The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1901-04-26

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saaso ahasfai sif6aiaa saassa % ma
Saso is 10 better tliae you n Il d. 81 ana!
leaving tho ahewl d i on s. tfiS ~ aeaonda
floor, you go to tho parlor ID rivay }or.S
nal salutation to the ii Ga ! ana th 4
hostess and then move around. y sponI.
Ing tho whole evening ii the diao,s-5
sion OF tho weather and In ap Glory
Tor trcading on long trains and in ;
effort to keep tho corners OF tho
mouth up to the sign Of pleasure, and
going around with an idiotio hc.he
about nothing until the collation. is
served, and thens after the collationj
Is served, going back into tho parlor
to resume the weather, and Sthen at
the close going nt a very late hour to
the host and hostess and assuring
them that You have had most de-
lightful evening, and then. passing
down Off the front steps, the slam OF
the door the only satisfaction Of tho
evening. 4, gs,a
I know there is a great deal OF talk
about the self-denials OF the Chris
tian. have to tell you that whore
the Christian has one sclf-denial the
man Of tho world has q thousand
self-denials. The Christian IL rot
commanded to surrender anything
that Is worth keeping. But what
does q man deny himself who de-
MES himself the religion Of Christ?
He denies himself pardon for ain,
hc denies himself peace Of conscience,
he denies himself tho joy Of the Holy
Ghost, he denies himself q comfort
able death pillow, he denies himself
to mo about tho self-dcnial Of tho
Christian life. Where there Is one
in the Christian life there is thou
sand in tho life Of tho world. 'fHer
ways. arc ways of pleasantness,"
Again, find q great dea1 Of re-
ligious sunshine in Chris tian and di-
vino explanation. TO great many
people life is an inexplicable tangle.
Things turn out differently FROM
what was supposed. There'is usc-
less woman in perfect health. There
is an industrious and consccratcd
woman complete invalid. Explain
that. There is bad man with $30,-.
600 Of income. There is q good man
with $500 Of income. Why is that?
There is foe of society who lives;on
doing all the damage he can, to rs
years Of age, and here is q Christian
father, faithful in every department
of life, at 35 years Of age taken away
by death, his family left helpless.
Explain that. Oh, ti1ero is no son
tence that oftener drops from your
lips than this: II cannot understand
1t. cannot understand It," R
We'll, now religion comes in just at
that point with It's illumination and
it's explanation. There is business
man who has lost his entire fortune.
The week before he lost his fortune
there were 20 carriages that stopped
Mt the door of his mansion. The
week after he lost his fortune all
tho carriages you could count on one
finger. The week before financial
trouble began people all took off
their hats to him as he passed down
the street Tho week his financial
prospects were under discussion poo.
pie just touched their hats without
nnywiso bending the rim. Tho week
that he was pronounced insolvcnt
people just jolted their heads as
they passed, not tipping their hats
ut all, and the week the sheriff sold
him out all his friends were looking
in the store windows as they went
down past him.
Now, while the world goes away
from man while he is in financial
distress, the religion of Christ comes
to him and says: "You are siok, and
your sickness is to be moral pnfifi-
cation; you are bereayed. God
wanted In some way to take your
family to Heaven, and He must begin
somewhere, and SO Hc took the ono
that was most beautiful and was
most ready to CO." do not say
that religion explains everything in
this life, but do say it lays dow,
certain principles which are grandly
consolatory. You know business mon
often telegraph in cipher. The mer-
chant in San Francisco telegraphs to
the merchant in New York certain
information In cipher which no other
man in that line of business can un-
derstand, but the merchant in San
Francisco has the key to the cipher,
and the merchant in New York has
tho key to the cipher, and on that
information transmitted there are
enterprises involving hundreds Of
| thousands of dollars. Now, tho provi-
| dences Of lifc sometimes seem to be
senseless rigmarole, a mysterious
cipher; but God has key to that
cipher and tho Christian q key to
| that cipher, and, though he may
hardly be able to spell out the mean
ing, he gets enough OF the meaning
to understand that It is for the best
Now, is there not sunshine in that2
rs there not pleasure in that7 Far
beyond laughter, it is nearer the
foentain Of tears than boisterous
demonstration. Havo you never cried
for joy2 There are tears which are
eternal rapture in distillation.
There are hundreds of people who
are walking day by day in tho sub.
lime satisfaction that all is for the
best, all things working together fol
good for their soul. How man cai
get along through this life without
the explanation is to me q mystery
Whatl Is that child gone forever
Are you never to get 1t back? II
your property gone forever? Have
you no explanation, no Christian eS
planation, and yet not maniac
But when you have the religion Of
Jesus Christ in your soul It explains
every thing 80 far as 1t Is best 70,
! you to understand. You look Off Il
life, and your soul is full Of thanku
giving to God that you are so muoi