The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1905-04-12

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was a tedious night of peril and gloom
which laid upon Paul and his ship
mates, but they held out and waited
for the day. Patience is that staying
power in the will which Paul in his
epistle calls longmindedness. 1t is the
power to endure a continued strain
without f~inching; it is the staying
power that wins the prize. Mark how
much Of the Old Testament makes OF
waiting patiently upon God. In the
New Testament the word often is en-
dures. and l would say TO all those
dear young friends, who have lately
been united with this church. that the
start is not sufficient, "he that endur-
eth shall be saved"
This patient waiting is opposed to
every anxiety and the worry that fritz
tiers away strength and produces no
result. I will give you three simple
rules to put into practice. First, take
short views; never cross a bridge until
you come to it; never fight the battle
until the evening is in sight. Second,
discharge the duty that comes next to
your hands; take the step that God
points out Immediately before you. II
in ascending a mountain you look up
you may grow weary, and if you look
down you may grow dizzy. One step
at a time is the secret of the successful
climb, and there is noone with strength
enough to bear to-day's duties with
the worries and interests of tomorrow
piled on top of them. Third, never
Weld to the demon of Encouragement
You parents have need Of patience with
your children to encourage everything
that is good, to bear with perverseness
until you can correct it, instead of only
increasing it by irritation. why do
you tell that boy twenty times?" said
the father of John Wesley to his broth
er. Because" replied the wise man.
nineteen times go for naught and l
shall not gain my point without the
twentieth" Wise Susanna Wesley
trained the founder Of Methodism.
Gods delays are sometimes a test Of
faith. Look at that Syrophoenician
woman plucking the garment OF Christ.
She persists, and clings to Him, until
He says: "Oh, woman! great is thy
faith" etc. During the first charge Of
my ministry l grew so discouraged
that I was about to give up when my
Master headed me off with one Of the
most powerful revivals. I have known.
The darkest hour was just before the
dawn. Here in Brooklyn today. Gods
voice to the churches evidently is to
do their utmost work, to pour forth
the most fervent prayer, to engage in
the most personal effort and trust to
Him for the blessing. The best enter
prises in this world have had their Pc
Rod. Of Encouragement, when pa
thence was the vital grace that won the
day. That glorious old missionary,
Judson, worked for five years in Bur-
NAH without a convert. Then the cloud
burst and the great and permanent
Burmah mission resulted. The lesson
to-day, beloved members Of this
church, is: stand by the pastor, assist
him in every movement, echo his every
exhortation and, with united pastor
and people, let US move on to spiritual
harvestings and victory.
The fourth anchor is that beautiful
word, hope. That is not the possession
Of good things; it is rather the conf
dent expectation of good things that
are assuredly in store for US. I'VE are
saved by hope" In our spiritual life
hope is vitality important. I thank God
that throughout my life He has en-
abled me to be ain inveterate hopper.
The word, however. in the New Testa-
ment has sometimes a peculiar mean
ing in describing the Christian. The
apostle, in speaking Of the hope Of SAL
walton, calls it IAN anchor sure and
steadfast holding to that within the
vale" Let me ask each n of you
this morning, Where is your hope? On
what are you resting for this world and
the next? Is your hope an anchor
fastened to the Lord Jesus, or is it only
a mere cable attached to sand? That
great Christian, Harmon Page. who
made it a rule never to be with any
one ten minutes without saying some
thing good. He went into his Sunday
school with a note book in hand and
asked each one, Have you a hope OF
salvation?' Most Of them gave him
an affirmative answer. He came to one
man, a stranger, in the adult Bible
class, who shook his head and said,
Il have none" Sagacious Mr.. Page,
instead of rebuking him, in a very pa
luSllC lOAe Sdlt, 1uch 1 WILL put Sou
down as having no hope" The gen.
tleman could not sleep that night. He
said, page has m down in his book
as a hopeless man." and he laid hold
of Christ and made his decision for the
Master, and the next time he met the
superintendent he said, THANK God
for your plain, loving talk with me, for
I have a hope now like an anchor" I
cite the case of that philanthropist
who came to New York as q humble
carpenter, and who wrought such a
work that over 100 souls were con-
verified under him. Brother believers,
let the storms of earth howl as loudly
as they will, if we have committed
everything to Jesus all should be well,
for so it came to pass that when the
daylight broke the tempest-tossed mar
liners on the shores of Melita come
safe to land.
. So it will be with US, through the
nights darkness, through perilous voy-
ages we shall each have our souls fast
anchored to the universalizing Saviour,
whom alone we can trust for salvation.
My last, loving counsel to every n
of you before me, whom I am rejoiced
to address once more from this dear
old pulpit, is, make fast your anchors
to the Lord Jesus Christ if at last you
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