Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1893-07-27
men will not be converted to God, then they

oped. The Bible intimates that that was
very rich land, this land of Israel. 1t says,
THE stones are iron, and out of the hills
thou shalt dig brass" and yet hundreds of
thousands of dollars worth of this metal
was kept under the hills. Well, that is the
difficulty with the church of God at this
day Its talent is not developed. If one
half of its energy could be brought out,
it might take the public iniquities of the
day by the throat and make them bite the
dust. If human eloquence were consecrated
to the Lord Jesus Christ, it could in few
years persuade this whole earth to surrender
to God.
There is enough undeveloped Christian
energy in the United States to bring the
whole world to Christ, but it is buried I'M
der strata of indifference and under whole
mountains of sloth. Now, is it not time
for the mining to begin and the pickaxes to
plunge, and for this buried metal to be
brought out and put into the furnaces and be
turned into howitzers and carbines for the
Lords host? The vast majority of Chris
tians in this day are useless. The most of
the Lords battalion belong to the reserve
corps. The most of the crew are asleep in
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 the talent and all the
wealth enlisted for Christs sake? | like
the nickname that the English soldiers gave
to Butcher, the commander. They called
him Old Forwards. We have had enough
retreats in the church of Christ let us have
glorious advance. And say to you now
as the general said when his troops were
atfrighted. Rising up in his stirrups, his
hair flying in the wind he lifted up his
voice until 10000 troops heard him crying
out, Forward, the whole liner
PAUL, THE PHILOSOPHER
Again, / learn from this subject that we
sometimes do well to take advantage of
the worlds sharpening Instruments. These
Israelites were reduced to Il file, and so they
went over to the garrison Of the Philistnes
to get their axes and their goads and their
plows sharpened. The Bible distinctly
states in the context that they had no other
instruments now with which to do this
work, and the Israeltes did right when
they went over to the Philistines to use
their grindstones, My friends, is it not
right for us to employ the worlds grind
stones2 If there be art, if there be logic, if
there be business faculty on the other side
sake. The fact is, we fight with too dull
weapons, and we work with too dull nipple
ments. We back and we maui when we
ought to make clean stroke.
Let us 90 over among sharp business men
and among sharp literary men and find out
what their tact is and then transfer it to
the cause Of Christ. If they have science
ana art, it will do us good to rub against it,
! In cth nr words lat Nv ba e
grindstones. We will listen to their music,
and we will watch their acumen, and we
will Use their grindstones, and We will hor
row their philosophical apparatus to make
our experiments, and we will borrow their
printing presses to publish our Bibles, and
we will borrow their rail trains to carry
our Christian literature and we will Dor
row their ships to transport our missiona-
| res.
That was what made Paul such IA master
! in his day. He not only got all the learn
ing he could get of DR.. Gamaliel, but after
ward, standing on Mars hill and in crowd
ed thoroughfare, quoted their poetry, and
| graspcd their logic, and welded their elo-
| quence, and employed their mythology I'M
til 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 as
tronomy 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.
THE LEARNED EDWARDS
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 meet
ing house in Northampton, Mass, but al
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 glebc, We want nc
ak that cannot fell the trees We want nc
goad that cannot starr the lazy team. Let
us get the very best grindstones we can fine
though they be in the possession of the
Philistines, compelling them to turn tn,
crank while we bear down with all oul
might on the swift revolving wheel until al
our energies and faculties shall be brought
up to n bright, keen, sharp, glittering edge
Again, my subject teaches us on what
small allowance Philistine inquity puts
man. Yes, these Phllistines shut up tn,
mines, and then they took the spears anc
the swords, then they took the blacksmiths
then they took tie grindstones and the,
took everything but file Oh that is tn
way sin works. 1t grabs everything 1t be
gins with robbery and it ends with robbery
1t despoils this faculty and that faculty ant
keeps on until the whole nature is gone
Was the man eloquent before, it general,
thickens his tongue. Was he fine in per
Eonal appearance, it mars his visage. Wa
he afiluent, it sends the sheriff to sell hin
out. Was he influential, it destroys hi
popularity, Was he placid and genial an,
loving, it makes him splenetic and cross
and so utterly is he changed that you ca
see he is sarcastic and rasping and that tn
Philstines have left him nothing but file
Oh, 1.-THE way of the transgressor is hard
His cup i bitter, His night is dark. Hi
pangs are deep. His end is terrific Philis
tine iniquity says to that man, Now, sui
render to me, and ! will give you all 20
want, music for the dance, swift steeds fo
the race, imperial couch to slumber on, an
you shall be refreshed with the rarest fruit.
in baskets of golden flieree He le