The Dickinson press., 1893-08-05

the l.Oru : most. Inc NaSl majority ol
Christians in this day are useless. h
most of the Lords BATTALION belong to
the reserve corps. The most OF the
crew are asleep i'll the hammOckS. The
most of the metal is under the hills.
Oh. is it not time for the church of God
to rouse up and understand that We
want all the energies. all IL talent. and
all the wealth enlisted for ChriSt'S sake?
l like the nickname that the English
soldiers gave to Butcher. the command
or. They called him 'Old Forwards
We have had enough retreats i'll the
church of Christ: let us have Il glorious
advance. And l say To you now, as
affrishtcd. Rising up i'll his stirlnps.
his hair flying in the wind, he lifted
I'm his voice until 20.ONO troops heard
him CRYING out: Forward, the whole
linc."
Again I learn from this subject, that
We sometimes do we'll to take advant-
age of the worlds sharpening inStlu-
mcntS. These %lSraelitcx We're
to ii flo. and so they went over To the
garrison of the Philistinrs to get their
axes and their gnadS and their plows
shnrpcncd. The Bible distinctly states
in the context that they had no other
instruments now with which to d" this
work, and the lSlarlitcS did right When
thry went uvcr to the Phili>tincS to
use their gr%indStoncS. My friends. Is 1t
not rigll, for us To employ the worlds
rrimlstoncs? IL there 90 art. If there
be logic, il there he business faculty
on the other side. let us so over and
employ it for Christ's sake. The fact
is. we fight with t~o u weapons
and We work With too IL implements.
We hack and maui when we ought to
make Il clean stroke. Let us so over
among sharp business men. and amor
sharp literary men, and find out what
their tact is. and then transfer 1t to
the cause of Christ. II they have SCI,
ence and art ii will do us good
to rub against it. In other worlds,
let us employ the worlds grind
~ We will listen to their
music, and we will watch their
acumrn. and we will use their grind
stones; and we will borrow their philo-
sophical apparatus to make Il cXpe-
riments, and we will borrow their print
ing presses to publish IL Bibles. and
we will borrow their rail trains to car
nv our Christian literature, and we will
borrow their ships to transport IL
missionaries. That was what made
Paul such Il master in his day. He not
only got all the learning he could get
of Or. Gamaliel, but afterward, stand
ing on Mars Hill. and i'll crowded thor
oughfarr. quoted their poetry and
grasped their logic. and welded their
clouurncc and employed their mythol-
ogy until Dionysius, the Arcopagite,
learned in the schools of Athens and
Heliopolis, went down under his tire
mcndous powers. That was what gave
Thomas Chalmers his power in his day.
He conquered the worlds astronomy
and compelled it to ring o the wis
dom and greatness of the Lord, until
for the second time, the morning stars
shouted for JOY. That was what gave
to Jonathan Edwards his influence in
his day. He conquered the worlds
metaphysics and forced it into the
service of God, until not only the old
meeting house in Northampton. Mass.
but all Christcndom 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 coulter that cannot
rip up the globe. We want no AK that
cannot fell trees. We want no goad
that cannot start the lazy team. Let us
get the very best grindstoncs we car
find, though they be in possession of
the Philistines. compelling them to
turn the crank while we bear down
with all Dur might on the s~wift-revolv-
ing wheel until all our energies and
faculties shall be brought up to IL
bright. ken. sharp. glitterins edge.
I learn from this subject what Il sad
thing ii is when the church of God
loses it's metal. These Philistines saw
that if they could only get all the metal
lie weapons out Of the hands of the
Isl,elitcs all would be well, and, there
fore. they took the swords and the
spears. They did not want them to
have Il single metallic weapon. When
the metal of The lsraclitcs was gone
their strength was gone. This is the
trouble With the church of God to-day.
1t is su%rrcndcring its courage. 1t has
not got enough metal. How seldom il
is that YOU see a man taking his posi-
ton i'll pew, OF i'll pulpit, or i'll Il re
ligious society, and holding that posi-
ton against all oppression, and all trial
and I'LL persecution, and all criticism
The church of God today wants more
backbone, more defiance, more cOncen
IIiilCu DlilNclS, AlOlG llStul. 11oW "
you sec n man start out in some gooC
enterprise, and at the first blast OF
newspaperdom he has collapsed, and al
his courage gone, forgetful of the fac
that if Il man be right all the newSpa
pers of the earth, With I'LL their columns
pounding away at him, cannot do hin
any permanent damage. 1t is onl.
when n Hal is wrong that he can b.
damaged. Why, God is going to vim
dicate his truth. and he is going to stant
by you. my friends, in every effort yo'
make for Christ's cause and the saliva
ton of men. / sometimes say to M.
wife: 'There is something wrong; til,
newspapers have not assaulted NE 70
three months! l have not done my dut
against public iniquitics. and l will sti
them up next Sunday" Then l sti
them. up and Oh the following wee
: the devil howls. and howls, shown
, that l have hit him very hard. q
l. forth lit the service of Christ and d
, your whole duty. You have one sphcr,
= l have another sphere. THE Lord G
: Hosts is with lis. and the God of Jaco
.. is our refuge. Sclah.'' We want MOI
; /. of the determination of Jonathan.
= do not suppose he was Il very wonder
lll Il;til. Dut III SOl VII Ills AISSS an
), clambcred up the rock. and with til
help of his armor-bcarcr he hewe
: down the Philistincs; and Il man {
, very ordinary intellectual attainment,
on his knees can storm anything fc
God and for truth. We want SOM
!, thing of the determination of the gel
\ cral who went into the w:lr, IL as II
! entered his first battle his knees knocl
cd together, his physical courage 1T
+ quite up to his moral courage. and Ii
! looked down ut his knees and sait
r "Ah. if you krew where ! was soin
to take you. you would shake Wors
. than that There is only one questio
for You to ask and for me to asl
What does God want me to do? Wher
, is the field? Where is the work? Whcr
is the anvil? Where is the prayer mee1
: ing? Where is the pulpit? And, tint
ing out what God wants us to do, Z
ahead and do it-all the energies of on