The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1890-11-19

tain gorge up which the Bsnjamites
carried their brides, we bethink our,
selves Of the better land and the better
times in which we live, when such
scenes are an impossibility, and amid
orderly groups, and with prayer and
benediction, and breath OF orange bios
SONS. and with the roll Of the wedding
march, marriage is solemnized, and with
oath recorded in heaven, two immortals
start arm in arm on journey, to last
until death do them part Upon every
such marriage altar may there come the
blessing Of Him "who setteth the soli-
tary In families" Side by side on the
path of life Side by side in their
gravesl Side by side in heavenl
But we must this afternoon, our last
day before reaching Nazareth, pitch our
tent on the most famous battlefield Of
all time-the plain OF Esdraelon. What
must have been the feelings Of the
Prince Of Peace as he crossed II on the
way to Jerusalem to Nazareth! Not q
flower blooms there but has in Its veins
the inherited blood Of flowers that drank
the blood of fallen armies. Hardly a
foot Of the ground that has not at some
time been quilted with war-chariots or
tranpled with the hoofs Of cavalry. 1t
is plain reaching from the Mediterran-
can to the Jordan. Upon 1t look down the
mountains OF Tabor and Gilboa and Car
mel. Through it RACES at certaiu seasons
the river Kishon which swept down the
armies Of Sisera, the battle occurring in
November when there is almost always
q shower Of meteors so that "the stars
in their courses" were said 10 have
fought against Sisera. Through this
plain drove Jehu, and the iron chariots
Of the Canaanites, scythed at the hub OF
the wheels, hewing down their awful
swathes Of deaths, thousands in min
ute. The Syrian armies, the Turkish
armies the Egyptian armies again and
again trampled 1t. There they career
across II, David and Joshua and Godfrey
and Richard Ceur dc Lion and Baldwin
and Saladin-a plain not only famous
for the past but famous because the
Bible says the great decisive battle Of
the world will be fought there-the bat
tie OF Armageddon.
To me the plain was the more absorb
ing because Of the desperate battles
here and in regious round in which the
Holy Cross, the very two pieces OF wood
on which Jesus was supposed to have
been crucifed was carried as standard
at the head OF the Christian host; and
that night closing my eyes in my tent
on the plain Of Esdraelon--for there are
some things we can see better with eyes
shut than open-the scenes OF that
ancient war come before me. The
twelfth century was closing, and
Saladin at the head OF eighty thou
sand mounted troops, was crying: "Ho
for Jerusaleml Ho for all Palestinel''
and before them everything went
down, but not without unparalleled re-
sistance. In one place one hundred and
thirty Christians we're surrounded by
many thousands Of furious Mohammed-
ans. For enc whole day the one hum
dred and thirty held out against these
thousands Tennyson's 'six hundred"
when ''some one had blundered," were
eclipsed by these one hundred and
thirty fighting for the Holy Cross. They
took hold the lances which had pierced
them with deaths wounds, and pulling
them out OF their own breasts and side
hurled them back again at the enemy.
On went the fight until all but one
Christian had fallen, and he, mounted
on the last horse, welded his 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 II, painting colors 1t, and all
ages admire that last struggle to keep
in possession the wooden cross on which
Jesus was said to have expired. II was
o battle in which mingled the fury OF
devils and the grandeur OF angels
Thousands of dead Christians on this
side. Thousands OF dead Mohammedans
on the other side. The battle was hot
test close around the wooden cross up
held by the Bishop OF Ptolemals, him
self wounded and dying. And when
the Bishop of Ptolemais dropped dead,
the Bishop OF LYDIA seized tho cross
and again lifted 1t, carrying it onward
into a wilder and hercer fight, and
sword against javelin, and battle,ax
upon helmet and piercing spear against
spIintering shield. Horses and mon
into heterogeneous death. Now
the wooden cross on which the armies
Of Christians kept their eye, beglnA TO
waver, begins to descend. IL fallal and
the wailing Of the Christian host al Its
is drowned in the huyzah
Of the victorious Moslems. But that
standard OF the cross only seemed TO
fall. II rides the sky to-day in triumph.
Five hundred million souls, the mikht-
lest army OF the ages, are following it
and where that goes they will go, across
the earth and up the mighty stoeps OF
The heavens. In the twelfth century Ii
seemed to go down, but in the nine.
teenth century 1t is the mightest
symbol Of glory and triumph, and
means more than any other stand.
lrd whether inscribed with eagle,
Or lion, or bear, or star, or cres,
,ent That which Saladin trampled on
the plain OF Esdraelon lift to-day for
yoar marshaling.. The crossl The crossl
The foot OF 1t planted in the earth 1t
'aves, the top OF 1t pointing TO the
heavens to which IL will take you, and
he outstretched beam OF 1t like out
stretched arms OF invitation TO all ma.
ions Kneel at its foot Lift your eye
70 its victim. Swear eternal allegiance
o It's power And as that mighty sym
Dol OF pain and triumph Is kept before
Is, we will realize how insignificant arc
he little crosses we are called to bear,
md will more cheerfully carry them.
Must Jesus bear the cross alone
And all the world 20 freei