The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1890-09-02


Hill mean less to them than Calvary,
and Lexington mem less to them than
Bethlehem.
But because there are bad men
around the ballot box is no reason
why Christian isen should retreat from
the arena. The last time you ought to
give up your child or forsake your
child is when it is surrounded by a
company of Choctaws; and the last
time to surrender the ballot box is
when it is surrounded by impurity and
dishonesty and all sorts of wickedness.
Daniel stood on most unpopular
platform. He stood firmly, though the
demagogues of the day Missed at him
and tried to overthrow him. We must
carry our religion into politics. But
there are u great many men who are in
favor of taking religion into national
politics who do not see the Importance
of taking it into city politics, as though
u man were intelligent about the well
fare of his neighborhood and had no
concern about his own home.
Religion would drive out all base
personalities from politics. You have
q right to discuss mems politics and de-
nounce their political sentiments, or re-
ceive them, rs you will but you have
no right to assail their private charac-
ter, as is done every autumn. That rs
not carrying religion into politics Now
you can always tell without asking, in
any contest, what candidate will vote
for 1t is always for the man who is
most badgered, and most abused, and
most spit upon, and most howled at.
You have u right to contest a mans po-
l;tical sentiments; you have no right
for base political purposes to assail his
private moral character
LIONS SURROUND YOU.
Ny subject also impresses me with
the fact that lions cannot hurt a good
man. No man ever got into worse
company than Daniel got into when he
was thrown into the den. What rare
morsel that fair young man would have
been for the hungry monstersl If they
had plunged at him he could not have
climbed into niche beyond the reach
of their paw or the snatch of their
tooth They came pleased all about
him. Us hunters hounds at the well
known whistle come bounding to his
feet
You need not so to Numidia to get
among lions. You all have had them
after you-tho lion of financial distress,
the lion of sickness, the lion of perse-
cution. You saw that lion of financial
panic putting his mouth down to the
earth, and he roared until all the banks
and all the insurance companies quaked.
With his nostril he scattered the ashes
on the domestic hearth. You have had
trial after trial, misfortune after misfort-
une. lion after lion; and yet they have
never hurt you if you put your trust
in God, and they never will hurt you
They did not hurt Daniel, and they
cannot hurt you.
The Persians used to think that
spring rain falling into sea shells would
turn into pearls; aad have to tell you
that the tears of sorrow turn into
precious gems when they drop into
Gods bottle. You need be afraid of
nothing putting your trust in God.
Even death, that monster lion whose
den is the worlds sepulcher, and who
puts his paw down amid thousands OF
millions & the deal cannot alright
you.
When in olden times n man was to
ger the honors of knighthood he was
compelled to go fully armed the night
before among the tombs of the dead
carving sort of spear, and then when
the day broke he would come forth,
and amid the sound of cornet and great
parade he would get the honors OF
knighthood. And so it will be with
the Christian in the night before
heaven, as fully armed with spear and
helmet of salvation he will wait and
watch through the darkness until the
morning dawns. and then he will take
the honors OF heaven amid that great
tErong with snowy robes streaming
over seas of sapphire.