The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1869-06-03

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osa tss Cssrss az Jfa:th / ask your patie1
a attention while present certain gres
I'll principles which tinderlie this Moral Cou
4 laee, and which Icing found not in cor
: necti0n with any other manifestation {
{ courage, proves its superiority to a
|, Others.
5 1. True courage recognizes Divin
a Providence as engaged on the side of III
' servants, and this element Is indispenss
!, bic to the existence of courage, and to II
4 permanence as a principle, and Its Powe
r as motive.
: This recognition cannot exist apar
, from faith 1t is declaration of God
: Word. This cannot be accepted withou
) faith. This the Christian Hero possesses
The Hero of the school of this world
II destitute of it. So he has no true couI
age, because he has no faith to which t
add it-no faith upon which to build it
no faith from whichit can come, as an out
! growth. / remark again:
II 2. That the Christian Hero has lively
: and constant apprehension and conviction
that the Omnipotent Spirit Is pledged "tt
helm his infir,nities y that he viii b,
strengthened with might by Godi
Spirit in the inner man" Weakness is &
{ part of our characteristics, common to the
{ race, and many are the sad records OF
disaster Detailing those who go on the
war-path of life in their own strength,
and depending upon their own resources.
But with the conviction that he Is under
the guidance and support of the Divine
Spirit, evermore abiding within him, it i;
/ impossible that he should fail in the exer-
else of Moral Courage. When we remem
Der, then, that this conviction is only
wrought in us by faith, we derive adj
ditional proof that faith is essential to
courage.
3. Consider next what are the enemies
which humanity most breads. They are
Death, Hell, and the World. You will
admit that if these were overcome, the
human heart would have nothing to fear,
and would fear nothing. Well, the great
cred scripture is that they have been con-
quered by the great Captain of our Saliva
ton, and that this victory with all its ben
| efts inures to the eternal advantage of all
| his faithful followers. True, He died,
and entered the grave, but in its dark
chambers He encountered Death, the
great monster who had ''gorged all human
race" and conquered Him, and, bursting
the bars of death and the grave, rose
triumphant, over all, and assembled up on
high, "where he ever liveth, at the right
hand of God, the Father" Nor can we
forget the gracious assurance He has. left
us, to comfort us under the tribulations
of our lot SIN the world We shall have
tribulation /; but be good cheer, | have
overcome the world" Remember, then,
that this fact gives nerve to our courage,
and the enjoyment of its benefits Is only
to be secured by faith in the declarations
of the word of God, and see here then
additional evidence that faith In Christ is
essential to the reality and permanent
power of true Moral Courage. Yet,
again:
4. Other assurances come in from God
well calculated to confirm our courage.
For while the pledge of the Trinity thus
engaged on the side of the Christian might
be so conceived by the short-sightedness
of man, as not to extend to all occasions,
and as to be afforded in small measure,
this feeble, and dishonoring view of God
is guarded against by the gracious assur-
ance that ''as our day is so shall our
strength be-" and that there cannot be
conceivable set of circumstances so dire
fully distressing-sO extremely fOrmida-
bic, for which we shall not find our re-
sources abundantly sufficient. fla world
ly Hero had such an assurance it would
perfect his courage; but he has no such
assurance, because he has no faith in God;
so that Faith, we see again, is essential to
the existence and successful working of
Courage. And still
s. Another princip pie comes into view
which has a wonderful tendency to
strengthen courage, and this can only be
fully apprehended, and appropriated by
faith. 1t is, that the fearful and waver-
ing, who shrink back have far greater
evils to fear, and to meet, than the true
Christian Hero has to endure, even amid
his direst calamities. Human nature
would not embrace this as a truth for
taking counsel of its fears in view of
danger, its impulse would be to believe
that security lies in retreat. Nor can it
be admitted into the heart, that it is
safer to go forward, until, under the
Divine power of a living faith, itremem-
bers the declaration that there is per-
dition that awaits the man that draweth
back. The faith that works a conviction
of this truth, we may see, then, is essential
to true Moral Courage.
6. Perhaps no consideration connected
with this subject so powerfully invigorates
the courage of the Christian Hero, as the
assurance-the absolute certainty-ofs sue
cess. When we go forth to the prosecu-
ton of any earthly object, the accomplish
ment of which is to us of very great
moment, there is one element which en-
tiers into the calculation tending to
our courage, and that is the
utter uncertainty that characterizes all
human affairs. We may be willing to put
forth every effort, and devote ourselves to
the pursuit with every energy; we may
employ all the sagacity of a most powerful
intellect to weigh the probabilities Of sue
cess and vet when we shall have per-
suaded ourselves almost to believe that
the issue must be favorable, after all, we
cannot but confess that darkness, clouds, |
and shadows" rest upon the end of our ex-
ertions. We cannot say that we are at all
certain of anything in the future results
of any enterprise. This uncertainty is |
the fatal element of weakness; these |
doubts are the painful truths that mar the
confidence, and dash the courage of men.
Now let us bring into view the operation |
of Christian Courage-Moral Heroism,
in its two-fold aspect L. As regards the |
present world. e As regards the life to |
come. Many of you doubtless can readily
understand how it is that there is an ad-
vantage in the strengthening of our Cour- I
lge, by the certainty that attends the
Christian life, in connection 1cih the eter-
mtg TO tuhich has hopes are directed. But |
you may confess that it is not altogether