The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1903-04-30


Z.e us with an infinite panorama oil WHIT,
ing suns. evolving planets and Astronomical
wonders, but without the sciI-consGious
| soul life is nothing, 4 series of scpuic.!crs,
earth, ashes, dust There Is nothing IN
prospect to comfort the sorcowing hsart.
! Stlll another substitute Is ABSORPTION
into the race Immortality o; fame. The
great man, it is said, will survive in the
memory OF his fellows. Beautiful books,
, useful inventions ard in"truci'yc c::amp.e'
] -tLtsa will insure til, p,audits OF r25:cr-
ity. Napoleon is said 10 have remarked:
My soul will pass into hstory and the
dcathless memories OF mankind. and thus
in CORY shall be immortal The o5jec-
tion to this theory is that 1t makes lmmoi-
talty the privilege Of the few. The |AieI-
anders, the Caesars, the Augastines, the
Washingtons, the geniuses, are all happy
provided for, but what of the many Who
have written no beautiful books, who have
performed no heroic deeds, who have left
no inspiring examples: Are they - be
blotted out. punished for not having vi hat
| was never given them. fo- not having what
they could not possibly get: Is immor-
taiity thus reward only for the dist!rt-
| guished, the gifted Jew! No, it is false
| theory. 1t is pathetic and surprising that
men OF parts Should have stopped TO con-
| sole and hatter themselves in this fashion.
Fame alone, be it as great as that OF PERI
| clcs OF Luther, is not by itself q sufficient
and satisfying return Tor the labor its WIZ
| ming entails it certainly Is not pay enough
| for mans extinction. Fame is something
| left behind anyway. and those OF us who
| have no fame are like the drop OF water
that dries up after it has fallen. This sdo.
stitute is pueri!e, wanting in dignity.
The desire for immortality Is too appar.:
| ent to be open to dispute. The savage and
- nd tl,.i
| profoundest thinker alike want it to be so.
| Even when some have lost hope they desire
| it fondly as ever. Even when man has
| lost all hope of living again he cannot rad
| himself of desire for it. That is ineradlca-
| bic. Now here is the sound and legitimate
| conclusion. A desire so universal and per-
sistent is the painting of the creative power
| responsible for our existence: 1t Is a man.
ifest prophecy Of what shall be-. The ex.
istencc OF an organ implies the existence OF
/ field for its operatlon-this Is an axiom
| of science. There would be no fins il there
were no water to swim in, no wings II
| there were no air to fly in, no feet II there
| were no earth to walk on. Now here is
another sound and legitimate conclusion
| what God promises He performs. His char.
acter is perfect. To hold any other
| idea of Him would be b.asphemous or pre-.
sumptuous. TO implant this desire and
provide no means for its qualification would
| be cruel deception. TO make this prom
ise and not carry it out would be breach
| OF trust as base as the squandering on sell
fish pleasure of the property the widow or
the orphan conGdes to an attorneys man.
agement God has not dealt so IN any
other case. He is the rcwarder OF those
who pat their trust in Him.
If a man die, shall he live again? As a
Christian l answer yes. Do you ask why:
Because he has right to do so. because
God is just. Righteous art Thou III all
| Thy way the psalmist sings. Some INCLINE
| to the view that as regards Gods dealings
with man, the latter can have no right,
that man is 10 the position OF besgar,
glad to receive anything, but without any
legitimate claim. He must call upon God,
not because OF any virtue in His character,
but because He is all powerful. He made
us, we are His creatures; therefore, he
may act toward us and do with US as de
pleases. We are duty bound to obey HIM.
! to be kindly disposed toward Him; but lie
is under no sort of obi CATION to deal gen.
erously or justly toward us. All such the
cries and interpretations are mlsrepresen,
tations of the divine character. actual
ISLANDERS upon Gods goodness. God Is
father. and no father is at liberty to neg
lect. i'll treat. degrade child simply be-
cause he is his own. Indeed, this very
| fact is the strongest sort OF reason that
he will do juss the reverse. We all rccog-
nize and respect the obligations of parent
blood To care for the chi!ds body. to
train its mind, to instili moral principle
into its nature is incumbent upon every
parent. Some deny themselves the high
| privilege for fear OF an inheritance OF
weakness or disease, and thereby making
| the life of loved one miserable. 1t Is the
veriest sophistry, It is cruel misrepresenta-
| ton. to nv mind it is unthinkab.e, that
imperfect man is ct kindlier nature toward
his child than the perfect God toward His,
that the finite is under compulsion to do
right, but the Infinite is not. On the con-
| trary, every rise in the scale OF being &C.
mands a corresponding rise in the scale
of obligation. The wiser, the greater, the
is expected to be. The greater his ability
to do, the more ie ought to do. This Is
the lesson Of the parable OF the ta.cnts.
| TO one five, to another two, to another
one, to every man according to his several
abilities. In proportion to the giis so
ought the return to be. He who has little
of him little is demanded. He who has
| much OF him much Is required. Inns Is
an immutable law of universal application.
We are not mere objects-stoncs, sticks,
shclls-but animate, intelligent beings, INTO
| whom GOQ DreatNeS ana DuliuS soHietHtHS
| that identifies us with Him and His nature
| The difference between God and man Is
more in degree than in kind. The two are
of the same spiritual essence. There are
| faculties the two have i'll common: Reason,
conscience. Will are specifications in point.
Man is endowed with them and the constl-
tuition and course OF nature reveal their cN-
istence in the workings of God. BY rescu-
blance of attribute and identity O.; life we
arc proven Gods children. And will God
kill His own children, kill us before We
have fully realized what the life He, has
given is? We long for happiness and yet
we get comparatively little of i; here. We
cherish an ideal of perfection and yet we
| never attain it on Garth. We are bat be,
ginning to understand what a grand and
noble thing life NAV be when we have to
lie down and die We are just on the point
of reaching the rewards for which we have
waited and toiied when the end comes: and
if we are ever to enjoy them it must be in
another world. Now is God in all this and
all the while dcceving us? When we de-
sire the bread of everlasting life will He
give us the stone of everlasting death? AZ
ter we have prayed to Him, trusted in
Him, lifted up our hearts to Him, tried
His works to do. loved Him and longed to
be with Him during our residence on earth