The Penn's Grove record., 1892-03-18

nav iaclllah hOSt uhu bIOuoao ShSe?h -
readyg Mol Red sea not enough. Water
anime not enough. Long marches not
enough. Opposition by enemies OF ordinary
stature not enough, They must need Og,l
the giant of the iron bedstead. Wine
cubits wa, the length thereof and four
cublts the breadth of it," Why not let these
lsraelites 70 smoothly into Canaan without
this gigantic opposition Oh, they needed
to have their courage and faith further
tested and Developed And blessed the man
VINO, IN our time, in his march toward the
Promised Land, does not meet more than
one giant. Do not conclude that you are not
on the way 10 Canaan because OF TINS 3D.
stacle.
As well might the Isr lelites conclude they
were not on the way TO the Promised Land
because they met Og, the giant. standing
IN your way is some evil propensity, some
social persecution, some business misfortune,
SOME physical distress. Not one OF you but
meets a giant who would like to hew you in
twain. Higher than eleven feet TINS Og
darkens the sky and the rattle OF his ouckler
stuns the ear. But you are going to get the
victory, as iId the Israelites. In the name
OF the God of Moses and David aud Joshua
and Paul, charge on him, and you will
leave his carcass in the wilderness. You
want a battle shoutl
Take that with which David, the five,
footer, assailei Goliath, the ni%ne-footer;
when that giant cried, with singing con
Tempt both In manner and lntonation,
Come to me and I will give thy flesh unto
the fowls of the air and TO the beasts OF the
Held, and David looked up at the monster
of braggaiocio and d~efiantly replied: Thou
CONTEST u me with a sword, and with a
| spear, and with a shield; but come to thee
In the name Of the Lord of Hosts, the God OF
the armies Of Israel, whom thou has defied.
This day will the Lord deliver thee unto mine
hand, and will smite thee and take thine
head from thee, and 1 will give the carcasses
OF the host Of the PhiIistines this day unto
the fowls OF the air and to the wild beasts
of the earth, that all the earth may know
that there Is "A god in Israel"
Then David, with probably three swirls OF
the sling about his head, got itinto suif1cient
momentum and let fly till the Uranium OF
the giant broke III and he fell and David
leaped on his carcasss, one foot on his chest
and the other on his head, and that was the
last of the PhIlistine. But be sure you get
the right battle shout and that you utter it
with the right spirit, or Og will roll over
you as easily as at night he rolled into his
\ iron bedstead.
Brethren, | have made up my mind that
we will have to fight all the way up to the
Promised Land. used to think that after
awhile would get into a time where it
would be smooth and easy, but the time does
not come and 1t will never come in this
world. By the time King Og is used up SO
that he cannot get into his iron bedstead,
some other giant Of opposition looms up to
an easy time and make it a thirty years
war, or a sixty years war, or a hundred
years war, if we live SO long.
Must 1 be carried to the skIes
On towery beds Of ease,
While othets fought to win the prize
And sailed through bloody seas2
Do you know the name of the biggest
| giant that you can possibly meet-and you
| will meet him? He Is not eleven feet high,
but one hundred feet high. His bedstead
Is as long as the continent. His name is
Doubt. His common food is inidel books
and skeptical lectures n ministers who do
not know whether the Bible is inspired at all
| or inspired In spots, and Christians who are
more intidel than Christian. You will never
reach the Promised Land unless you Stay
that giant. Kill Doubt or Doubt will kill
you. How to overcome this giautr Pray
tor faith, 60 with people who have faith,
read everything that encourages faith, avoid
| as you would ship fever and smallpox the
| people who lack faith.
In this battle against King Og use not for
weapons the crutch Of a limping Christian or
| the sharp pen OF a controyersialist, but the
| sword OF truth, which is the word of God.
The word ''lf' is made up OF the same num-
Der of letters as the word 'Og," and it is
| Just as big a giant. If the Bible be true.
Ii the soul be Immortal. Ii Christ he God.
II our belief and behavior here decide our
future destiny. If. II. II. 1 hate that
| word 'If." Noah Webster says it is a con-
junction, say it is an armed giant. Satan
breathed upon it a curse when he said to
| Christ, 'If Thou bs the Son of God.n
| What a dastarily and infamous ',If."
| Against that giant IF" hurl Jobs II
know and Paups 81 know" II know that
my Redeemer Iiveth." ~ know in whom 1
have believed" Down with the 'If" and I'D
with II know
oh, that giant Doubt is such a cruel
gianti 1t attacks many in the last hour.
1t would not let my mother alone even in
her diving moments. After a life of holi-
ness and conservation such as / never heard
Of in any one else, she said to my father.
"Father, what If after all our PRAYERS and
struggles should go for nothing" Why
could she not, after all the trials and sick
nesses and bereavements of a long life and
the infirmities OF oil age be allowed to go
without such a cruel stroke from Doubt, the
yiants Do you wonder l have q grudge
against the old monsterf II I could i would
give him a bigger bounce than Satan got
when, hurled out Of heaven, the first thing
he struck was the bottom of perdition.
With Og's downfall all the sixty cities
surrendered. Nothing was left Of the giant
except his iron bedstead, which was kept in
q museum at Rabbath to show how tall and
stout he once was. So shall the last giant
of opposition in the church's march sue
cumb. Not sixty cities captured, but all
the cities. Not only on one side OF Jordan,
but on both sides of all the rivers. The
day is coming. Hear it all We who are
doing something for the conquest of the
world for God and the truth, the time will
come when, as there was nothing left of Og,
the giant, but the iron bedstead kept at
Rabbath as a curiosity, there will be moth
ing left of the giants of iniquity except
something for the relic hunters to examine.
Which of the giants will be the last slain I
know not, but there will be a museum some
where to hold the relics of what thew once
were. A ruste1 sword will be hung up-the
only relic of the giant of War. A demiiohn
the only relic Of the giant of Inebriation.
A roulette ball-the only relic of the giant of
Hazard. A pictured certificate of watered
stocks-the only relic Of the giant oil Stock
Gambling. A broken knife-the only relic
of the giant of Assassination, A yellow
cony of Tom Paiue-the only relic Of the
giant of Unbelief, And that museum will
ia for the later ages of the world what the
Iron bedstead at Rabbath did for the earlier
ages. Dc you not see it makes all the differ
snce in the world whether we are fighting
on toward a miserable defeat or toward .
final victory
All the Bible promises prophesy the latter,
and so | cheer you who are the troops 1t
God, and though many things are dark now,
like Alexander Ireview the army by torch
light, and / give you the ~watchword which
Martin Luther proclaimed, The Lord of
HostsP' ''rhe Lord of Hostsp' and I cry
out exultingly with Oliver Cromwell at the
hattie OF Dunbar. Let God arise: let His
enemies be scattered" Make all the prep.
~arations for the Sorld's eyangelization.
Have the faith of Robert and Mary Moffatt,
the missioners who after preaching in
B~echuaualand for ten years without one
convert when asked what they would like to
have sent them by the way Of gift from
England. said, Send a communion seryice
for il will be surely needed and sure
enough the expected ingathering of many
souls was realized and the communion ser
vice arrived in time to celebrate it. Ap-
propriately did that missionary write in an
album when his autograph was requested:
Ny album is the savage breast.
Where darkness relgns and tempests wresL
Without one ray Of light.
To write the name OF Jesus there
And point to worlds both bright and fair,
And see the savage bowed in prayer,
lie my supreme delight.
Whatever your work and wherever Won
work for God-forwardl You in your wav
and in my way. With holy pluck 6pht on
. u L. e