The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1891-10-28

tites and the Jebusites, and the Ger II
gishites, and let those poor wretches
60. and apply our Indignation to the
modern transgressions which need TO
be dragged out aud slain Ahabs here,
Herods here. Jezebels here The mas.
sacre of the infants here. Strike for God
SO hard that while you Stay the sin the .
sword will adhere to your own hand.
tell you, my friends, we want few
John Knoxes and John Wesleys in the
Christian church to-day. The whols
tendency is to refine on Christian work.
We keep on refining on it until we send
apologetic word to iniquity we arc
about to capture it, and we must go
with sword silver-chased and presented
by the ladies', and we must ride on
white palfrey under embroidered hous'
ing, putting the spurs in only just
enough to make the charger dance
gracefully. and then we must send o
missive, delicate as wedding card, to
ask the old black giant of sin if he will
not surrender.
Women saved by the grace OF God
and on glorious mission sent. detained
from Sabbat,. classes because their
new hat is not done. Churches that
shook our cities with great revivals
sending around to ask some demonstra-
tive worshiper if he will not please to
say amen" and "hallelujah" little
softer. 1t seems as if in our church we
wanted baptism of cologne and balm
of thousand flowers, when we actu-
ally need a baptism of fire from the
Lord God of Pentecost But we are SO
afraid somebody will criticise our SER
mons, or criticise our prayers, or criti.
else our religious work, that our anxi.
ETY. for the worlds redemption is lost
in the fear we will get our hand hurt,
while Eleazar went into the conflict,
land his hand clave unto the sword"
But see in the next place what
hard thing it was for Eleazer to get his
hand and his sword parted The muscles
and the sinews had been so long
grasped around the sword he could not
drop it when he proposed to dropit, and
his three comrades, l suppose, came up
and tried to help him, and they bathed
the back part of the hand, hoping the
sinews and muscles would relax But
no. "His hand clave to the sword"
Then they tried to pull open the fingers
and to pull back the thumb, but no
sooner were they pulled back than they
closed again, land his hand clave unto
the sword" But after awhile they
were successful, and then they noticed
that the curve in the palm of the hand
correspondent exactly with the curve OF
the hilt. His hand clave unto the
sword"
You and / have seen it many time.
There are in the United States to-day
many aged ministers of the Gospel
They are too feeble now to preach. In
the church records the word opposite
their name is emeritus or the words
are, "a minister without charge" They
were n heroic race. They had small
salaries and but few books and they
swan spring freshets to meet their ap
pointments, but they did in their day a
mighty work for God. They took of
more of the heads of Philistine iniquity
than you could count from noon TO sun
down. You put that old minister O.
the Gospel now into prayer meeting
or occasional pulpit or sick-roon
where there is some one to be comfort
ed, and it is the same old ring to hi
voice and the same old story of pardon
and peace and Christ and Heaven. Hi
hand has so long clutched the sword il
Christian conflict he can not drop it
Ellis hand clave unto the sword"
, had in my parish in Philadelphia
very aged man who in his early life hat
been the companion and adviser of tn,
, early presidents, Madison and Monroe
He had welded vast influence, but
/, only knew him as very aged man
The most remarkable thing about hin
was his ardor for Christ. When h
could not stand up in the meeting
without propping, he would throw hi
arm around pillar of the church, ant
though his mind was partially gone
his love of Christ was so grea
shat all were in deep respec
and profound admiration, and wer
, moved when he spoke. was called t.
, see him die. ] entered the room an,
he said: MIR. Talmage, / can no
speak to you now He was in yer,
pleasant delirium, as he imagined h
, had an audience before him. He said
II must tell these people to come t.
, Christ and prepare for Heaven" An,
/, then in this pleasant delirium, bot
arms lifted, this octogenarian preache,
Christ, and told the glories Of the worl
to come. There, lying on his dying pill
low, his dying hand clave to his sword
oh, if there ever was any one VIII
had right to retire from the conflict
, was old Joshua Soldiers come bacl
from battle have the names of the bat
ties on their flags, showing where the.
D distinguished themselves, and it is
r very appropriate inscription. Look at tn
, flag of old Gen. Joshua. On it, Jericho
Q Gideon, Hazar, City of All, and, instead
, of the stars sprinkled on the flag, tn,
sun and the moon which stood still
r There he is, 10 years old. He is lynn
, fiat on his back, but he is preaching
D But his dying words are battle charg
against idolatry and a rallying cry 70
the Lord of Hosts, as he says: Behold
this day go the way of all the earth
, and God hath not failed to fulfill Hi
t promise concerning Israel" His dyinl
hand clave unto the sword
: There is headless body Of Paul OIL
= the road IN Ostea His great brain an,