The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1891-10-21

W Olllcil say CQ " tILC SAs>NS va wv st'4N'
Oh glorious mission sent, detained from
Sabbath classes because their new hat
is not done. Churches that shock our
cities with great revivals sending around
to ask some demonsrat!ve worshlper II
h viii not please to say amen and
shalleluiah" little softer. 1t seems
as if in our churches we wanted q bap-
tism Of cologne and balm Of thous-
and flowers, when we actually need a
baptism of fire from the Lord God OF
Pentecost. But We ure So afraid some
body will criticise our sermons, or crit
icise our prayers, or criticlse our re-
liyious work that our anxiety for the
wolld's redemption is lost IN the fear
we will get our hand hurt. while Eleazar
went INTO the conflict, And his hand
ciave unto the sword.'
But | see II the next place what a
hard thing It was for Eleazar to get his
hand and his sword parted. The mus
c!es and the sinews had been so long
grasped around the sword he coald not
drop it when he proposed to drop 1t.
a1d his three comrades, suppose, come
I'D and tried to help him, and they
bathed the back part OF the hand. hop
ING the sinews and muscles woald relax.
But no. His hand clayc unto the
sword" Then they tried 10 pull open the.
fingers and to pull back the thumb; but
no sooner were they pulled back than
they closed again, land his hand clavc
unto the sword.' But after awhile they
were succe ssful, and then they noticed
that the curve in the palm OF tac hand
corresponded exactly with the curve OF
the hilt. His hand clave unto the
sword.'
You and have seen it man. time.
There are n The United States today
many aged ministers Of the Gospel.
They are too feeble now to preach. In
the church records the word opposite
their names is emeritus" or the words
are, "a minister without charge" They
were an heroic race. They had small
salaries and but few books, and they
swan s,rlng freshets to meet their APP
pointments. But they did in their day
mighty work Tor God. They took
of more OF the heads Of Philistine in
iquity than you could count from noon
to sundown. You put that old mlnlster.of
the Gospel now into a prayer meeting.
or occasional pulpit, or sIsk 1oem
where there is some one to be contorted,
and it is the same old ring to his voice
and the same old story OF pardon and
peace and Christ and heaven. His hand
has 80 long clu.ched thu sword in Chris
tian conflict he cannot drop !5. ''tlls
hand clave unto the sword"
TIE AGED MINISTER'S FAITH.
had in my parish in Philanelphia
very aged man who in his early life had
been the companion and adviser OF the
early presidents. Madison and Monros.
He had welded vast influence. but l
only knew hlz as very aged man.
The most remarkable thing about him
was his ardor for Christ. When he
could not stand up in the meetings with
out propping be would throw bis arms
around q pillar OF the church, and though
his mind was partially 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 die. entered the room,
and he said. Mr.. Talmage, I cannot
speak to you now" He was in a very
pleasant delirium, as he imagined he
had an audience befrre him. He said.
II must tell these people to come to
Christ and prepare for heaven" And
then in this pleas ant delirium, both
arms lifted, this octogenarlan preached
Christ and told Of the glories Of the
world to come. There, lying on his dy-
inc pillow, his dying hand elave to his
sword.
Oh, if there ever was any one who
had righ. to retire from the conflict it
was old Joshua. Soldiers come back
from battle have the names ofthe bat
ties on their flags, showing where they
distinguished themselves, and it is avery
appropriate inscription. Look ct the
flag of old General Joshua! On it Jer-
lcho, Gideon, Hazar, City Of Al, and
instead of the stars sprinkled on the flag
the sun and the moon which stood still.
There he is, one hundred and ten years
old. He IS lying fiat on his back but he
| is preaching. His dying words are
battle charge against idolatry and a rally
ing cry for the Lord OF Hosts as he says,
"Behold. this day l 60 the: way Of all
the earth, and God hath not failed to
fulfill his promise concerning Israel"
Ills dying hand clave unto the sword.
There is the headless body OF Paul on
the road to Ostea. His great brain and
his great heart have been severed. The
elmwosd rods had stuns him leartully.
When the corn ship broke AZ he swan
ashore, coming up drenched with the
brine. Every Gay since that day when
the horse reared under him in the subu-
rbs OF Damascus, as the supernatural
light fell. down to this day when he is
sixty eight years Of age and old and de-
crepit from the prison cell of the Manner
tine, he has been outragsous.J treated,
and he is waiting to die. How does he
spend his last hours: Telling the world
how badly he feels, and describing the
rheumatism that he got in prison, the
rheumatism sfllicting his limbs, or the
Deuralgia pieccing lis temples, or the
thirst that fevers his tongue: Oh, no.
His last words are the battle shout for
Chr;stendom: Il am now ready TO be
offered, and the time OF my departure is
at hand; l have fought the good fight"
And so his dying hand clave unto the
sword.
1t was in the front roon on the second
floor that my father lay a-dying. Itwas
Saturday morning four O'Clock. Just
three years before that day my mother
had left him for the skies, and he had
been homesick to join her company. lie
was eighty-three years Of ago. Minis
ters OF the Gospel came in 10 comfort
him, but he comforted them. How
wonderfully tbs words sounded out from
his dying pillow, Il have been young
and now am old, yet have never seen
the righteous forsaken, or his seed beg