The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1888-07-23

del. lie is so strong now in his faith in
the gospel he says he can read anything
What are you reading? Bolingbroke? An
drew Jackson Davis tracts? Tyndall's
Glasgow University address? Drop them
and run. You will be an infdel before
you die unless you quit that These men
Of All will DO too much for you. Turn
your back on the rank and file OF unbelief.
| Fly before they cut you with their swords
and transfx you with their javelins.
There are people who have been we'll
nigh ruined because they rsked a fool
hardy expedition in the presence of
mighty and overwhelming temptations,
amp the men OF Al made morning meal
Of them. So, also, there is such thing
| as victorious retreat in the religious world
| Thousands Of times the kingdom OF Christ
| has seemed to fall back. When the blood
OF the Scotch covenantcrs gave deeper
| dye to the heather Of the highlands, when
the Naudois OF France chose determination
rather than make an unchristian surren-
der; when, on st. Bartholomews day,
mounted assassins rode through the streets
OF Paris, crying, "Kill! Blood-letting is
good in August Kill! Death TO the
Huguenots! Kill" When Lady Jane
Grey's head rolled from the executioner's
block; when Calvin was imprisoned in the
castle; when John Knox died for the truth;
when John Bunyan lay rotting in Bedford
jail, saying: III God will help me. and
my physical life continues, will stay here
until the moss grows on my eyebrows
rather than give up my faith, the days Of
retreat for the church were days OF vic
tory.
The pilgrim fathers fell back from the
other side OF the sea TO Plymouth Rock,
but now are marshaling continent for
the christianization Of the world. The
church of Christ falling back from Pied
mont, falling back from Rue st. Jacques,
falling back from st. Denis, falling back
| from Wurtemburg castles, falling back
from the Brussels market place, vet all the
time triumphing. Notwithstanding all
the shocking reverses which the church
of Christ suffers, what do we see today?
Three thousand missionaries of the cross
on heather ground; 0O,0O0 ministers OF
Jesus Christ in this land, at least 2OO, 600,
900 OF Christians on the earth All ma.
tons today kindling in blaze Of revival.
Falling back, yet advancing until the old
Wesleyan hymn will prove true:
"The lion Of Judah shall break the chain,
/
But there is n more marked illustration
OF victorious retreat in the life OF .our
Joshua, the Jesus Of the ages. Frst TALL.
ing back from an appalling hight To an
appalling depth, falling from celestial hills
TO terrestrial valleys, from throne 10 man
ger; yet that did not seem TO suffice him as
a retreat. Falling back still further from
bethlehem 10 Nazareth, from Nazareth 90
Jerusalem; back from Jerusalem TO Golgo.
tia, back from Golgotha 10 the mausoleum
in the rock. back down over the precipices
OF perdition until he walked amid the
cayerns Of the eternal captives aud drank
OF the wine Of the wrath OF Almighty God
amid the Ahabs and the Jozcbels and the
Belshazzars. q men Of the pulpit and
men Of the pew, Christs descent FROM
heaven 10 earth does not measure half the
distance. II was from glory 10 pcrdition.
lie descended into hell. An the records OF
earthly retreat are n nothing compared
| with this falling back. Santa Anna, with
the fragments OF his army flying over the
| plateaus OF Mexico, and Napoleon and his
army retrcating from Moscow into the
awful SHOWS Of Russia, are not worthy %
be mentioned with this retreat, when all
the powers Of darkness seem 10 be pur.
suing Christ rs he fell back, until the body
Of him who came 10 do such wonderful
things lay pulsclcss and stripped. Me.
thinks that the city Of Al was not ~
empiied Of IL inhabitants when they went
10 pursue Joshua, ~ perdition was cmpticd
Of devils when they started for the pursuit
Of Christ and lac fell back and back down
lower, down lower chasm below chasm,
| pit below pit, until he seemed 10 strike the
bottom OF objurgition and scorn, and tort.
ure. Oh, the long, loud, jubilant shout Of
hell at the defeat Of the Lord God Al.
mighty
But LEI not the powers Of darkness ~.
| joice qnito 10 soon. DO you hear that dis
turbancc in the tomb Of Arimalhca? |
hear the sheet rcndngl What means that
stone hurled down the side Of the hill?
who is this coming out? Push him back!
the dead must not stalk In this open sun.
| light Oh, IL Is our Joshua Let him
come out. llo comes forth and starts Tor
the city. lie takes the spear Of the Roman
guard and points that way. Church mil
| liant marches up on one side, and the
Church triumphant marches down on the
other side. And the powers Of darkness
being caught between these ranks Of cclcs.
tial and terrestrial yalor, nothing Is left Of
/ them save Just enough 10 illustrate the
dirciul overthrow of hell and our Joshua ;
eternal victory. On his head be all the
crowns In his hand be all the sccptcrsl
| AZ his feet be- all the human hearts, aud
here, Lord, is one Of them.
Lesson the second: The triumph Of the
wicked n short. Did YOU ever see an
army in panic? There Is nothing ~ un.
conlrollablc. II you had stood at Long
Bridge, Washington, during the opening
OF our sad civil war, YOU would know what
Il n 10 see an army run. And when those
men Of Al looked out aud saw those men
Of Joshua In stampede, they expected
easy work. They would scatter them M the
equinox the leaves. o, the gcciul and
jublant descent OF the men Of Al upon
the men Of joshua hut their cxhilinm.
ton was brief, for the tide oi battle
turned aud these quondam conqucrcrs
left their miserable carcasscs in the vii.
dcrncss OF Bcthayen. 80 II always Is.
The triumph Of the wicked IA short. You
make $4,000 at the gaming table. DO
will scatter, or Il will stay long
YOU are dead. Call over the roll
Of bad men who prospcred and see how
short was their prosperity. For a while
like the men Of Al, they went from con
quest 10 conquest, but alter a while disas.
ter rolled back upon them and they wcr,
divided into three parts misfortune took
their property, the grave took their body
aud the lost world took their soul. ] am
always interested In the building Of thea
ten and the building Of dissipa,ng saloons
] like 20 have them built Of the best gran