Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-09-28

and they capture IL without the loss OF a
single man on the part Of Abimelech, al
| though | suppose some of the old Israeli
tish heroes told Abimelech: eYou are only
going up there to be cut TO pieces" Yet
you are willing to testify to-day that by no
other mode-certainly not by ordinary
mOdes-could that temple so easily, so
thoroughly, have been taken. Fathers
and mothers, brethren and sisters in Je-
sus Christ, what the church most wants
to learn, this day, is that any plan Is
right, is lawful, is best, which helps to
| overthrow the temple of sin and capture
this world for God. We are very apt to
stick to the old modes of attack. We put
on the old-style coat of mail. We come
up with the sharp, keen, glittering steel
spear OF argument, expecting in that way
70 take the castle; but, they have a thou
sand spears where we have ten. And so
the castle of sin stands. Oh, my friends,
we will never capture this world for God
by any keen sabre of sarcasm, by any
glittering lances of rhetoric, by any sap
ping and mining of profound disquisitiOn,
by any gunpowdery explosions Of indig-
nation, by sharp shOotings Of wit, by how
1tzers OF mental strength made to swing
shell five miles, by cavalry horses gor-
geously caparisoned, paving the air. In
vain all the attempts on the part OF these
ecclesiastical foot soldiers, light horse
men and grenadiers.
My friends, propose, this morning,
different style OF tactics. Let each one
go to the forest of Gods promise and in
vitation, and hew down a branch, and put
1t on his shoulder, and let us all come
| around these obstinate Iniquities, and
then, with this pile, kIndled by the fires
OF a holy Zeal and the flames Of cOnse-
Grated life, we will burn them out. What
steel cannot do, fire may. And l, this
morning, announce myself in favor OF any
plan of religious attack that succeeds
any plan of religious attack, however
radical, however odd, however unpopular,
however hostile to all the cOnventiOnali-
ties of church and state. If one style of
prayer does not do the work, let us try
another style. If the church music of to-
day does not get the victory, then
let us make the assault with a backwOOds
chorus. II prayer meeting at 1880 in
the evening does not succeed, let us have
one as early in the morning as when the
angel found wrestling Jacob toomuch for
him. If n sermon with the three author
lied heads does not do the work, then let
us have q sermon with twenty heads, or
no head at all. We want more heart in
our song, more heart in our alms-Riving,
more heart in our prayers, more heart in
our preaching. Oh for less Of Abime-
lech's sword and more OF Abimelech's
conhagration. l have often heard
'There is a fountain flied with blood"
sung artistically by four birds perched on
/ their Sunday rOOst in the gallery, until
| thought Of Jenny Lind and Nilsson, and
SOntag and all the other warblers, but
there came not one tear to my eve, not
one master emotion to my heart. But one
night went down to the African Metho-
| dist Westinghouse in Philadelphia, and
| a the 01pen nf tho aarVipp a black vnuoan
in the midst ofthe audience, began to sing
! that hymn and all the audience joined in,
and we were hoated some three or four
miles nearer Heaven than / have ever
! been since. | saw with my own eyes
''that fountain filled with blood, red,
agonizing, sarcificial, redemptive, and
heard the crimson plash of the wave as
we all went down under It,
"For sinners plunged beneath that flood
Lose all their guilty stains"
Oh, my friends, the Gospel is not a syll .
ogism, it is ROt casuistrY, it is not polem-
les, or the science Of squabble. 1t is
blOod-red fact; it is warm-hearted invita-
tiOn; 1t Is leaping, bounding, flying good
news; It is efiiOrescent with all light; 1t
is rubesoent with all glow; it is arbOres-
cent with all sweet shade. have seen
the sun rise on Mount W ashingtOn, and
from the Tip-top house; but there was no
beauty in that compared with the day
spring from on high when Christ gives
light to a soul. i have heard Parepa sing,
but there was no music in that compared
with the voice of Christ when lie said:
''Thy sins are forgiven thee; 20 inpeace."
Good news Let everyone cut down
branch of this tree Of life
and wave IL. Let him throw it down and
/ kindle il. Let all the way from Mount
ZalmOn to Sbechem be filled with the
burning JOY. Good newsi This bonfire Of
the gospel shall consume the last temple
of sin, and VIII illumine the sky with
apOcalYptic joy, that Jesus Christ came
4 into the world 10 save sinners. ANY new
/ plan that makes a man quit his sin, and
that prOstrates a wrong, am as much in
favor OF as though all the doctors and
\ the bishops and the archbishOps, and the
/ synOdg, and the academical gOwnsmen Of
/ Christianity sanctioned il. The temple
| OF Berth must come down and j do not
/ care how IL comes.
Still further, learn from this subject
/ the power Of example. If Ablmelech mad
| sat down on tha grass, and told his men
/ 70 go and get the boughs, and 20 out 10
| the battle, they would never have gone at
all, or # they had, il would have been
| without any spirit or effective result; but
/ when Abmelech goes with his own AK
/ and hews down a branch, and with Abb
melech's arm puts IL on Abimeech's
shoulder, and marches on, then, my text
| says, all the people did the same. How
/ natural that was. What made Garibaldi
/ and StOnewall Jackson the most magnetic
commanders ofthis century They always
! rode ahead. Oh, the overcoming power
\ OF example. Here Ia a father on the
wrong road all his boys 90 on the wrong
road. Here Is father who enlists for
! Christ: his children enlist. | saw
/ In some Of the picture galleries Of Europe,
that before many Of the great works Of
/ the mnstprs-the old maaters--there would
| be sometimes four or i've artists taking
/ copies Of the pictures. These copies they
were going 10 carry with them, perhaps
/ % distant lands; and ! have thought that
/ your life and characters are a master
| piece, and IL Is being copied, and long af-
| Ter you are gone A. will bloom or blast In
/ the homes Of those who knew you, and be
/ a GOrgOn or Madonna. Look out what
/ you say. Look out what you do. Eter-
/ nifty will hear the echo. The best sermon
ever preached is a holy life. The best
music ever ohanted IN y consistent walk.
/ n you want others 10 serve God, serve
| him yourself II you want others 10
shoulder their duty, shoulder yours.
/ Where Ablmelech goes his troops 90.
| Abraham beRat Isaac, aud Isaac begat
Jacob. The father good, IL was easy
enough for the son and grandson 10 DO
! good. Ahaziah begat JOash, and JOasb
| begat JerObOam. The father bad, II was
easy enough Tor the son and grandson 70