The Russellville Democrat., 1888-08-02

fH@FH~ around Joshua to know when they are r. stop their fight and adyancef There must be some signai--a signal to stop the one division and to start the other. Joshua, with spear on which were or dinarily hung the coiors of battle, poinis toward the city. He stands in such a conspicuous position, and there IS so much of the morning light dripping from that spear-tip that all aronnd the horizon they see It was much as 10 say: There is the city. Take if Take it now. Roll down from the west. Surge up from the north It is ours. the City of Ai' God knows and we know that great deal of Christian attack amounts to nothing. simply because we do not take good aim Nobody knows, and we do not know onr- selves, which point we want to take. when we ought to make up our minds what God will have us to do, and point our spear in that direction, and then hnrl our body mind. soul, time, eternity at that one tar get In our pulpit and pews, and Sunday schools and prayer meetings, we want to get reputation for saying pretty things,
 and so we point our spear toward the flowers; or we want reputation for say- ing sublime things, and we point our spear toward the stars; or we want to get reputation tor historical knowledge, and we point our spear toward the paSt; or we want to get reputation for ilber- ality, so we swing our spear all around; and it strikes all points of the horizon, and you can make out of it whatever you please; while there is the lelG world, proud. rebelious and armed against all right eousness; and instead of running any further away from it's pursuit. we ought to turn around. plant out foot in tho strength of the eternal God, lift the old cross and point it in the direction of the worlds conquest till the redeemed of earth, marching up from one side and tho glorifed of Heaven marching down from the other side, the last battlement Of sin is compelled to swing out the streamers H Emanuei. Oh, Church of God, take aim and conquer.
 Ihave heard 1t said: Look out for . man who has only one idea; he is irresist- ible.n l say: Look out for the man who has one idea, and that determination for soul-saving. I believe God would strike me dead if dared to point the spear in any other direction. Oh. for some of the courage and enthusiasm of Joshual He flung two armies from the tip of that spear. It is sinful for us to rest unless it is to get stronger muscle and fresher brain and purer heart for Gods work. feel on my head the hands of Christ in new ordination Do you feel the same omnipotent pressure? There is work for all of us. Oh, that we might stand up side by side and point the spear toward the city It ought to be taken. It will be taken. Our cities are drifting of toward loose religion. or what is called 'liberal Christianity" which is so liberal that 1t gives up all the cardinal doctrines of the Bible. so liberal that it surrenders the rectNude of the throne of the Almighty. That is liberality with vengeance. Let us decide upon the work which we as Christian men, have to do, and, in the strength of God, go 10 work and do it.
 It is comparatively easy to keep on a parade amid a shower of bouquets and handclapping and the whole street full of huzzas, but it is not so easy to stand up in the day Of battle, the face blackened with smoke, the uniform covered with the earth plowed up by whizzing bullets and bursting shells, half the regiment cut to pieces, and yet the commander crying: Forward, marchw Then it requires old fashioned valor. My friends, the great trouble of the Kingdom of God in this day is the towards. They do splendidly on parade day, and at the communion, when they have on their best clothes of Christian profession: but put them out in the great battle of life, at the first sharpshooting of skepticism they dodge, they fall back. they break ranks. We confront the enemy, we open the battle against fraud, and olive find on our side a great many people that do not try to pay their debts. And we open the battle against intemperance, aud we fnd on our own side great many people who drink too much, And we open the battle against profanity, and we find on our own side great many men who make hard speeches. And we open the battle upon infidelity, and 10 {! we find on our own side a great many men who are not quite sure about the Book of Jonah. And while we ought to be massing our troops and bring ing forth more than the united courage of and Waterloo and Gettysburg, we have to be spending our time hunting up ambuscades. There are a great many in the Lords army who like to go out on e campaign with satin slippers and hold ing umbrellas over their heads to keep of the dew, and having rations of canvas. back ducks and lemon custards. If they can not have them, they want to go home. They think it unhealthy among so many bulletsl
 I believe that the next twelve months will be the most stupendous year that Heaven ever saw. The nations are quaking now with the coming of God It will be year of suc- cesses for the men of Joshua but of doom for the mesn of Ali You put your ear to the rail track and you can hear the train coming miles away. So I put my ear to the ground and hear the tirunder- ing on of the lightning train of Gods mercies and judgments. The mercy of God is first to be tried upon this nation It will be preached in the pulpits. in thea ters, on the streets, everywhere. People will be invited to accept the mercy of the Gospel, and the story, and the song, and the prayer, will be mercy" But sup pose they do not accept the offer of mercy what thens Then God will come with His judgments, and the grasshoppers will eat the crops, and the freshet will de- vastate the valleys, and the defalcations will swallow the money markets. and the fires will burn the cities, and the earth will quake from pole to pole. Year of mer- cies aud of judgments. Year of invita- ton and of warning. Year of jubilee and of woe. Which side are you going to be oni With the men of Ali or the men of Joshua? Pass over this Sabbath into the ranks of Israel. l would clap my hands at the joy of your coming You will have poor chance for this world and the world to come without Jesus. You can not stand what is to come upon you and upon the world unless you have the pardon and the comfort and the help of Christ. Come over. On this side is your happiness and safety, on the other side is disquietude and despair. Eternal defeat to the men of Ail Eternal victory to ths men of Joshual
 JUDiCiOUS READING.