !
come to you with gospel medicine. 1t
has cured hundreds and thousands and
millions. Will you take il? mo" you
say. 81 have no confidence in it," Take
it, then, to oblige me. I tell you of ply.
sician who has cured more blind eyes and
bound up more broken hearts and healed
more ghastly wounds than all the doctors
since the time of Aesculapius. Be obliging,
and just make the experiment. :.
If you are not acquainted with the ordi.
nary modes Of prayer, say IN substance:
""Oh, Lord jesus, this is a strange thing
for me to do. I know nothing about the
formulas of religion. These Christian peo.
pie have been talking so long about what
| Thou canst do for me, am ready to do
whatever Thou commandest me. Ii there
be any power in religion, as these people
say, let me have the advantage of it.
Will you not try that experiment!
do not now say there is anything in re-
ligion. Do not take my counsel or the
counsel of any clergyman -tsf fSf- may
| like like -clsrgymen. Perhaps we may talk pro:
fessionally. Perhaps we may be prejudiced
in the matter. Perhaps our advice is not
worth taking. Then take the counsel Of
some very respectable layman, as John
Milton, the poet; as William Wilberforce,
the emancipator; as Isaac Newton, the as
tronomer; as Robert Boyle, the phlloso.
pher; as Locke, the metaphysiclan; as
Morse, the telegrapher; as Washington,
the statesman.
They never preached, or pretended to
preach, yet, putting down one his telescope
and another his parlimentarian'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. II you will not take the recommen.
dation of ministers of the gospel, take the
recommendation of highly respectable lay
men.
Oh, men, skeptical and struck through
with unrest, I beg you to come off that
great Sahara desert of doubt into the
Bright and luxuriant land of gospel hope
and peace. Yol do not want your children
to come up in that skepticism. If you do
not believe in anything else, you believe in
love-a fathers love, mothers love,
wife's love, child's love.
Then let me tell you that God loves you
more than all these together. The great
heart OF Christ aches to have you come in,
and He looks into your eyes this moment,