The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-05-12
TH3lPULPIT.
A BRILLIANT SUNDAY SERMON BY
REV. w. r. BEST.
Theme: Well Doing.

lSAt. IL IQOu QOeSl We'll, oAoiI
thou not be accepted? and If thou
doest not well, sin lieth at the door"
Gen, AT.
The farmer and the shephed both
brought an offering unto the Lord.
We look at Gains offering and we
say, the Lord will certainly bless
Cain. What a costly offering he is
presenting and how much hard work
it must have taken to get it ready.
Early and late has he worked through
the long summer days. In the sweat
of his face he has plowed, and har-
rowed, and sown, and cultivated, and
now Providence has blessed him with
a bountiful harvest. Look at the
choice vegetables and the delicious
fruits that 60 to make up his OFFER
ing. Surely the blessing is his.
Abel selected a lamb from his flock
without spot or blemish; he cuts its
throat; see the blood gush out! How
cruel! God will certainly reject Abel.
But God had respect unto Abel and
his offering, but unto Cain and his
Offering he had not respect; Why?
Had he not worked hard and faith
fully? Hadn't he acknowledged di-
vine Providence? Yes, all this is
true, but his heart was not right. His
Offering was one of self-righteousness
and good works. Abel came in Gods
way, not by works, not by self-right-
eousness, but by the blood. without
the shedding of blood there is no re-
mission of SIM" for lit is the blood
that maketh an atonement for the
SOUL" God taught u first parents
this great lesson when He slew the
animals to get coats of skin to clothe
them. Abel had faith in God, and
coming in Gods way, he believed
God would receive him, so God testi-
fed to his gifts that he was right
eous.
When Cain saw that Abel was &C.
cepted he was wroth, and his coun-
tenance fell. And the Lord said
unto Cain, Why art thou wroth; and
why is thy countenance fallen? If
thou doest well, shalt thou not be
accepted? and if thou doest not well,
sin lieth at the door," What a warn
ing this! AS if the Lord had said.
Gain I am no respector of persons;
If you do right / will bless you just as
willingly as ! did Abel; but If you
don't do right, why, then, sin like a
wild beast Of prey is crouched at
your hearts door, and is only wait
ing for a good opportunity to leap
upon you" Instead of needing Gods
warning, Cain watched for an oppor-
tunity, and as 500 as it presented
itself, he rose up against his brother
and slew him. And wherefore slew
he him, because his own works were
evil and his brothers righteous"
Here are two young men both en-
gagged in good occupations and with
equal privileges. One made a sue
cess Of life, the other a failure. Up
to. the time of text, if we look at
Cain from the standpoint Of this
world, we would say he had done
we'll; but it was he that did it. Gods
word says, "by the works Of the law
shall no flesh be justified" SALIVA
ton is not of works, lest any man
should boast" Cain lived long
enough to make a mark in the world;
but instead of making a mark in the
world, God had to put a mark on
him lest the world should kill him.
Even to this day he is despised as the
first murderer. Abel's life "a short
compared with that Of Cain, yet it
was long enough to be successful;
and he Is honored more to-day than
ever before. Jesus Christ said,
BLESSED are the meek; blessed are
the pure in heart; blessed are, blessed
are" Here we are distinctly told that
it is not what a nan has, not yet
what he does, that obtains for him
Gods blessings; but what he is. SOL
ONION said. Keep thy heart with all
diligence for out Of it are the issues
Of life" Weil-doing is dependent on
well-being.
I. The first step in well-doing is
to give ones heart to God.
If a man does not do well in this
respect what is the result? He may
have ever so good an opinion of him
self, all his ways may be clean in his
own eyes, he may think he is better
than anybody else; but God says his
heart is deceitful and desperately
wicked above all things, his throat is
an open sepulchre, the poison of asps
is under his lips, his mouth full of
cursing, his feet swift to shed inno-
cent blood. destruction and misery
are in his ways, no fear of God be-
fore his eyes. How can he escape the
damnation of hell?
What worse error Is there than to
suppose a man can do well with a
wrong heart? We make an awful
mistake if we suppose that religion is
simply for the church and Sunday
school. The farmer needs it to run
his farm. The merchant to run his
store. 1t Is needed by every individ-
ual that expects to make a success of
life.
But remember that when a mans
heart is right with God he is just in
a position to do we'll; the doing is
still before him. Salvation is in three
parts, an act, a work, a state. A man
repents of his sins, accepts Christ by
faith and salvation is to him an act
of Gods free grace whereby he is
saved. But how many there are that
suppose that this is all there is to
salvation. The fact that a man was
saved five years ago is no proof that
he is saved to-day, or that he will be
finally saved. From the day of a
mans conversion until the day of his
death salvation is a work and he
must work it out" OF be forever
cost. After death salvation is a state.
II. The second step in well-doing
is to take the Bible as ones guide.
1t is doubtful whether there would
be such a country in the world as the
United States of America, were it not
for the longings of Christopher Col
umbus to spread the knowledge of
this book. To it we owe the immor-
talization of the Mayfower and the
sublimity of Plymouth Rock. The
command rolled from bow to stern