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


and in Jesus Christ and in the Holy
Catholic church. and in the communion
of saints, and in the life everlasting,
Amen. o, when l see Eleazar taking
such stout grip on the sword in the
battle against sin and for righteousness,
came to the confusion that we ought
to take stouter grip of Gods eternal
truth, the sword of righteousness AS
look at Eleazar's hand also notice his
spirit of self-forgetfulness He did not
notice that the hilt of the sword was
eating through the palm of his hand
He did not know it hurt him. AS he
went out into the conflict he was SO
anxious for the victory he forgot him
self, and that hilt might SO never SO
deeply into the palm of his hand, it
could not disturb him. Ellis hand clave
unto the sword" o, my brothers and
sisters, let us 60 into Christian conflict
with the spirit of self-abnegation. Who
cares whether the world praises us or
denounces us? What do we care for
Misrepresentation, or abuse. OF perse-
cution in conflict like this? Let us
forget ourselves. That man who is
afraid of getting his hand hurt will
never kill Philistine. Who cares
whether you get hurt or not If you get
the victory? Oh, how many Christians
there are who are all the time worry
ing about the way the world treats
them. They are so tired, they are SO
abused. and they are so tempted, when
Eleazar did not think whether he had n
hand, or an arm, or foot. All he want
ed was victory.
We see how men forget themselves
in worldly achievement We have often
seen men who, in order to achieve
worldly success, will forget all physi-
cal fatigue, and all annoyance and all
obstacle. Just after the battle of York
town, in the American revolution. q
musician, wounded, was told he must
have his limbs amputated, and they
were about to fasten him to the sur
geon's TABLETOP it was long before the
merciful discovery of anasthetics. He
said: mo, don't fasten me to that TIA
BILE: get me violin" A violin was
brought to him and he said: Nov 60 to
work as begin to play" and for forty
minutes during the awful pangs OF am
putation, he moved not muscle nor
dropped a note, while he played some
sweet tune. Oh, is it not strange that
with the music Of the Gospel of Jesus
Christ, and with this grand march of
the church militant on the way to be-
come the church triumphant we cannot
forget ourselves and forget all pang
and all sorrow and all persecution and
all perturbation?
We know what men accomplish I'M.
der worldly opposition. Men do not
shrink back for antagonism, or for
hardship. You have admired Prescotts
Conquest of Mexico" as brilliant and
beautiful history as was ever writ
ten; but some of you may not know un'
der what disadvantages it was written
that Conquest of Mexico--for Pres
colt was totally blind and he had two
pieces of wood parallel to each other
fastened, and totally blind, with his
pen between those two pieces Of wood
he wrote, the stroke against one piece
of wood telling how far the pen must
go in one way, the stroke against the
other piece of wood telling how far the
pen must go in the other way. Oh
how much men will endure for worldly
knowledge and for worldly success
and yet how little we endure for Jesus
Christ. How many Christians there
are that go around saying: 20 my
hand, my hand, my hurt hand; dom
you see there is blood on my hand
and there is blood on the sword?'
while Elcazar, with the hilt imbeddet
in the flesh of his right hand, does 10
know it.
What have we suffered in compari
son with those who expired with suffo
cation, or were burned, or were chop
ped to pieces for the truths sake? We
talk of the persecution of olden times
There is just as much persecution go
ing on now in various ways. In 1S49
in Madagascar, eighteen men were pu
to death for Christ's sake. They were
to be hurled over the rocks, and before
der to make their death the more dread
full in anticipation. they were put il
baskets and swung to and fro over the
precipice, that they might see nov
many hundred feet they would have t.
be dashed down, and while they wer,
swinging in these baskets over thu
rocks they sang:
Jesus, lover OF my soul,
Let me 10 Thy bosom fly,
While the pillows near me roll
While the tempest still is high.
Then they were dashed down Il
death. Oh, how much others have en-
dured for Christ, and how little we en-
dure for Christ. We want to ride t.
Heaven in Pullman sleeping car, oul
feet on soft plush, the bed made W
early SO we can sleep all the way, thu
black porter of death to wake us ny
only in time to enter the golden city
We want all the surgeons to fix oul
hand up. Let them bring on all the
lint and all the bandages and all the
salve, for our hand is hurt, while Flea
Ear does not know his hand is hurt
His hand ciave unto the sword. u
J AS look at Eleazar's hand l come t
the conclusion that he has done grea
: deal of hard hitting. l am not sur.
/ prised when see that these four men,
Eleazar and his three companions
; drove back the army of Philistines, tina
, Eleazar's sword clave to his hand
| for every time he struck an enemy witt
, one end of the sword the other end o