The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1902-05-14
A Little Sermon.

Daily in a large city. museum . little
creature was exhibited, in years a woman.
but in stature not so large as healthy
baby. Her picture was sold in which sht
appeared sitting on the hand of a giant
OF q Snowman, the contrast making hei
appear like a doll. Her eyes were wistfu
and her pinched features drawn in .
pitiful expression. Unhappiness, dissatis
faction sat upon her face. Her hands wert
dwarf! What was her life but showi
All the grandeur OF woman's existence
her youth, her joy, her love, shut away
from her forever. Her body had never
grown to its full stature and her strength
was not equal to the tasks of the great
work in the world. Of what use was she
but to be showman's puppet!
How like was she to many Christian
lives, puny helpless things, with but .
name to live. The only use they have foi
religion is to exhibit it, and alas, they are
not even curiosities like the tiny dwarfs
of the museum! They are all about u.s.;
not numbered among them. The spiritual
growth is even easier to stunt in the be.
ginning than is the physical, and the fact
that it is SO common a thing makes il
seem no calamity. A lack of physical de-
velopment is looked upon as cause oi
grear sorrow, but lack of spiritual de.
velopment passes unnoticed. Indeed, to-
day the man who has grown in grace To-
ward his full measure Of the stature Of
Jesus is looked upon as the curiosity, Q
sort of spiritual giant not to be ranked
with other men at all.
In a certain otherwise happy home, the
eldest son, young man OF twenty-five,
sits all day long shaking stick with o
rag tied about it. This Is his sole amuse
ment and employment in the world. He
is an imbecile and nobody ever expects
anything else from him. There are many
in the church who are metaphorically
going about shaking sticks with rags on
them. They are gwen some little thing
to do TO keep them contented and no one
ever expects any other church work OF
them. They never have grown enough
since they united with the church to be
able to do anything else. They stopped
shor: with the act Of accepting Christ ;
strength 10 not great enough for even the
simplest service Christ asks of those who
have named His name. They are full
grown men, able to 60 out into the world
Of business and make q success in life,
but in the church sitting dumb when there
Is need for some one to pray or lead o
meeting, utterly incapable Of pointing the
way to Christ because they know Him
90 little themselves.
There are a few essentials of physical
life which we dare not ignore and hope
to live. It is exactly so in the Christian
life. We cannot grow in grace without
life is breath. We must have air to
breathe or death comes instantly.
Prayer is the Christians vital breath,
The Christians native air:
Without it how can we live? Physi.
clans say that the cause of many phys.
ical ills is that we do not breathe deep
enough. The brain worker is sometimes
SO absorbed in his work that he barely
draws in enough oxygen to keep his heart
going, but not enough to expand his lungs
fully and give the poison in the blood a
chance to be expelled by the outgoing
breath. With how very little prayer
some Of US manage to ge. along! IT,.
Bible is the food OF the Christian, and
many Christians exist on one meal week
on Sunday and that not hearty one
either. Who has not watched q thoroughly
normal baby eager for its food, casting
aside playthings, pushing away everyone,
caring not for gold or glittering treasures.
it may get its food!
It Is that way we are to read our Bible.
"As newborn babes DESIRE" mark that
word desire-"the sincere milk of the
word" Everything else is as nothing to
the Bible. Who of US feels that way?
How many Christians are almost unwilling
to pledge themselves TO read the Bible
every day because of the time it takes ?
What baby feels SO about its daily meals!
And yet that is the condition Of growing
in grace.
There are other essentials, too. Exer.
else for instance. Christian work is the
daily exercise We are to take.
But the most glorious part OF it all
comes in our last selection of Scripture.
There is coming time when all ministry
of the gospel shall be unnecessary, when
we shall have grown to place where we
do not need teaching and preaching, when
we have attained, all Of US, "the measure
OF the stature Of the fulness of Christ"
And it becomes US to take heed to the
warnings, and to put aside all hindrance
and apply our hearts to growth, for some
OF us have great way to grow before we
shall attain.-Grace L. Hill, in the New
York Nail and Express.