Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1893-08-04

der strata of indifference and under whole
mountains OF sioth. Now. is it not time for
the mining TO begin, and the pickazes TO
plunge. and for this buried metal 10 be
brought out and put into the furnaces and
he turned into howitzers and caroines for
the Lords host2 The vast majority OF
Christians in teis day are useless The
most of the Lords battalion belong 10 the
reserve corps. The most OF the crew are
asleep in the hammccks. The most OF the
metal i under the hills.
Oh. Il X not time for the church Of God 70
rouse up and understand that we want all
the energies. alb the talents and ali the wealth
enlisted for Ch-ist's sake? I ike the nick
name that the English soldiers gave 10 Blu
cher. the commander. They called hicl ''Old
Forwards" We have had enough retreats In
the church OF Christ let Us have a glorious
advance And 1 say TO you now as the
general said when his troops were afrigkted.
Rising up in his stirrups. his hair flying in
the wind. he lifted his voice until &c. 900
troops heard him, crying out, Forward, the
whole line -
Again. learn from this subject that we
sometimes do well 10 take advantage OF the
worlds Sharpening instrume nts. These
lsraelites were reduced TO file. and SO they
went over TO the garrison Of the phil shines
TO get their axes. and their gOads. and their
pDws sharpeIed. The Bible distinctly states
in the context that they had 40 other instrU-
ments now with which to do this work, and
the 1sraelites did right when they went over
TO the Pnilistines to use their grindstones.
Ny friends. is il not right for US to employ
the worlds grindstones? If there be art. il
there be logic. if there be business faculty on
the other side, lot US go over and employ it
for ChriSt's sake
The fact is we fight with too dull weapons.
and we work with too dull implements. We
hack and we maui when we ought TO make a
clean stroke. Let Us go over among sharp
business men and among sharp literary men
And hot hnir SC Thay,
transfer it to the cause OF Christ. If they
have science and art. it will do US good to
rub against it. In other words, let US en-
plOy the worlds grlndstOnes. 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
to make our experiments, and we will Dor
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 thC-
oughfares quoted their poetry and grasped
their logic and welded their cloquence and
employed their mythology until Dionysius,
the Areopagite, learned in the schools Of
Athens and Heliopolis, 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 for
the 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-
quered the world metaphysics and fOrcedi it
into the service of God, until not only the
old meeting house i'll Northampton Mass,
but all Cbristendom, 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. Let US get the
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 to a bright,
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 file. Oh. that is the Wav sin
works. 1t grabs everything. 1t begins with
robbery, and it ends with robbery 1t de-
spols this faculty and that faculty and keeps
on until the whole nature is gone. Was the
man eloquent before, it generally thickens
his tongue Was he fine in personal appear
ance, it mars his visage Was he affiuent. it
sends the sheriff TO sell him out. Was he in
fuentiai. it destroys his popularity. Was he
placid and genial and loving, it makes him
splenetic and cross. and SO utterly is ID
changed that you can see he is sarcastic and
rasping and that the Philistines have left him
nothing but file.
Oh, 1.-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 I 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 tihgree."
He lies. The music turns out to be a gr0an.
The fruits burst the rind with rank poison.
The ff1igree 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 a file. So it was with Voltaire. the
most applauded maj Of his day
The Scripture was his jestbook, whence he drew
BonmOts to gall the Christian and the Jew;
An infdel wnen wei but what when sick?
Oh, then text would touch him to the quick.
Seized with henorrhage of the lungs in
Paris. where he had gone to be crowned III
the theater as an idol Of all France, he sends
messenger TO get a priest that he may be
reconciled to the church before he dies. A
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.
Philistine iniQuity had promised him all the
worlds garlandS. but in the last hour of his
life, when he needed sOlacing. sent tearing
across ais conscience and his a file a