The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1902-03-05
nounced shut the pew door and say as they

think that the church Of God and the
Sabbath are only an armory where we are
to get weapons When war comes. If
man wants to fight for his country, ha
does not 60 to Troy or to Springfield to DO
battling, but he goes there for swords and
muskcts. look upon the church OF Christ
and the Sabbath day as only the place and
time where and when we are to get armed arm 2
Tor Christian conflict, but the battlefield S
On Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thurs.
day. Friday and Saturday.
"St. Martins" and "Lcnox" and "Old
Hundredth" do not amount to anything
unless they sing all the week. A sermon
is useless unless we can take it with Us be.
hind the pow and the counter. The Sab.
bath day is worthless II it last only twen.
ty.four hours.
There arc many Christians who say: I'VE
are willing 20 serve God. but We do not
want to do it in these spheres about which
we are talking. and it seems so insipid and
monotonous. If we had some great occa-
sion, il we had lived in the time of Luther,
il VIC could serve God on great scale, we
would do it. but we can't in this everyday
life." / admit that q great deal OF the TO.
nance and knight errantry OF life have dis
appeared before the advance Of this prac-
tical age. The ancient temples of Eouen
have been changed into storehouses and
smithies. The residences OF poets and
princes have been turned into brokers
shops. The classic mansion Of Ashland
has been cut up into walking sticks. The
groves where the poets said the gods dwelt
have been carted out for firewood. The
muses. that We used to read about have dis.
appeared before the immigrants axe and
the trapper's gun. and the man who is
60 hot,- oh yr-iSh
viii! never 6nd it. There is, however. Q
field OF endurance and great achievement,
but it is in everyday life. There are Alps
to scale, there arc Hellcsponts to swim.
there are fires to brave, hut they are all
around us now. This Is the hardest kind
- martyrdom to bear.
Again, we need to bring the religion Of
Christ irto our commoncst trials. For Sc
we're losses. for bereavement, for trouble
that shocks like an earthquake and that
blasts like storm, we prescribe religious
consolation. but. business man. for the
small annoyances of last week how much
of the grace of God did you apply? "Oh."
you say. these trials arc too small for such
application" My brother. they are shap-
ing your character. they arc wearing out
your patience and they are making you less
and less OF n man.
Now, be careful to let none of those an
noyances 60 through your soul unarraigned.
Compel them to administer your spiritual
wealth. The scratch Of a sixpenny nail
sometimes produces lockjaw, and the clip
of most infinitesimal annoyance may
damage you 'orever. Do not let any an.
noyance or perplexity come across your
soul without its making you better.
Our National Government did not think
it helittling to put tax on pins and tax
on buckles and tax on shoes. The indi.
vidual taxes do not amount to much, but
dollars. And would have you. 0 Chris.
tian man. put high tariff on every annoy.
ance and veSation that comes through your
soul. This might not amount to much in
single cases. but in the aggregate it would
be a great revenue OF spiritual strength and
satisfaction. A bee can suck honey even
out of q nettle, and ii you have the grace
of God in your heart you can get sweetness
out OF that which would otherwise irr.
tate and annoy. The only way to get pre-
pared for the great troubles of life is to
conquer these small troubles.
Again, we must bring the religion OF
Christ into our commonest blessings. When
the autumn comes and the harvests are in
assemble in churches and we arc very
thankful. But every day ought to be a
thanksgiving day. We do not recognize
the common mercics of life. We have to
see a blind man led by his dog before we
begin to bethink ourselves Of what grand
thIng it is to have undimmed eycsight.
We have to see some wounded man hob.
bling on his crutch or with his cInpty coat
sleeve pinned up before we learn to think
what grand thing God did for US when He
gave Us healthy use OF our limbs We are
so stupid that nothing but the misfortunes
o! others can rouse ~ up to our blessings.
As the OK Grnzes in the pasture ND to its
eye in clover, yet never thinking who
makes the clover, and as the bird picks up
the worm from the fu--ow. not knowing
that it is God who makes everything from
the aaimalcu!e in the sod to the seraph on
the throne. SO We 60 on eating, drinking
and cnjoying. but never thanking, or sci.
dom thanking. or, il thanking at all, with
only half heart.
! compared our Indifference to the brute,
but pc 'hsps wronged the brute. do not
know but that. among its other instincts,
it may have an instinct by WHICH it recog-
nizes the divine hard that feeds it. I do
not know but that God is. through it.
holding communication with what We call
irrational creation The cow that stands
under the willow by the watercourse chew
can tell how mitch a bird means by its
song? The aroma OF the flowers smells like
incense. and the mis-. arising from the river
looks like the smoke OF a morning sacrifice.
Oh. thai we were as responsive! Yet who
thanks God for the water that gushes up
in the well. and that foams in the cascade,
and that laughs over the rocks, and that
pat:ers in the showers. ard that claps its
hands in the sea? Who thanks God for
the air the fountain OF lie. the bridge of
sInbeams. the path OF sound. the great fan
on 4 hot summers day? Who thanks God
for this wonderful physical organism. this
sweeD OF the vision. this chime of harmony
stracl: into the ear. this soft tread of
myriad delights over the nervous tissue.
this rolling OF tine crimson tide through ar.
terry and vein. this drumming al the heart
on our march to Immortality? We take all
these things as matter of course.
But suppose God should withdraw these
common blessings! Your body would be-
come al inqu;sition of torture. the cloud
would refuse rain. every greea thing would
cramp!e up. and the earth would crack
open under Your feet. The air would cease
It's hea,thfrl circulation pestilence would
swoop. and every house would become a
place OF skulls. Streams would first swim
with verrlin and thea dry un. and thirst
i'iu munger aau anguish ana despair Woulu
hit their sceptres. Oh. compare such life
az that with the life you live with your
families! Is it not time that, with every
acton Of your life we began to acknor.l-
edge these everyday msrces? Whether
We Cat or drink or whatsoevc We do. do all
20 the glory OF God" Do I address nan
or woman who has not rendered to God
one single Offering OF thanks?
was preaching one Thanksgiving Day
and announced my t.xt-"Oh. give thanks
unto the Lo.d. for He is good. for His mcr-