The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1878-08-15
Our Young People
BY REV. R. H. RIVERS, D. D.
THE BATTLE OF LIFE.
A Sketch for Sunday-School Children

49, 9Sa - LIZ " Lat ~
A Sketch for Sunday-school Children
Children must not fight each 9th
er. God does not love such. Look
at that boy with a bloody nose and
black eye, and his finger almost
bitten in two. He is what you call
bully. He has had a fight with a
boy that used to be his best friend.
They had a quarrel about a game
of marbles; one called the other a
liar, then they fell to like two fierce
dogs, and tried almost to kill each
other. They both came off bloody
and bruised. With such boys YOU
would better not keep company.
You will get into difficulties. You
will always be in trouble. So al
ways keep out of the company of
fighting, quarrelsome boys. God Is
a God of love. Jesus is the Prince
of Peace. The disciple whom Je-
sus loved most of all wrote in his
old age, Little children, love one
another" And yet you must fight,
not with your fists, nor yet with
clubs or knives. Your weapons
must be spiritual; that is, in the
mind, in the heart, in the will.
Our Savior refers to this warfare
when He says, The kingdom of
heaven suffereth violence, and the
violent taketh it by force" He
does not mean that you are to force
open the doors Of the kingdom and
enter like a rudian or a robber
would enter your fathers house to
rob or murder. He means to say
that you are TO resist the devil when
he tempts you to do wrong. He
means to say that when you are in
suited and your blood gets hot, and
your mouth opens to say ugly
words, and your fists double to
strike, you are to shut up your
mouth and not say one wicked
word, and that you are to let your
hands hang down and not deal a
blow to the one that has made you
angry. That is doing violence to
your own bad temper. That is
fighting against your own angry
passions. The ancients had a beau
tiful fable which l will tell you be-
cause it will help you to understand
about this fight.
They said that there was a great
general named Ulysses, and that
after the close of war, which last
ed ten years, he started home across
the sea. He had command of the
ship, which had to sail along many
dangerous places. 1t had to pass
the island of the Sirens, which was
the most dangerous of all. The ST.
rens were beautiful women that
sung so sweetly as to entice sailors
to land upon their island, where
they were sure to die. Never had
mortals heard such sweet voices;
never had they listened to such
sweet music as those Sirens made.
It was so sweet as to make all who
heard it forget home and friends,
and to- fill them with the strongest
desire to land on the island They
forgot all the dangers. They for
got that of the thousands that land
ed there NOT one ever escaped.
They forgot everything but the mu-
sic; they thought that if they could
just land and listen to those sweet
voices they would be forever happy.
Ulysses knew all the dangers; he
knew that if his sailors should once
hear the music of the Sirens he
could never pass the island. He
was determined to pass. He was a
man every inch 6 him-a strong
man. He could say ';no and stick
to it. He could say 81 WILL" and
it was dong. He stopped the ears
of all the sailors with wax, So that
they could not hear Q sound. They
could not even hear the voice of
the captain. Then he had himself
tied fast to the mast Of the ship, so
that he could not lard on the island
even if he should wish to do SO.
This was violence to himself, was
it notY Soon they came near the
island. The music swept over the
waves. 1t fell on the ears of Ulvs-
SEES; it filed him with delight. 81
must land" said he. He was crazy.
The music charmed him and over
came him, so that he was not him |
self. He called to the sailors, but
their ears were stopped with wax,
and they heard not Word. He
tried to make signs, but his hands
and his feet were tied fast to the
mast of the ship, He could do no
hing. The music became sweeter,
and he tried hard to break his
chains, but he could not. They
Kept him fast. So the music died J
AWAY. The vessel moved swiftly
over the Vaters. The island was
passed. The sailors were safe.
Ulysses was unbound Ali were
Happy.
Now what does the fable mean?
t means that when the tempter
zones to charm we must stop our
airs. 1t means that we are to fast
n our passions to the mast of prin-
iple. Chain your passions, yes,
hahn them, my boys, and the ST
ems may sing and devils may tempt,
ut you are safe. Down with pas
ions, down with appetite. Fight j
lem, you young soldiers; figh.
lem, conquer them. If appetite
all you to eat what will make you !
ok, say no; l will not eat that. Ii
lead you 10 drink what will make
on drunk, do not touch a drop of !
This is fighting the good fight. Z
you are tempted to tell a lie, n
ght against it and tell the truth,
1st what it may. If an angry word :
Sc to your lips, press it down, and [
len speak soft word which al
avs turns away anger. If you are
rnntad To he lazv fiUht aUainst II Il