The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1879-05-15
snhlsct, Rnlsnm for Mounda.

An outrageous assassination has just
taken place. To appease a revengeful
woman, King Herod ordered the death
of that noble, self-sacri6cing Christian,
John the Baptist. The group Of disci'
pies were thrown into grief aud dismay.
They felt themselves utterly defenceless.
There was no authority to which they
could appeal, and yet grief must always
fnd expression. Ifthere be no human
ear to hear it, then the agonized soul
will cry it aloud to the winds and the
woods and the waters. But there was
an ear that was willing to listen, There
is tender pathos, and at the same time
q most admirable picture in the words of
my text: "They went and told Jesus"
He could understand their grief, and He
Immediately soothed 1t. Our burdens
are not more than half 80 heavy to carry
if another shoulder is thrust under the
end of them. Here we find Christ, His
brow shadowed with grief, standing
amid the group of disciples who, with
tears and violent gesticulations. and
wringing of hands, and outcry of be.
reavement, are expressing their woe.
Raphael, with his skillful brush, putting
upon the wall of the palace some scene
of sacred story, gave not SO skillful a
stroke as when the plain hand of the
evangelist writes: "They went and told
Jesus"
The old Goths and Vandals came down
from the north of Europe and they up
set the gardens, and they broke down
the altars and swept everything that was
good and beautiful. So there is ever and
anon in the history of the sons and
daughters of our race an inCursion of
rough handed troubles that come to
plumber and ranssCk and put to the torch
all that men highly prize. There is no
cave 80 deeply cleft into the mountain
as to allow US shelter, and the foot of the
feetest courser can not bear us beyond
the quick pursuit. The arrows they put
to the string fly with unerring dart until
we fall pierced and stunned. 1t seems
to me that there have never been 30
many trials in my congregation as now
somdny bereaved heaYts so many borne
down in worldly and spiritual trouble
But feel that | bring to you most ap.
propriate message. l mean to bind up
all your grief5 into bundle and set them
on fire with spark from Gods altar.
The same prescription that cured the
sorrows of the Disciples will cure all your
heartaChes. | have read that when God
frey and his army marched out to capture
Jerusalem as they came over the hills at
the first flash Of the pinnaCles of that
beautiful cry, the army that had march
ell in silence ilfted d shout that made the
earth trembie. Ol,you soldiers of Jesus
Christ maI IChing Oh toward heaven!
wOuId Ihat To day by some CLEAN of the
palace of Gods mercy and Gods strength
you III ShJ be lIf,ed into great rejoicing,
and that befor9 this service is enued yUn
might raise one glad hOsanna to the
Lord. In the first place, commend the
behavior Of the Disciples 10 all who are
tempted. | have be ri men in mid life
Ray they had never been led into temp.
tatiOn. Ityou have not.felt temptation,
it ID because you have not tried to do
right. A man hOppled and haDdCufed,
as long as he lies quietly, does not test
tue power of the chain; but when he
rises up and with determination resolves
to snap the handcuf or break the hoppe
then he finds the power of the iron. And
there are men who have been for ten
and twenty and thirty years bound hand
and foot of evil habit, who have never
felt the power of the chain, because they
have never tried to break it, 1t is very
easy to 90 down with the stream aud
with the wind lying on your oars; but
youjust turn around and try to go against
the wind and tide, and you will find it is
q very different matter. AS long as we
go down the current of our evil habits
We seem to get along quite smoothly, but
after awhile we turn around and head
the other way, toward Christ and pardon
and heaven. q then, how we have to
lay to the oars You all have your temp.
tstion. You have one kind, you anoth-
er, you another, not one person escap-
ing. 1t is all folly for yod to say to some
one: II could not be tempted as you
are" The hon thinks ii 80 strange that
the ish should be caught with the hook.
The fish thinks it so strange that the lion
should be caught with the trap. You
see some man with the cold, phlegmatic
temperament, and you say II suppose
that man has not any temptation" Yes,
as much as you have. In his phlegmatic
nature he has temptation to Incidence
and censOriousness and over eating and
drinking; to sink down into great lati.
tude and longitude of fattiness; temp
tation to ignore the great work of life
a temptation to lay down an obstacle in
the way of all good enterprises. The
temperament decides the style of temp
tation; but ssnguine or Emphatic you
will have temptation. Satan has grap-
pling hook just fitted for your soul. A
man never lives beyond the reach of
temptation. You say when man lives
to be sixty or seventy years old, he is
safe from all Satanic assaults. You are
very much mistaken. A man at eighty
hVe years Ct age has as mary temptations
es man at twenty-five. They are only
olnerent styles OF temptation. Aek the
aged Christian whether he ia never as.
sanlted Of the powers of darkness. If
yOo tnihk you have conquered the pow
eroI temptation, You are very much mis-
saxen: was rea1ing this morning of
rope slKtuss, who, when he Was csrdi.
nel, pretended Le was yery weak and
sickly, aud if they elevated him 10 the
Office he would only occupy Il a liitle
whiie, for ne V lid soon be gone. He
crawled upon h c,n'otss 10 the chair
aud, once havin,. chtainsd it, he was
strong sgain, He 'ail " IL was we'll for
ms while was Locking flor the keys Of
st. Peter that ! should stoop, but now
have found them, Why should 1 stoop
any longer2" and he threw away his
erutches and was well again. How il.
Instrative Of the power of temp'stioni
You think 1t is weak and crippled in.
Hu0uca: but QiVa II n ehsnca and IL will