The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1892-06-24
CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS.
DR.. Talmage Discourses on Militant
Christianity.
Followers of the Saviour Urged to Be
Ready for Aggressive Warfare
The Popular Preacher CO.
ing to Europe.

might be able to be present at the dis
tribution in the famine stricken dis
tricts of Russia of the Christian Herald
relief cargo, consisting of S,00O,99O
pounds of -four and other supplies which
goes out this week on the steamship
Leo, chartered for the purpose. He
congratulated the American people on
the generous spirit evinced by this
magnificent gift to the starving people.
His sermon was from the text, Ephe-
slams Vi. II. Put on the Whole Armor
of God
There is in this text great rattle OF
shields and helmets and swords. Sol
diers are ready for battle. We have
had recently in this church new enlist
ments and l shall address myself to
those in this and other churches who
are putting on the armOr OF God, and
who may feel themselves to be as yet
only raw recruits. "Masterly retreat
is term often used in military circles,
but in religion there is no such thing.
1t is called glorious advance or dis
graceful and ignominious falling back.
1t would be strange thing if all our
anxiety about men ceased the moment
they were converted. You would al
most doubt the sanity of that farmer
who having planted the corn and seen
it just sprout above ground, should say;
"NIy work is all done. have no more
anxiety for the field" No. There is
work for the plow and the hoe, and
there must be careful keeping up of
- he =
ening away of the birds that would pill
lace the field. And | say the entrance
upon Christian life is only the implant-
alton of grace in the heart. There is
earnest, hard work yet to be done, and
perhaps many years of anxiety before
there shall be heard the glorious shout
of Harvest home" The beginning to
be n Christian is only putting down the
foundation: but after that there are
years of hammering, polishing, carv-
ing, lifting. before the structure is
completed 1t takes five years to make
a Christian character, it takes twenty
years, it takes forty years, 1T takes
seventy years if a man shall live so long.
In other words, man dying after half
century of Christian experience feels
that he has only learned the "A b
Cs' of a glorious alphabet The next
year will decide p great deal in
your history, young Christian man.
1t will decide whether you are to
be burning and shining light of the
church. or a spark of grace covered up
in a barrel of ashes. 1t will decide
whether you are to be a strong man in
Christ Jesus, with gigantic blows strik-
ING the iron mail of darkness, or a be-
dwarfed. whining, grumbling soldier,
that ought to be drummed out OF the
Lords camp with the ''Rogues' March "
You have only just been launched; the
VOYAGE is to be made. Earth and
Heaven and hell are watching to see
how fast you will sail, how well you
will weather the tempest, and whether
at last amid the shouting OF the angels
YOU shall come into the right harbor.
Nav God help me this morning TO give
vou three or four words Of Christian
/ counsel, as l address myself more espe-
cially TO those who have just now en-
tered the Christian life.
| NV first word of counsel is, Hold be-
fore Your soul a very high model Do
not say. 81 wish l could pray like that
man. or have the conservation of this
| one" Say: Here is the Lord Jesus
Christ. a perfect pattern. By that
mean. with Gods grace to shape all my
life" In other words, you will never
he anv more a Christian than you strive
to be. If YOU build foundation twenty
bv thirty feet, you will only have a
small house. If you build foundation
one hundred by one hundred feet you
will have a large house. If you resolve
to be only a middling Christian, you
will be only a middling Christian. II
YOU have no high aspiration in world
" direction, you will never succeed IN
business. If you have no high aspira'
ton in religious things you will never
succeed in religion. You have a right
70 aspire to the very highes'
stvle of Christian character. From
your feet there reaches ou
a path of Christian attainment which
YOU NAV take and / deliberately sa!
that YOU may be better man than wa'
Paul, or David, or Summerfield, or bod
dridge-a better woman than Hannai
Moore or Charlotte Elizabeth. Why
not? Did they have a monopoly o
Christian grace? Did they have pri
va.e KEY to the storehouse of God
mercy? Does God shut you out from
the gladness and goodness to whicl
thev were introduced. o, no. You hav
lust the same promises, just the sam
Christ, Just the same Holy Ghost, jus
the same offers of present and everlast
ing love, and if you fall short of wha
they were-aye. if you do not conn
ND to the point which they reached ant
90 beyond tit is not because Chris
has shut you out from any point @
moral and spiritual elevation, but be
cause you deliberately refused to TAX
it l admit that man cannot become
Christian like that without struggle
but what do you get without fightin
for it? The fortresses of darkness ar
to be taken by storm You may b
acute strategy flank the hosts of tempti
tions. there are evils, in the way tina
You will have to meet face to face an
it will be shot for shot, gun for gur
grip for grip, slaughter for siaughte'
The Apostle Paul over and over agai
represents the Christian life as con
bat
When the war vessel of Christ's churc
comes into glory, bringing its crew an
its passengers, it will not come in lili
a North river yacht, beautifully painte
and adorned, swinging into the DO;
house after pleasure excursion. o, NJ
/ 1t will be like a vessel coming with
heavy cargo from China or India, II
marks of the wave and the hurricar
upon it-sails rent, riggings splice'
pumps all working to keep her afoa
| h,1,,-o,l,e lyroel-ad away soc s,lch