The Dickinson press., 1891-10-24

SSAA NASh AZ
EXPIRED WITH S~UFFOCATION,
or were burned, or were chopped to
pieces for the truths sake? We talk
OF the persecution OF olden times.
there is just as muchpersecutiongoing
on now in various ways.
Oh, how much Others have endured
for Christ, and how little we endure
for Christ. We want to ride to heaven
in Il Pullman sleeping car, our feet on
soft plush, the bed made up early so
we can sleep all the way, the black
porter of death to wake us up only in
time to enter the golden civy. We
want all the surgeons to fix hand
up. Let them bring on all the lint
and all the bandages and all the
salve, for our hand is hurt, while
Eleazer does not know that his hand
is hurt. His hand clave unto the
sword"
AS | look at Eleazar's hand l come
to the conclusion that he has done a
great deal ofhard hitting. Iamnot sur
prised when l see that these four men
-Eleazer and his three companions
drove back the army OF the Philis-
tines, that Eleazar's sword clave to
his hand, for every time he struck an
enemy with one end of the sword, the
other end OF the sword wounded him.
When he took hold OF the sword, the
sword took hold OF him. Oh, wehaye
found an enemy who cannot be con-
quered by rosewaterandso speeches.
1t must be sharp stroke and straight
thrust. There is intemperance, and
there is fraud, and there is gambling,
and there is lust, and there are ten
thousand b~attalions ofiniquity. How
are they to be captured and over
thrown? Soft sermons in morocco
cases laid down in front OF an exqui-
site audience will not do it. You have
got to call things by their right name.
We have got to expel from our
churches Christians who eat the sac.
rament on Sunday and devour wild
ows' houses all the week. We have
got to stop our Indignation against
the Utilities andthe acoustics and the
Gergishites, and let thosepoor wretch
es go, and apply our Indignation to
THE MODERN TRANsGREssloNs
which need to be dragged out and
slain. Ahabs here, Herods here, Jeze-
bells here. The massacre of the infants
here. Strike for God SO hard that
while youslay the sin the sword will
adhere to your own hand. The Whole
tendency is to refine on Christian
work. We keep on refining on it, I'M
til we send apo]ogetic word to iniqui:
ty we are about to capture it. And
we must 90 with sword si~lver-chased
and presented by the ladies, and we
must ride on white p~alirey under EN-
broidered housings, putting the spurs
in only just enough to makethe charg'
er dance gracefully, and then we must
send amissive, delicate as q 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, de-
tanned from Sabbath classes because
! their new hat is not done. Churches
that shook our cities with great re-
vivals sending around to ask some
demonstrative worshiper if he would
not please to say "amen" and hallelu'
jah" little softer. 1t seems as if in
our churches We wanted a baptism o.
cologne and balm OF q thousand
!. flowers, when we actually need a bap
tism OF fire from the Lord God D
Pentecost.
But | see in the next place what 8
) hard thing it was for Eleazar to gel
his hand and his sword parted. TIL,
muscles and the sinews had been sc
long grasped around the sword h,
could not drop it when he proposed tt
drop it, and his three comrades,
suppose, came UP and tried to hell
) him, and they bathed the back par
} OF the hand, hoping the sinews ant
muscles would relax. But no BIZ
hand clave to thesword." Then they
tried to pull open the fingers and tt
pull back the thumb; but no sooner
were they pulled back when they closed
again, land his hand clave unto tn,
sword" But after a while they wer'
successful, and then they noticed tina
the curve in the palm of the hand cor
!, responded exactly with the curve o
the hilt. "His hand clave unto tn,
sword"
Nightly WORK FOR GOD.
. They took Off more of the heads o
Philistine iniquity than you coult
count from moo to shutdown.
bad in my parish in Philadelphi,
: . Very aged man who in his early lif
!. !. had been the companion and advise
5 OF the early presidents, Madison an,
> Monroe. He had welded vast lnhu
! ence, but I only knew him as a Yer.
! aged man. The most remarkabl
), thing about him was his ardor 70
. Christ. When he could not stand U,
. in the meeting without propping, h
= would throw his arm around a pilla
= OF the church, and though his min
. was partially gone, his love for Chris
- was SO great that all were in deep II
: spect and profound admiration. an
8 were moved when he spoke. ] We
a called to see him die. I entered I'll
IL room, and he said: "Mr. Talmage,
cannot speak to you now" He We
in a very pleasant delirium, as he in
acined he had an audience before hin
He said: 81 must tell these people t
10 come to Christ and prepare for hea'
en-" And then in this pleasant deli
ium, both arms lifted, this octogel
arian preached Christ and told of IL
glories of the world to come. Their
o lying on his dying pillow, his dyi1
hand clave to his sword.
You and have seen it many a tim
l. There are in the United States toda
many aged ministers OF the gospe
IS They are too feeble nov to preach. ]
O. the church records the word opposi
,r their name is emeritus, "orthe wore
e. are, "a minister without a charge
,s They We're a hero race. They ha
is small salaries, and but few book
and they swan spring freshets to me
"a their appointments. But they did
~ their day
1t was in the front room on the SC
ond floor that my father lay a-dyin
1t was Saturday morning, 4 o'cloc
i Just three days before that day IL
4 mother had LETT him for the skies, al
a. he had been homesick to join hercol