Connecticut western news., 1891-10-15

one tiIu c! ttlt- SWOrtt. Cne OInef enQ O1 the sword wounded him When he took hold of the sword. the sword took hold of him Oh. we have found an enemy who cannot be conquered by rose water and soft speeches. It must be sharp stroke and straight thrust. There is intemper;lnce, and there is fraud, and there is gambling. and there is lust, and there are ten thousand bat talions of iniquity. armed Philistine iniquity How are they to be captur ed and overtilrownf Soft sermons in morocco cases laid down in front of an exquisite audience will not do it. You have got to call things by their right n;tn.es
 We have got to expel from our churches Christians who eat the sacra- ment on Sunday and devour widows houses all the week We have got to stop our indignation against the Hit tites. and the .Jebusites, and the Gerga shites. and let these poor wretches go and apply our indignation to the mod ern tra,lsgr.@sions which need to be dragged out and slain. Ahabs here Herods here Jezebels here. The massacre of the infants here Strike for God so hard that while you slay the sin the sword will adhere to your own hand. tell you, my friends, we want a few John Knoxes and John Wesleys in the Christian church today. The whole tendency is to refine on Chris tian work. We keep on refining it. un til we seil'l apologetic word to iniquity we are about to capture it. And we must go with sworl silver chased and presented by the ladies. and we must ride on white palfrey under embroid- cred housings putting the spurs in only just enough to make the charger dance gracefully. and then we must send missive. delicate az q wedding card, to not surrender.
 THK WEAK AND SELFISH.
 Women saved by the grace of God and OH glorious mission sent, detained from Sabbath classes because their new hat is not done Churches that shook our cities with grra: revivals sending around to ask some | l.'.nonstrative wor shiper if he will not please to say amen" and ''hallelujah" little softer. It s.enls as if in our churches we want cd a baptism of cologne and balm of q thousand flowers. when we actually need 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 anxiety for tile world redemption is lost in the fear we will get our hand hurt, while Eleazer went into the conflict. land his hand cIave unto the sword"
 But see in the next place what n hard thing it was for Eleazar to get his hand and his sword parted. The mus cles and the sinews had been 90 long Krasped around the sword he could not drop it when he proposed to drop it. and his three comrades. Isuppose, came up and tried to help him, and they bathed the back part of the hand. hoping the snews and muscles would relax Hut no His hand clave unto the sword Then they tried to pull open the fingers and to pull back the thumb, but no sooner were they pulle l back than they closed again, ''and his hand clave unto the sword" But afte, a while they were successful, and then they noticed that the curve in the palm of the hand corresponded exactly with the curve of the hilt His hand clay. unto the sword.
 You and have seen 1t many time There are in the United States today many ,ysei 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 art "a minister without charge" They were an heroic race. They had small salaries and but few books, and they swani spring freshets to meet their al' pointln-nts But they did in their day mighty work for God. They took off more. of the heads of Philistine iniquity than you could count from noon ta sundown You put that old minister of the Gospel now into prayer meet ing or m'r.,sional pulpit. or sickroom where there IS some one to be coln forted. and it Is the same old ring to his voice and the saIne old story of pardon and peace and Christ and heav ell. His hand has so long clutched the sword in Christian conflict he cannot drop it lis hand clave unto the sword
 had m my parish in Philadelphia q very aged luan who. in his early life. had been the companion and adviser of the early presidents. Madison and Mon roe He had wielied vast influence, but only knew him as a very aged man. The most remarkable thing about him was his ardor for Christ When he could not stand up in the meetings without proppins he would throw hls arm around a pillar of tl;e church. and though his mind was par tially gone. his love for Christ was so great that all were in deep respect and profound admiration. and were moved when he spoke was called to see him d,. l entered the room and he said. 'Ml Talmage. cannot speak to you now" He was in very pleasant deliriun. as he imagined he had an audience before him. He said, Fl must tell these people to come to Christ and prepare for heaven" And then in this pleasant deliriun, both arms lifted. this octogenarian preached Christ and told of the glories of the world to come, There. lying on his dying pil low, his dying hand clave to his sword
 THE St'BLIME LESSON OF JOSHUA
 Oh. if there ever was any one wi.o had rigll. to ""tirr from the conflict it waS ,I.; ;,,>IuIa SOlIiIerS come back