The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1902-04-17
4 VOICE FROM TIE DElJ.
Tho STILL FOREVER, lie SPEAKS.
EETSSysssssEyW

interest. Hi tex; was: ~ d they al with
one cJlselt began 10 lake excuses. --LnHe
xiv. lS
After the invitations to levee are
sent out the regrets come IN. one man
apologies for nonattendance on one
ground. another on another ground. Inc
most OF the regrets are founded Oil PRIOR
engagements. So in my text great oan-
ouet was spread. the invitations were ciT-
culatcd. and now the regrets come III.
The one gives ~ agricultural! reason. the
other = sscck dealers reason. the other
domestic reason. All poor reasons. The
facS was they did rot want 10 80. And
they al with one consent began TO maze
excuse
So now God spreads 4 great banquet.
1t is tie gospel feast. and the table reaches
across the hs:n!spheres, and the invita-,
tioas 90 out, and mu.titudeS come and
sit down and drink out or thc ch2i!ccs o.
Gods love. while Other mu!titGdeS Cechne
coming. the one giving this apology. aHd
the othcr giving that apology, and they
all with one consent begin 20 MAKE eN-
crsc." I propose. so lar aS God may hep
me. to examine the apo ogeS which mca
make 70" not entering the Christian HE.
Apology the first: | am not sure there
is ANYTHING valuable IL the Christian re-
licior. Il is pleaded that there arc 50
many impo,itionS IN this day; 50 many
things that seem To be real are sham. A
gilded outside may have 4 hollow inside.
There Is so much qra:Esry in phy"ics, III
ethics. IN politics. tnGt men come 10 rhc
habit of increluii;y. and after awhile they
allow tnat iGc-edu,ity 10 collide with, oUr
holy religion Bit, my friends, ! think
religion has made pretty good record IN
the world. How many wounds Ii has
sawed! How many pillars o: fire 1t has
lifted IN the midnight wilderness. HoW
Jaany simoom straci; de,erts it hath turned
into tie. gardens OF the Lord, How ]!
hath srii'cd the chopped sea. What rosy
light i hath sent streaming through the
rift OF the sstcrn'-cc'onG;, Nh2t p2G2:s OF
cool water t ha,a gathered for thirsty
Hacar ard IShmae,i What manua white
than ccr;au;l,r seed it hath dropped all
around tie camp OF hardy bestcd rl'Gr ms
What promises IL hath, sent out like holy
watchers u keep tie lamps burning around
deathbcds. through the darkness THAI
lowers into the sepulcher. What flashes
OF resurrection mornl
Besides that this religion has made so
many heroes 1t brought Summerie!d. the
Methodist. across tine Atlantic ocean with
his silver trumpet to blow the acceptable
wear oil the Lord until it seemed as II all
our American cities would take the king
dom OF heaven BIZ violence. 1t sent ,IehIdi
Ashman into Africa alone. in continent
of naked bar6arians. to lite the standard
of civilization and Christianity. IT made
John Milton amorc poets, Raphael among
painters. Christopher Wren among archl-
tects. Thorwaldsen among scu!ptors. Han
del among musicians. Dupont among mill
tary commanders. and to give new wings
to the imagination aad better balance TO
the Judgment and more determination 10
the will and greater usefulness TO the llie
and g-arcer nobility 10 tdc soul there Is
nothing il al the earth Ike our Christian
religion Nothing in religion: Why. then.
all those Christians were deceived when
IN their dying moment they thought they
saw the castles OF the bic essed and your
child, that with unutterahie agony YOU
put away into the grave. YOU will never
sec him again or hea" his sweet voice
nor feel The tbro6 oI his Young heart.
There is nothing in religion: Sickness
will cc2e upon you: T1I 70 and turn on
be bitter, tue nish; may hc dark. tie pain
may be sharp: 10 relief. Christ never
comes TO the sick--oon. lie. tho rain
;ab: la5 the fcve" nGrI: c!rse it aDd &c.
There is nothing in r,iie.on: After awhile
Geati. VIII come Sor will hear til nav
ing Of the rale rors" or TIE .h2eah2,d.
The spirit viii be breaking away from the
body, end it will tale iisAt--whithsr.
whittier? There IS 10 Cod. no minister
ing angels TO co2duct. no Christ, no
heaven. no home. Nothing IN religion:
Oh, You are rot willing to adopt sucl
dismal theory!
And vet the world is full OF sf:cpticS.
And let re say there is TO Class o. REQ
pie for whom l have warmer Sympathy
than FOR skep,irs. We do not know how
to treat them. We derde them. we cai':ca-
ture them. We instead OF taking ther,
by the soft hand Of Christian love. clutch
them with the iron pinchers OF ecc!esias-
ticism On. if you knew how those uen
had fallen away from Christianity and be-
come sl;eptics YOU would not be so rcush
on them! Some were brought up in homes
where religion was overdcnc. The most
wretcEcd day il the week was Sunday.
hammer. They had surfeit OF PRAYER
meetings. They were stuffed and chokel
with catechisms They were tod bv their
parents t1at thev were the worst children
that ever lived because they liked to l:dc
down hill better than 10 read Pilgrim
Progress" They never heard their pa
rents talk Of religion bUt with the corre:s
OF the Eouth drawn down and thc eyes
rolled ~. Others went irto sie?tici:",
through EaitTea::leEt CI tie i.&rt G. SOM"
who prof&ssed religion. There L. : GGn
who says: My partner In business was
conspicuous II pGare" meeting. %rd Cc
was oHicious i'll al religious circle. tut
nc cheated nae o;lt Ct 5000. ;.ni | Co2t
want any OF tl&t Ici@Uo2. Then tAerr
are others who get iato sicpt;.ia,.. h.
natural persistence il &sija~ questions.
why o: how: How car God he one bein2
iii three nerSoHs. rhey canEot undcr.taMI
it. Neither can ]. How can Coi be i
complete sovereign cad yet man .rce
agcrt: They canrot understand Il.
Neither can /. They cannot understand
why hoy Gcd les .ir come into tnc
wor,G. Neither can ]. They say: Here
Is 4 great mystery; here is disciple of
fashion. frivolous and goddess al! her days;
.hn l;,aS nr, 70 Ea nrtnrnnnr;nm un...