The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1907-01-23
MY UTAH TRIP.
While Waiting at Amarillo went 10
Service In the Cumbe rland Pres.
byterian Church.

Service In the Cumberland Pres.
byterian Church. ...,
By missing the connection with the trains
at Amarillo, towu In the Panhandle oil
Texas, I spent the day In that town. con
cluded TO 60 to churcn. At the right time
walked down the street leading from the
hotel. I had net gone far before noticed a
man and woman ahead OF me. supposing
that they were going to church. fol.
lowed long way of. They turned at right
angles, and saw church in the distance
turned in and the church people. Cumber
land Presbyterians gsve me Q most hearty
welcome at the front steps, and 10 the vssti.
bule others greeted me N st cordially. Be.
Ing shown to q seat waited for develop
ments. A handsome young woman came In
and occupied the seat just In front OF me
She reminded me Of Mrs. w. T. Bradley, o
this city. When not otherwise engaged,
spent my time admiring her. She and heI
oompanion who sat on her left, laughed at
the right time. 1T
Before service commenced the church was
nearly filed with we'll dressed, good lookips
worshippers.
Behind the preacher the choir sat, and be.
| NAV tho cuolE btOOu plp0 organ.
may not be able to give an exact program
OF the entire service, but it was something
like this: - ... q. -.
l. Singing and organ music.
2. The Lords prayer; In which preacher
and people Joined. ..'
8. The reading of the Psaltsr, the people
reading responses. -
| 4. The reading OF the Scriptures by the
preacher.
5. Singing. ..a .slt s
| 9. Prayer In which the preacher led his
congregation to the foot OF the cross as hum.
BILE snpplients for divine favor. ~
z. Further worship which would be con.
tinued by voluntary contributions Of money.
8. Blessing the contributions and asking
divine guidance in Its proper expenditure
9. The sermon. ....
10. Singing. .... ..,....
II. Prayer. .. ... .. r-
IL. Blessing or benedietion upon % ali.
"Produce your cause, saith the Lord; bring
forth your strong reasons, saith the King OF
Jacob" -.....
The preacher took these words as bis text
hCoo WoEuo h0 Pob Ill W tbo ioAA4 "a = NV
tion TO those Of US who for any reason re
| main out Of the church, or ont Of the com.
munion of the Lord. He quoted many
reasons which he had heard expressed, but he
drove the question home. ana pressed delin-.
quents TO "produce their cause" They should
answer as those who obey their conscience.
He knew OF no good reason for remaining
sloof from the church. No obligation or re.
! sponsibility was avoided by not assuming the
obli cations incurred when aiigning ones sell
with church people.
The church needed the friendly co-opera-
Hon OF all, and there were none who did not
need the sustaining influence Of tho church.
There'were times when all men were weak
and there were times when even the strong
at Of men needed TO have their hands held
up. All needed the strengthing influence
OF the church;
The preacher contended that he who ruled
himstlf waststropger and greater than he who
might sit on the greatest earthly throne
Man is the greatest Of all created things. he
lsgreater than the depths or the heights OF
saa or land. he had faculties or powers that
are unk aown TO everything else than man.
Hef is greater than the mountains. The
mou ntains might fall on man and they would
never know IL, but the man would know it.
[Just here thought if some OF the Rockies
fell on him he would know 1t but mighty
| short time,J ~.
There were perhaps some ve hundred diff.
fereut churches or religious Organizations
Rnd those who are standing aloof were in
Wit ed TO produce their cause, to "bring forth
their strong reasons" why they had not Joined
one OF them. While there were slight differ
ences among the churches In the non.essen'
tisls, yet there was In all the churches unity
In the essentials. The important principles
and the vital duties were taught by all OF the
oh urches. Piled one upoh another. they were
as one, except on the outer edge, where trifies
or unimportsnt things made the distinction.
Cut ell these of the outer edges and all the
churshes we're as one.
The preacher referred to the story OF tho
shepherd who allowed ono OF bis sheep TO
stray of from the fold. he didn't know
| whether the shepherd had been derelict In
watching bis herd, but 1t is certain that when
be discoveped the absence Of one, he went Oh
and hunted 1t until he found 1t. And when
he. had found 1t he put 1t on his shoul'
der, aud brought 1t back. In like manner
the Good Shepherd would bring his lost sheep
back to the fold, even II he had to 60 down to
hades for him.
The reading OF the Scripture was OF great
importance TO the man who sought to do
right to his fellow man and to render an 40
oeptable service to tha Father OF as all. The
Bible In its entirely dealt with the spiritual
and the temporal welfare OF man. Man has
dual nature-the spiritual and the physi
cal. The two natures were 80 blended that
they were at constant warfare with eaoh
other-and each strived for the mastery. It was
fearful to contemplate the possibility OF the
brutal nature dominating the spiritual ma.
ture.
| The church helped to strengthen the
spiritual nature in Its hgnt against the phys
ioal nature. Then those who refuse this help
of the church, or its encouragement, should
"produce their cause" and "brlng their strong
reasons" Duty to themselves, duty to their
fellow -man, and duty to the Father OF us all,
demanded that we unite with the church.
| There were great many churches, and the
preacher Thought 1t we'll that there were
different organizations. He would not like
to see all the churches united, for ho IL not
ready to admit that any one man was right,
and all the others were wrong. He would
not want The power OF 30 deciding. and he
was unwilling to yield the right TO others.
The preacher thought that too many weak.
lings entered the pulpit, without the strength
aud the courage to speak out for the right,
instead OF directing all their time to the
avoidance OF error or mistakes. Such men
were corpses And you know no corpse ever
made mistake.
| The preacher want ted men In the pulpit who
would do things, even II they sometimes
L xraald q fhinua