Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1891-10-23


On nowery beds Of case.
While others fought u win the priZs
Or sailed through bloody scasl
What have we suffered in comparison
with those who expired with suffocltion, or
were burned, or were chopp9d to pieces for
the truths sakei We talk OF the persecution
Of olden times. There is Just as much perse-
cution going on now In various ways. In
lS49, In Madagascar eighteen men were put
10 death for Christs sake. They were 70 be
hurled over the rocks and before they were
hurled over the rocks, in order to make their
death the more dreadful In anticipation.
they were put in baskets and swung 10 and
fro over the preclpics that they might see
how many hun lre1 feet they would have to
be dashed down, and while they were swing
ing In these baskets over tho rocks they
sang:
Jesus lover OF my soul
Let me to Thy bosom Nv
While the b.ilows near M roll.
While the tempest still IL high,
Then they were dashed down TO death!
Oh, how much others have endured for Christ
and how little We endure for Christi We
want to ride to heaven IN Pullman Sleep
ing-car, our feet OH soft plush. the bed made
up early so we can sleep oil tho way, the
black porter Of death to wake US up only in
time to enter the golden city. We want all
the surgeons TO Xix our hand up. Let them
bring on all the lint, aud all the bandages
and all the salve, for our hand Is hurt, while
Eeazer does not know his hand Is hurt. His
hand clave unto the sword"
As look at Eeszars hanl come to the
conclusion that he he's done a great deal OF
bard hitting. nm not surprised when I
see that those four men-Eleazar and his
three companions- drove back the army OF
Phlistines that EleaZar's sword c,ave to his
hand, for every time he struck an enemy
with one end OF tho sword the other end OF
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. 1t must be sharp stroke ani
straight thrust There is intemp rance, and
there is fraud, and there is gambling, and
there is lust, and there are ten thousand
battahouS OF iGquity, armed Philistlne
iniquty. How are they to be captured and
overthrowni Soft sermons in morocco
cases laid down in front of an exquisite audi
ence will not do 1t. You have got to call
things by their right names.
We have got to expel from our churches
Christians who eat the sacrament on Sun
day and devour widows houses all the week.
We have got TO stop our indignation against
the Hittites and the Jebustes and the Ger
gishtes, and let those poor wretches go, and
apply our indignation TO the modern trans
grcSsions which need to ho dragged out and
slGin. Ahabs here. Herols here Jezebels
here. The massacre of the infants here.
Strike for God so hard that while you say
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 to-day. The whole ten.
dency is to refine on Christian work. We
keep on refining on 1t until We send apollo
getic word to iniquity we are about to cap
ture it. And we must go with sword silver
chased and presented by tho ladies' and we
must ride on white palfrey under embroid-
cred housing, putting tho spurs only just
enough To make the charger dance grace-
fully, and then we must send missive, deli.
cate as a wedding card, to ask the old black
giant OF sin II he will not surrender.
Women saved by the grace OF God and on
glorious mission sent, detained from Sabbath
classes because their new hat is not done
Churches that shook our cities with great
revivals sending around to ask some demon
Strative worshiper if he will not please to say
amen and "hallelu lah" a little softer. Ii
seems as II in our churches we wanted a
baptism OF cologne and balm of thousand
flowers, when we actually need a baptism OF
fire from the Lord God OF Pentecost. But
we are so afraid somebody will criticiSe our
sermons, or critcse our prayers, or critiCise
our religious WORK that our anxiety for the
worlds redemption Is lost in the fear we will
get our hand hurt, while Elsazlr went into
the conflict "And his hand clave unto the
sword"
But see in the next plac, what a hard
thing it was for Eliazar to get his hand and
his sword parted. The muscles and the sim
ews had been so long grasped around the
sword he could not drop it when he proposed
to drop 1t, and his three comrades, i suppose
came up and tried to help him, and they
bathed the back part of the hand, hoping
the snews and muscles would relax. But
no. "His hand clave unto the sword" F"
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 while they were successful, then they
noticed that the curve in the palm of the
hand corresponded exactly with the curve
of the hilt. His hand clave unto the sword" b"
You and | have seen IL many u time.
There are in the Unitel 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 ''emer-
titus" or the words are, "a minister without
charge" They were an heroic race. They
had small salaries and but few books. and
they swan spring freshets to meet their APP
pointments But they did in their day
mighty work for God. They took off more oil
the heads of Philistine iniquity than you could
count from noon to sundown. You put that
old minister Of the Gospel now into prayer
meeting, or occasional pulpit, or sick
| room where there issome one to be comfort
ed, and it is the same old ring 10 his voice
and the same old story Of pardon and peace
| and Christ and heaven. His hand has SC
| long clutched the sword in Christian conflict
| he cannot drop it. "His hand clave unto
| the sword"
| had in my parish in Philadelphia very
aged man. who In his early life had been the
companion and adviser OF tho early Presl
| dents, Madison AMI Monroe. He had
| welded vast influence, but | only knew him
as very aged man. The most remarkabl,
thing about him was his arior for Christ
When he could not stand up in the meeting
without propping he would throw his arms
around pillar of the church, and though
his mind was partially gone his love fol
| Christ was so great that all were in deep re.
spect and profound admiration, and wert
moved when he spoke. was called to se
| him die | entered the room and he said
"Mr. Talmage, l cannot speak to you now. ;
| He was in very pleasant delirium, as h
imagined he had an audience before him
He said, II must tell these people to COM
to Christ and prepare for heaven" AM
then IN this pleasant delirium, both arm
lifted, this octogenarian preached Christ an
told Of the glories OF the world to come
There, lying on his dying pillow, his dyin
hand clave to his sword.
Oh, IL there ever was anyone who had
right to retire from tho conflict 1t was ol,