St. Landry democrat., 1886-10-23

mon at the Brooklyn Tabernacle, made a
determined onslaught ON the prevailing
vices of the time, taking for his text:
Let God arise. letsls enemies be scattered.
-Psalms lxyih,4 4.
You will observe my text is not like
complimentary and tasseled sword that
you sometimes sec hung up in a parlor,
ssword that was never in battle and only to
be used on general training day, hut more
like some weapon carefully hung up in
your home telling its story of Chapulte-
pee, Cerro Gcrdo and CheTubusco, and
Hatcher's Run, and Malvern Hill; for my
text hangs In the Scrip ure armory, telling
Of the holy wars Of 5000 years in which it
has been carried, but as keen and mighty
as when David first unsheathed it. 1t
seems 10 me what in the Church of God,
and in all styles Of reformatory work, we
most need now. is battle cry. We raise
our little standard and put On it the namc
OF some man who only few years ago
began to live, and in a few years will
cease to live. We go into contests against
the armies of iniquity, depending too
much on human agencies. We use for a
battle cry the name OF some brave Chris
tian reformer. but after while that re-
former dies. or gets old, Or loses his cour-a
age, and then we take another battle cry,
and this time perhaps we put the name OF
some one who plays Arnold and sells out
to the enemy. What we want for a battle
cry is the name Of some leader who will
never betray US, and will never surrender,
and will never die.
All respect have for brave men and
women, but If we are going to get the VIC
tory all along the line we must put God
first. We must take the hint Of the Gid
eonites, who wiped out the Bedouin Arabs,
commonly called Midianites. These Gid
eonites had q glorious leader in Gideon,
but what was the battle-cry with which
they flung their enemies nto the worst de-
feat into whiol, any army was eyer tunl-
bled? 1t was:
The sword OF tiie Lord and of Gideon.
Put God first, whoever you put second. |
Il the army OF the American Revolution is
to free America. 1t must be:
Tho sword O. the Lord and of Washington |
IL the Germans want 80 win the day at |
Sedan, it mustb be: !
The sword OF the Lord and Won Moitke.
Waterloo was won for the English be- ,
but the worshipers In the cathedraIs at the
rear were crying:
The sword Of theLord and Wellington
The Methodists have gone in triumph
across nation after nation with the cry:
The sword Of the Lord and OF Wesley.
The Presbyterians have gone from vic
tory to victory with the cry:
The sword oftheL3rd and of John Knox.
The Baptists have conquered millions
after millions for Christ with the cry:
The sword Of the Lord ana OF Jordan.
The Americans Episcopalians have won
their mighty way with the cry:
The sword Of the Lsrd and Of Bishop Nc.
nvaine.
The victory is to those who put God
first. But as we want a battle-cry suited
to all sects of religionists. and to alllands,
! nominate as the 6atHe-cry of Christen-
dom in the approaching Armageddon the
words of my text. sounded before the ark
as it was carried 70 Mount Zion:
Let God arise; Get his enemies be scat
tered
As far as our finite mind can judge, it
seems about time for God to rise. Does it
not seem to you that the denominations Of
this earth have como far enoughs Was
there ever time when sin was 50 defiant? !.
Were there ever before SO many fists lifted
toward God, telling him to come on il he |
dare? Look.at Che blasphemy abroad
What towering profanisyi Would it be
possible for any one to calculate the num-
Der Of times that the name Of Almighty
God, and of Jesus Christ, are every day
taken irreverently ON tho iipsf So COM
mon has blasphemy become that the pub :
lie mind, and public ear, have got used to
1t, and a blasphemer goes up and down !. .
this country in his lectures defying the
plain law against biasphemy. and there is
not mayor In America that has back
bone enough to interfere with him save
one, and that the mayor of Toronto. Pro-
fame swearing is as much forbidden by the 4
law as theft, or arson, or murder; yet who
ist Profanity is worse than
theft, or arson, or murder, for these Z
crimes are attacks on humanity-that is
an attack on God.
This country is pre-aminent for BIAS
phemy. A man travelling in Russia was +
supposed to be clergyman.
"Why do you take me TO be q clergy- | .
manp said the man. h
"Oh," said the Russian, tall other Amer 4
leans swear.'' =
The crime Is multiplying in intensity. y
God very often shows what He thinks of N
it, but for the moss part the fatality is 9
hushed up. A few summers ago among Il
the Adirondaoks met the funeral process ii
zion Of man who, two days before, had IL
fallen under a flash of lightning while 4,
after q Sunday of work in the R