The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1903-08-26

we see IL, When we near ~, eno US 1o
that love seeks with total selfforgettu!-
ness the happiness of the object loved,
and so long as we know what it does ana
how it behaves itself in the social fabrle,
We ought to be quite content. And l want
you to notice at this point wherein love
is superior to the most eloquent speech.
Eloquent speech may mean self SdVertlse'
ment. Love always means self effacem1enI.
THE gift in question:" says the 6riiIahs iIah I
Drummondi, in his book =; entitled i d ,,b;6s line
/ commend to you to read, was once
splendid and dazzling. 1t was q brilliant
faculty drawing all eyes to the, speaker
and all ears to his voice" 1t is the gltt OF
eloquence by which a man .sWays the
mind and thrills the hearts of his hearers
Now you can see how man without love
possessing such power, gives to mmsen
advertisement, and the fact is that some
of the most brilliant orators of fame, and
among them occupants of pulpits, are SO
fond of themselves and glory so much IN
elements that go to make up manly Chris
tian character. And I want to say to
you that the man possessing that eloquence
is in constant danger. The attraction
which he has for the people always tends
to centre his mind upon himself; and oy
and by he gets to be greater if he is NOT
aware, than the Master Himself whom ne
processes to serve and represent.
Love, on the other hand. is self-eface-
ment. Love goes forth in benefcent min
istry, alleviating the wounds of broken
lives all around. In perfect harmony
with this thought is the teaching Of the
Master Himself. You, remember. that
marvellous sermon in the mountain. IN
Oh He oouc. HEuap 1pt voI1r l1Qlt
shine before men that they shall see your
good works and may glorify your Father
in heaven" The word $50" is to be en-
phasized as indicating. the manner OF the
shining. Light may be held so close to
the eyes as to dazzle the eyes; light may
be held SO close before the eyes of the
world as to dazzle the eyes of the world.
You are not to see the shining one. but
you are to see the fruits, the results OF the
shining. This is the way with the old
sun itself. You look out upon the lawns
in the parks and the country side, and !
have never seen the parks more beautiful
arrival in this city few days. ago. You
look out upon the grass and the growing
grains and the vegetation and the flowers
and you feast your eyes on the beauty and
the wealth Of the earth's surface; and you
begin to say, whence came all this; who is
the worker. who produced all tbia;. and
you undertake to look up at the sum shln-
ing yonder in the zenith Of the heavens;;
And the old sup, for your termerity, VIII
dart his red hot fire into your eyes ana ana
will leave mark upon you that you: VIII
not forget for many a day. Do not look
at me; look at the grass; look at the grow
ing grain; look at the treese.look at the
work, not at the worker. Sc. with God
himself. No man has seen God at any
time; we see Him only in Jesus Christ.
A woman over here in New York City,
some years ago, came to the City Mlsslo4
Society and sought the secretary. Il
would like to do something for God: am
not eloquent in speech, but l think l
could distribute tracts among the. poor
and needy. Give me suitable supply and
I will render this service to my Lord.
She was supplied abundantly:. On going
down the street she saw policeman tax
ing a poor woman to the station; she
went to the station house and there
learned the facts in the woman's case and
when the woman was to be discharged.
When she came out she was met by this
good woman, who threw her arms around
her neck and kissed her; and the woman
said: MY God! Why did you do that!
No one has kissed me since my mother
died; why did you do that| And the
humble Christian woman said: Il do not
know, unless it was Jesus sent. me to do
let me say that that life was redeemed by
the kiss of that Christian woman, whose
heart was full of love for her kind. This
is the kind mean. No eloquent preach.
ing from the most brilliant preacher that
you have ever had in the city could have
reached that life as did that kiss. That
reminded her of her departed mother. a
poor young girl was dying in the city OF
Paris and on seeing Christian woman
who was O stranger to her, said to her:
"You know hate you Christians. You
have nothing to give but good advice.
You build fine institutions for US when we
have fallen, but you do nothing for us
to keep us from being thrown into the
oath Of temptation" And no one but
that good woman, acting with Miss Hunt
in her bene6cent work in the gay city OF
Paris, understood the dying energy with
which she uttered those words. BY and
by this woman won her into the kingdom
Of God, and just before she died said to
the Christian woman, who represented Tor
the first time Christianity unto her: Let
me die on something that is yours. Won't
you let me put my head on your pillow:
I would like to die with my head on such
pillow as your pure head has rested on" 1t
was granted. That is what mean. That 1s
the ministry that is open to love. Over
yonder in the city Of Detroit, reporter
called a little bootblack in the street to
polish his boots. The little fellow came,
but as he got out his brush and was
about to begin a big, brusk fellow came
along and said: you go away, Jimmy;
you 20 away. I will do this" And the
reporter became indignant and said:
"What do you mean by this?" 20, that
is all right, boss. Do you know that Jln-
my has been sick in the hospital for moro
than a month and he is not very ctroag
and we boys when we are not doing any
Jimmy" "Yes, that's right" And so
boy was plying his brush and his cloth,
and while he was so doing the reporter
Piled him with questions: What per cent;
of what You earn do you give to Jimmy"
"Eh?" What per cent. Of what you, earn
what YOU m mean" "How much of the
money that you receive do you keep and
how much do you give to JimmyT DO
you think am a sneak? I give all of it
to him, and SO do all the boys; we don't
keep any of it." SO when he finished the
reporter said: "You are a,pretty good fel.
low; here is a quarter, and you keep ten
cents and give fifteen, cents to Jimmy"
"No. YOU don't" and he gave the quarter
to Jimmy. That was diviner, that was
nobler far than the grandest eloquence
that Brooklyn ever heard.
Now notice in the second place, and I
will make this point brief, the comparison
by which Paul sets forth the superiority
of love to eloquence. He says, If / speak
with the tongues Of men and angels, but
have not love, I am become as sounding
brass as Changing cymbal. The gift with
out the grace is 1ikened to the sounding
of brass, to the clashing of cymbals OF