The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1904-12-07
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE ENTITLED.
"sLEEP AS GODS GIFT"
The Rev.. T. A. Nelson, ID. D., Delivers a
Stirring Address on the Subject.
"s1eeplessness,'" With an Appropriate
Text of Comprehensive Meaning.

on the subject. "Sleeplessness." He TOOK
for his text, Daniel ii, part of first verse.
"His spirit was troubled and sleep went
from him." and said:
That line of the poet Young, "Sleep, ma
lures sweet restorer,a like every other true
light on him who first invented Sleep,
says Sancho Panza, in Don Quixote." and
Coleridee eyclaims. in the "Ancient Mari
ner,' 20, sleep, it is a gentle thing" Ten
nyson speaks of "the mystery of golden
sleep" and what a mystery indeed 1t IS. 1t
is the most interesting and the most per,
picking of all physical and metaphysical
mysteries. The mother bends. lovingly
over her infant in the cradle and wonders
what it means-this harmless, painless,
lapsing of all life into unbroken tranquil
so busy most of the time, how beautiful
and still they are now. Those limbs COM
posed in attitudes Of such unconscious
grace, lying on the pillow: how hard it
generally is to keep them in order during
!rakeful hours. And. how. unspeakably SOL
emn it is to think how far the child is now
beyond our reach, Who is it, when the
face of the mother fades from the vision,
that takes its soul in charge?
But when a mar sleeps the spectacle is
more suggestive. Think of Caesar on his
couch, his ~vigilant eyes closed. his voice 81
lent. his brain unworEing and still. Think
of Alexander in the night, looking as he
finally looked in the coffin, dead. Imagine
how David felt when he saw Saul entering
the cave. Think of Cicero fast asleep. Think
of the sleeping Christ lying asleep in the
midst Of the tempest, as if He were resting
in the heart of God. When Christ turns
away from us with closed eyes there is al
ways afforded opportunity for the storm.
We are only at peace while He is wakefuliy
with us. While He sleeps not only is the
light withdrawn. but the darkness is felt to
the utmost; lfe's ship is tossed with the
storm and we are threatened with mortal
danger. A sleeper Christ will do me no
good. A painted Christ will not be of the
vaguest service in my life. A wooden cru
cifiX or ivory cross will not help me. 1t
must be a wakeful Christ with every en-
ment; an actual. positive, real and per
sonal Christ. We are Knocked by His
figure: we are saved by His personality.
It is Christ. mot in the temporary paralysis
of unconscious sleep, but Christ alert in
watchful omnipotence that l need. Unless
we nightly sink into sleep we are not pre-
pared to live, and anything over which we
have control which prevents out sleeping
in proportion to our need should be es-
teemed guilt before God. Since the strength
of our life belongs to Him We are not at
liberty to waste it. Nevertheless, in our
day We live in such fashion that, like the
eastern monarch, our spirits are troubled
and our sleep departs.
. This has come about sometimes from the
haste to get rich. People rise early and sit
and when the jading day is done at last
and they lay their heads upon their pill
lows, sleep may fly from. them and they
may seek it in vain. Now this is not a
light matter. There are few things more
dispiriting and truly eXhausting than the
loss of natural sleep; to count hour after
hour in feverish wakefulness, seeking for
getfulness, which'will not come.
Now what is the root of all this dis
tress? The physician will doubtless dag
nose it as owing to unhealthy excitement
of brain and undue sensitiveness of the
nervous system. But in its last analysis
YOU will find as a general rule the great
cause OF this weary 'wakefulness, anxiety
and misery is simply want of faith in God.
1t is because we are not able, as We ought
to trust ourselves and all that concerns US
to a sure providence. and many of YOU
know that it is mental anxiety that breaks
u rest. 1t is because you are trying to
bear the burden and build the house your
selves, to keep the city yourselves, that
you have the anxious hours. It is because
you will plan too far ahead instead Of let
ting each day bear its own burden; be-
cause you will ask what is to become of
you and your children if such and such IN
event takes place; because you will take
the future into your own hands instead Of
leaving it to Jesus.
But why should we not have faith in
God? If we had, many of us, would not
we sleep? II, once for all, You have in
trusted your soul to His keeping You are
sure that all things will go well; that moth
ing can 60 amiss; that God will keep you,
angels will guide your footsteps and the
Holy Spirit will dwell within you from
down upon your pillow and rise again, with
the morning light, refreshed.
After trying to explain away our weary
hours Of sleeplessness on the basis of ply
steal infrmity. we have to confess that the
real source is found in. the things that prey
on our minds by day and break our rest at
night. and mixed with those anxious
thoughts there are the thoughts that will
intrude themselves of a more serious char
aeter. In the still, wakeful hours, even
the most needless one is forced occasionally
to think of Him before whom we must
surely appear and give account Of our
sSiNcS. IL 10 lIlpOsSlDIe, tuSI, QulLe " sup
press a question as to where the soul will
be when the body shall be down in it's lit
tie bed, when all earthly things have faded
from us. But if You can truly trust that it
is we'll with YOU, that amid your deep I'M
worthiness you are simply believing on
Your Saviour and are striving to grow like
Him; that your task is appointed you of
God, however humble your sphere, it is
large enough to achieve character; if YOU
can always feel that Christ is near and
ready to help: that you and those near to
you are provided for by Him and that you
shall never want; if you have once for all
learned whether awake or asleep that YOU
are the Lords and that you shall live to.
gether with Him, then surely You may sink
into untroubled rest and sleep a refreshing
and peaceful sleep.
But let me come closer still to the exper-
fence of some perhaps among protesting
Christians. You know that healthful sleep
is our most peaceful state. You see human
nature in that state in which it is most
thoroughly free from all annoyance and
trouble, and that is a symbol of the prov
ince. Thou wilt keep him in perfect
peace whose mind is stayed on Thee"
That is a wonderful promise, but there is
no blinking the fact that comparatively
few even among those who claim to be
true followers, ever experience it in its full
ness. As a rule it is far from being per-
feet. One of the ancient schoolmen wrote
in summing up the chief characteristics of
life: II entered this world in loneliness; I
have lived in anxiety; 1 shall leave it in
fear" That about expresses the situation
of many of You. Look at the faces on the
street. Almost every one is careworn and
anxious. There is no doubt that care sits
heavily on mankind. What is wrong?
Simply this: That while God has promised
ceived by faith. 1t goes without saying
that the amount of peace and quiet we
sLall experience will be in proportion to