Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-11-20

armies, the Egyptian armies ngain aud
| again trampled 1t. There they career
| across it, David and joshua and Godfrey
| and Richard CRur de Lion and Bald
win and Saladin-a plain not only famous
| for the past, but famous because the
| Bible says thu great decisive battle OF the
world will be fought there
THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDoN.
To me the plain IVES the more absorb
| ing because OF the desperate battles here
and in regions round in which the Holy
Cross, the very two pieces of wood on
which Jesus was supposed TO have been
crucitied was carried as q standard at
the head of the Christian host; and that
night closing my eyes in ny tent on the
plain of Esdruelon-tor there ars some
things we can see better with eyes shut
Than opeu-the scenes of that ancient
war come before me. The twelfth CEN
| tury was closing and Saiadin at the head
of so 600 mounted troops WAS crying: do
| for Jerusalem !Ho for nil Palestine! 'and
before them everything went down, but
not without unparalleled resistance. In
| one place 1870 Christians were surrounded
by many thousands of furious Mohamme-
dams. For one whole day the $50 held
out against these thousands. Tennyson S
'six hundred when "some one had
blundered' were eclipsed 10y these ons
hundred and thirty fighting for the holy
cross. They took hold the lsnces which
had pierced them with death wounds,
and pulling them out of their own
breasts and sides, hurled them back
again at their enemy. On went the fight
until ali but one Christian had fallen.
and he, mounted on his horse, welded
battle axe right and left till his horse
fell under the plunge of the javelins and
the rider, making the sign OF the cross
toward the sky, gave up his life on the
point of score OF spears. But soon
after, the last battle came. History
portrays it, poetry chants it, painting
colors it and all ages admire that last
struggle to keep in possession that wooden
cross on which Jesus was said to have
expired. 1t WAS battle IN which min
gled the fury OF devils and the grandeur
of angels. Thousands of dead Christians
on this side. Thousands of dead Mo-
hammedans on the other side. The bat
tie was hotties. close around the wooden
cross upheld by the bishop of P;oiemais,
HIMSELF WOUNDED AND DYING.
And when the bishop of Ptolemais
dro; ped dead the bishop OF Lydia
seized the cross and again lifted it. car
rying it onward into wilder and tiercer
fight, and sword ag ainst javlin, and
battle-ax upon helmet, and piercing
spear against spliutering shield. Horses
aud men tumbled into heterogeneous
death. Now the wooden cross on which
the armies OF Christians had kept their
eye begins TO waver. begins to descend.
1t falls! and the wailing Of the Christian
host at rs disappeRrancs browns the
huZZnh of the victorious Moslens. But
that standard OF the cross only seemed to
fall. 1t rides the sky to-day IN triumph.
Five hundred million souls, the mightiest
army of the ages, are following II, and
where that goes they will go, across the
earth and up the mighty sleeps of the
heavens. In the twelfth century it
seemed to go down but in the nineteenth
century it Is the mightlest symbol Of
glory and triumph, aud means more
than any other standard whether i'll
scribed with eagle, or lion, or bear, or
star, or crescent. That which Saladip
tranpled on the plain of Esdraelon lift
to-day for your marshaliins. The cross!
The cross! The foot Of it planted in the
earth it saves, the top of it pointing TO
the heavens to which it will take you,
aud the ou;sprend beam of it like out
stretched arms of invitation to al ma
tons. Kneel ut its foot. Lift your eye
TO its victim. Swear eternal allegiance
to its power. And US that mighty SYM
Dol of pain and triumph is kept before
us, We will realize how insignificant are
the little crosses We are called to bear
aud will more cheerfully carry them.
Must Jesus bear the cross alone
And sill the world go tree?
No, there's a cross for every one
And there's a cross for me.
fnil osloap m INV r;lIoT
in the tent on the plain of distraction
reaching from the Mediterranean
to the Jordan, the waters Of
the river KIshon soothing me as
by lullaby, l hear the gathering
of the hosts for the last battle OF all the
earth. Aud By their representatives
America is here and Europe is here; and
Asia is here and Africa is here aud all
heaven Is here aud all he'll is here, and
Apolyou on the black horse Lends the
armies of darkness, and Jesus on the
white horse leads the armies of light,
and | hear the roll of the drums and the
clear call OF the clarions, aud the ;hun-
der of the cannonades. And then l hear
the wild rush us OF millions of troops
in retreat, and then the shout OF victory
rs from fourteen hundred million
throats. and then song as though all
the armies of earth and heaven were
Joining it, clapping cymhai beating the
time-''The Kingdoms Of this world are
become the kingdoms of our Lord aud of
His CHRIST, and He shali reign forever
aud ever
Gall ct GAZETTE busipssasdo1etea and examine
his papers misunderstanding machine. This
handsome aA66pa1Rsne and the Week. GAZETTE
only $ziSzk,SH%ith the sunday GAZETTE only ga:
e5t6tHs Daily GAZETTE only s5J.
0EMlMG MACllEM