The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1891-10-20
ding 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
ls not done. Churches that shook our
cities with great revivals sending aroun 1
TO ask some demonstrative worshiper II
ne Will not please to say s'amen" and
"hallelujah" little softer. It seems
as ii in our churches we wanted bap.
tism OF cologne and balm of q thous.
and flowers, when we actually need q
baptism of fire from the Lord God of
PentecOst. But we are 80 afraid some
| body will criticise our sermons, or crit.
| lclse our prayers, or criticise our re-
liglous work that our anxiety, for the
worlds redemption ia lost in the fear
we will get our hand hurt. while sEleazar
went into tho conflict, "And his hand
clave unto the sword.''
But see In the next place what q
hard thing 1t was for Eleazar to get his
hand and his sword parted. The mus
cles and the sinews had been 80 long
grasped around the sword he could not
drop it when he proposed to drop it.,
and'hs three comrades, suppose, come
up and tried to help him, and they
bathed the back part of the hand, hop.
ing the sinews aud muscles would relax.
But 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 pulled back than
they closed again, ''and his hand clave
unto the sword" but after aw lille they
were successful, and then they noticed
that the curve in the palm OF the hand
| corresponded exactly with the curve O,
the hilt. His hand clave unto tho
sword"
You and haNS ,en it many time.
There are IN the L alted 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 ap-
pointments. But they did in their day
a mighty work for God. They took
off more of the heads OF Philistine in
iquity than you could count from noon
to sundown. You put that old ministerlof
the Gospel now into prayer meeting,
or occasional pulpit, or q. sick rosm
where there is some ono to be conforted,
and 1t Is the same old ring to his voice
and the same old story OF pardon aud
peace and Christ and heaven. His hand
has so long clutched ths sword in Chris
tian conflict he cannot drop it. "IIis
hand ciave unto the sword"
THE AGED MINIsrER's FAITH.
had in my parish in Philadelphia a
very aged man who in his early life had
been the companion and adviser OF the
early presidents. Madison and Monroe.
He had welded vast influence. but 1
only knew HIM as u 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 he would throw his arms
around a 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, cannot
| speak to you now" He was in very
pleasant delirium, as he imagined he
| had an audience bef,re him. He said.
-! must tell these people to come to
CHRIST and prepare Tor heaven" And
then In this pleas ant dclirium, both
arms lifted, this octo2enarian preached
Christ and told of the glories of the
world to come. There, lying on his dy-
ing pillow, his dying hand clave to his
sword.
On, if there ever was any one who
had right to retire from the conflict it
was old Joshua. Soldiers come back
from battle have the names of tho bat
ties on their flags, showing where they
distinguished themselves, and it is a very
appropriate inscription. Lock Mt the
flag of old General Joshua! On it Jer-
lcho, Gideon, Hazar, City of All. and
instead of the stars sprinkled on the fiax
the sun and the moon which stood still.
There he is, one hundred aud ten years
old. He Is lying fat on his back but he
ls preaching. His dying words are u
battle charge against idolatry aud rally
ing cry tor the Lord OF Hosts rs he says.
"behold, this day go the way of all
the earth, and God hath not failed to
lulhll his promise concerning Israel"
His dying hand clave unto the sword.
There is the headless body OF Paul on
the road to Ostea. His great brain aud
his great heart have been severed. The
elmwoed rods had stung him fearful v.
When the corn ship broke up he swan
ashore, coming up drenched with the
brine. Every day since that day when
the horse reared under him Ia the suba-
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 outragsously 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 sflllcting his limbs, or the
neuralgia pieccing lis temples. or the
thirst that tevers hls tongue? Oh, no.
His last words are the battle sh out for
Christendom: II am now ready 10 be
offered, and the time of my departure Is
at hand; I have fought the good fight. I"
And 80 his dying hand clave unto the
sword.
1t was in the front room on the second
floor that my father lay a-dying. 1t was
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. He
was eighty-three years of age. Minis.
ters OF the Gospel came In to comfort
him, but he cOmtorted them. How
wonderfully ths words sounded out from
his dying pillow, II have been young
and now am old, yet have never seen
the righteous forsaken, or his seei beg
oipf< kraaI y rp,n., i..t.o.l a.