Iuka reporter. (Iuka, Miss.) 1888-1894, 1893-07-27

Hhue tnat the EngllSn soldiers gave to Blu
cher. the commander; They called him ''Old
the church Of Christ let us have = glorious
advance. And say to you q H as the
general said when his troops were affrighted.
Rising up IN his stirrups, his hair flying in
the wind, he lifted his voice until 1000
troops heard him, crying out forward, the
whole line Y
Again, learn from this subject that we
sometimes do well to take advantage Of the
worlos sharpening instruments. Tnese
Israelites were reduced to file, and SO thew
went over to the garrison of the Philistines
to get their axes, and their goads and their
plows sharpened. The Bible distinctly states
In the context that they had no other instru-
ments now with which to do this work. and
fne lsraelites did right when they went over
70 the Philistines to use their grindstones
MY friends, Is it not right for us to employ
the worlds grindstones? If there be arr. If
there be logic, if there be business faculty on
tne other side let us go over and employ it
for Christ's sake -
The fact is we fight with too dull weapons.
ana we work with too dull implements We
hack and we maui when we ought to make a
cream stroke Let us go over among sharp
business men and among sharp literary moi
and find out what their taste is, and then
transfer it to the cause OF Christ. If they
have science and art, it will do us good to
rub against 1t. 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
to make our experiments. and we will bor-
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 master in
his day. He not only got all the learning he
could get of DIR. 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 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-
gerner, 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 S metaphysics and forced it
into the service of God, until not only the
old meeting house in Northampton, Mass,
but all Christendom, felt thrilled by his
Christian power
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 a
small allowance Philistine iniquity puts a
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 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 thickens
his tongue. Was he fine In personal appear,
ance, 1t mars his visage. Was he affuent IL
sends the sheriff to sell him out. Was he in,
fuential, 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 a t1le
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 I will give you all you
want--music for the dance, swift steeds
Der on, and you shall be refreshed with thd
rarest fruits in baskets of golden f1ligree. y,
He lies The music turns out to be q groan.
The fruits burst the rind with rank poison.
The fligree 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 flle So it was with voltaire, the
most applauded man OF his day
The Scripture was his 1estbook, whence he drew
Bonmots 2 gall the Christian and the Jew
oh, then text would touch hin 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
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 infldel die.
Philistine infqulty had promised him all the
worlds garlands, but in the last hour of his
life, when he needed solacing, sent tearing
across his conscience and his nerves a file, a
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, fretting
at the world, fretting at God, and he who
gave to the world ssChilde Harold" and
"Sardanapalus,' and 'sThe Prisoner OF
Chillon," and s'The Siege Of Corinth," re-
duced to nothing but file
Oh, sin has great facility for making prom
ises, but 1t his just as great facility for
breaking them. 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 q canker. Sin, like q 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, Herod2 Is it not so, Hill
debrand2 Is It not so, Rnbespierre? Aye!
ayei 1t b so It is so. 1.-THE way of the
wicked He turneth upside down.
History tells us that when Rome was
founded, on that day there were ~ yultnrss
flying through the air, but when trans
gressor dies the skies Is black with Whole
docks of them. yutures! When see sin
robbing 90 many people, and I see them go.