Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1891-10-15


the sword.
Rnt I see in the next place what haru
thinv il WAS for Elenzar 10 get his hanu
and his sword parted. The muscles ana
the siuews had been so long grasped around
the sword he could not drop it when ne
proposed TO drop it, and his three comrades
suppose. came up and tried to help him.
and they bathesl the back part of the hand
boning the sinews and muscles would re-
lax But no "His hand clave unto the
sword. Then they tried TO pull open the
fingers and TO pull back the thumb Dut
No sooner were they pulled back than they
closed again, ''and his hand claye unto the
sword But after awhile they were sue
cessful. and then they noticed that the
curyein the palm of the hand corresponueu
exactly with the curve OF the hit MS
hand clave unto the sword
You and | have seen il many a time.
There are in the United States today many
aged ministers Of the Gospel. They are 100
feeble now to preach. In the church rec
ords 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 book ;,
and they swan spring freshets 10 meet
their appointments. But they did IN their
day a mighty work for God They TOOK
of more of the heads OF Philistine iniquity
than you could count from noon TO sun
down You put that old minister Of the
Gospel now into n prayer meeting, or occa-
sional pulpit, or sick room where there Is
some one to be comforted, 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 so long clutched the
sword in Christian conflict he cannot drop
it, "His hand clave unto the sword
THE AGED MINISTER'S FAITH
/ had IN my parish in Philadelphia
very aged man who IN his early lie hau
been the companion and adviser of the
early presidents, Madison aud Monroe. He
had welded vast influence, but ! only
knew him as very aged man. The most
remarkable thing abont him WAS bis ardor
for Christ. When he could not stand up
in the meetings without 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 ad'
miration, and were moved when he spoke.
| was called TO see him die. | entered the
room, and he said, ''Mr. Talmage, | can
not speak to you now He was in Il very
pleasant delirium, as he imagined he had
an audience before him He said, II must
tell these people to come 10 Christ and pre-
pare for heavenn And then in this pleas
ant delirium, both arms lifted. this octo-
genarian preached Christ aud told OF the
glories of the world to come. There. lying
on his dying pillow, his dying hand clave
to his sword.
Oh, II there ever was any one who had Il
right to retire from the conflict it was old
Joshua Soldiers come back from battle
have the names OF the battles on their flags.
showing where they distinguished them
selves, and il Is a very appropriate inscrp-
ton Look at the flag OF old General
Joshua. On ii Jericho. 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 hun
dred and ten years old. He is lying Hat on
his back but be is preaching. His dying
words are a battle charge against dolatry
and ralying cry for the Lord OF Hosts as
he says. Behold, this day go the way Of
all the earth. and God hath not failed to
fulfill 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 and his
great heart have been severed. The elm
wood rods had stung him fearfully 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 in the suburbs of Damascus, as
the supernatural light fell. down TO this
day when he is sixty-eight years Of age and
ntd p ba on11 ssf
the Mamertine, he has been outrageously
treated, and he is waiting To die. How does
he spend his last hoursg Telling the world
how badly he feels, and describing the
that he got IN prison, the
affecting his limos, or the
neuralgia piercing his temples. or the thirst
hat fevers his tongues Oh. no. His last
words are the battle shout for Christendom.
Il am now ready TO be offered, and the
time Of my departure is at hand; have
fought the good fight" And so his dying
hand clave unto the sword.
1t was in the front room on the second
ioor that my father lay a-dying. Il was
Saturday morning, four o'clock. just three
years before that day my mother had left
aim for the skies, and he had been home
sick to join her company. He was eighty
suIec ears Oi aye. MlnlSleTS Oh tne dOSpcl
came in TO comfort him, but he comforted
hem. How wonderfully the words sounded
out from his dying pillow, ri have been
young and now am old, yet have never
seen the righteous forsslken, or bis seed !
begging bread" They bathed his brow, I
and they bathed his hands, and they hathed
his feet and they succeeded in straighten-
ng out the feet; but they did not succeed
N bathing open the hand so it sould stay
open. They bathed the hand open, but it |
,ame shut. They bathed it open again. but
t cameshut Whatwas the matter with the
thumb and the fingers of that old handi |
Ali it had so long clutched the sword OF |
Christian conflict that Ibis hand clave unto |
,he sword"
SPIRITS OF THE MARTYRS
preach this sermon rs a tonic want /
Tou to hold the truth with ineradicable |
grip. and want you to strike so hard for
sod that it will react and while you take |
.he sword, the sword will take you.
You noticed that the officers of the north |