The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1893-08-10

advance. And L say 10 you HoW as tne
general said when his troops were affrighted.
Rising I'D In his stirrups, his hair flying in
the wind, he lifted his voice until 10000
troops heard him, crying out, Forward, the
whole line"
Again. I learn from this subject that we
sometimes do well to take ADVANTAGE of the
,be fsraelites did right when they went over
n the Philistines to use their grindstones.
Nv friends. is it not right for US to employ
The worlds grindstones? II there be art, II
there be logic, il there be business faculty on
the other side, let us go over and employ IL
for Christ's sake
and we work with too dull implements. We
hack and we maui when we ought to make
clean stroke, Let us go over among sharp
worlds sharpening instrume nts. Ihese
Israelites were reduced to a file, and SO they
went over to the garrison OF the Phlll shines
TO get their axes, and their goads and their
nIows sharpaned. The Bible distinctly states
In the context that they had no other instru-
ments now with which to do this work. and
business men and among sharp literary men
and find out what their taste is, and then
transfer it to.the cause of Christ Ii they
have science and art, it will do us good to
rub against it. In other words, let us en-
ploy the worlds grindstones. We will listen
to their music. and we will watch their acu-
men. and we will use their grindstones, and
we will borrow their philosophical apparatus
row their printing presses to publish our
Bibles. and we will borrow their rail trains
to carry our Christian literature and we
will borrow their ships to transport our
missionaries.
That was what made Paul such a master in
his day. He not only got all the learning he
could get of Dr. Gamaliel, but afterward
standing on Mars hill and In crowded thor
oughfares quoted their poetry and grasped
their logic and welded their eloquence and
employed their mythology until Diohysius,
the Areopagite, learned in the schools of
Athens and Heiopolis, went down under his
tremendous powers.
That was what gave Thomas Chalmers his
power in his day. He conquered the worlds
astronomy and compelled it to ring out the
wisdom and greatness of the Lord, until Tor
<he second time the morning stars sang to-
gether and all the sons of God shouted for
Joy That was what gave to Jonathan Ed
wards his influence in his day. He con-
uuered the world metaphysics and forcedit
into the service of God, until not only the
old meeting house in Northampton, Mass,
but all Christendom, felt thrilled by his
Christian power.
Well, now, my friends, we all have tools OF
Christian usefulness. Do not let them lose
their edges. We want no rusty blades in
this fight. We want no Golfer that cannot
rip up the glebe. We want no ak that can
not fell the trees. We want no goad that
cannot start the lazy team. LIEU Us SSt tHo
very best grindstones we can find, though
they be in the possession Of the Philistines,
compelling them TO turn the crank, while we
bear down with all our might on the swift
revolving wheel until all our energies and
faculties shall be brought up 20 d GiIsht,
keen. sharp. glittering edge.
Again, my subject teaches us on what
small allowance Philistine iniquity puts
man. Yes, these Philistines shut up the
mines, and then they took the spears and the
swords. then they took the blacksmiths, then
they took the grindstones, and they took
everything but hle oh, that is the way SIN
works. 1t grabs everything. 1t begins with
robbery and it ends with robbery. 1t de-
spoils this faculty and that faculty and keeps
on until the whole nature is gone. Was the
man eloquent before, it generally th1ckens
his tongue. Was he fine in personal appear
ance, it mars his visage. Was he affiuent, 1t
sends the sheriff to sell him out Was he in
tuential it destroys his popularity. Was he
placid and genial and loving, it makes him
splenetic and cross, and so utterly is he
changed that you can see he is sarcastic and
rasping and that the Philistines have left him
nothing but file.
oh, ''the way of the transgressor is hard.
His cup is bitter. His night is dark. His
pangs are deep. His end is terrific. Philis-
tine iniquity says to that man, Now, sur
render to me, and | will give you all you
want-music for the dance, swift steeds
for the race, imperial couch to SUM
Der on, and You shall be refreshed with the
rarest fruits in baskets Of golden tiligree
He lies The music turns out to be a groan.
The fruits burst the rind with rank poison.
The flligree is made up of twisted snakes.
The couch is grave. Small allowance OF
rest small allowance of peace, small allow
ance of comfort Cold, hard rough-noth-
ing but fle SO it was with Voltaire, the
most applauded man of his day:
The Scripture was his textbook, whence he drew
Bonmots to gall the Christian and the jew;
An inndel when wei but what when sick?
Oh, then a text would touch him to the quick
Seized with hemorrhage of the lungs in
Paris, where he had gone to be crowned In
the theater as an idol of all France, he sends
a messenger to get priest that he may be
reconciled to the church before he dies.
great terror falls upon him. He makes the
place all round about him so dismal that the
nurse declares that she would not for all the
wealth of Europe see another infdel die.
Phiistine iniquity had promised him all the
worlds garands but in the last hour of his
life, when he needed solacing, sent tearing
across his conscience and his nerves file,
file.
SO it was with Lord Byron, his uncleanness
in England only surpassed by his unclean-
ness in Venice, then going on to his brilliant
misery at Missolonghi, and fretting at his
nurse, Fletcher, fretting at himself, frettiDg
at the world. fretting at God, and he who
gave to the world 'Childe Harold" and
''Sardanapalus, and The Prisoner of
Chillon," and 1.-The Siege of Corinth," re-
duced to nothing but file
Oh sin has great facility for making prom
ises, but it has just as great facility for
breaking them. A Christian life is the only
cheerful life, while life of wicked surrender
is remorse, ruin and death. Its painted glee
is sepulchral ghastliness In the brightest
days OF the Mexican Empire Montezuma
said he felt knawing at his heart something
like a canker. Sin, like monster wild
beast of the forest. sometimes ticks all over
its victim in order that the victim may be
more easily swallowed; but generally sin
rasps and gals and tears and upbraids and
files. Is it not so, Herod? Is it not so, Hill
debrand? Is it not so, Robespierre? Aye !
aye it is so it is so. 1.-The way OF the
wicked He turneth upside down"
History ters us that when Rome was
| founded, on that day there were ~ vultures
| flying through the air, but when trans
| gressor dies the skies is black with whole
| oGc ~ Vu1 r lin