The Penn's Grove record., 1894-03-09
REV. DIR.
THE BROOKLYN DIvINE'S SUM-
DAY SERMON.


TEXT Who is has Mdt coneth from Efi3n,
ruth dyed garments from B0zr1h-tt4S hdt as
glorious in His apparel, trarelinq in The great
ness Of HIS strengthr"-Isaiah xiii, 1.
Edom and Bozrab, having been the scene
of fierce battle. when those words are used
here or in any other part OF the Bible they
are figures OF speech'setting forth scenes OF
severe conflict. As now we often use the
word Waterloo to describe a decisive contest
of any kind. so the words Bozrah and Edom
in this text are figures OF speech descriptive
of a scene OF great slaughter. Whatever else
the prophet may have meant to describe, he
most certainly meant to depict the Lord Jesus
Christ saying. s.Who is this cometh from
Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah.
travelingi In the greatness OF HIS strength
When n general is about to go out to the
wars. n flag and a sword are publicly pre-
sented 10 him, and the maidens bring flow
ers. and the young men load the cannon.
and the train starts amid a huzza that
browns the thunder Of the wheels and the
SHREK of the whistle. But all this will give
no idea of the excitement that there must
lave been in heaven when Christ started out
on the campaign OF the worlds conquest Ii
they could have foreseen the siege that
would be laid to Him, and the maltreatment
He would suffer, and the burdens He would
have to carry, aud the battles He would have
to fight, l think there would have been q
million volunteers in heaven who would
nave insisted on coming along with Him.
But no they only accompanied him to the
gate their last shout heard clear down to
the earth the spice between the two worlds
bridged with a great hosanna.
You know there is n wide difference be-
tween a mans going off to battle and coming
back again. When he goes Off, it is with
~epaulets untangled, with banner unspecked,
with horses sleek and shining from the
groom. All that there is of struggle and
pain is to come yet. So it was with Christ.
He had not yet fought q battle. He was
starting out, and though this world did not
give Him q warm hearted greeting there was
u gentle mother who folded Him in her arms.
And a babe flnds no difference between a
stable and a palace, between courtiers and
camel drivers.
As Jesus stepped on the stage ofthis world
It was amid angelic shouts in the galleries
AMI amid the kindest maternal ministra-
tons. But soon hostile forces began to
gather. They deployed from the sanhedrin.
They were detailed from the standing army.
They came out from the Cesarean castles.
The yagabonds in the street joined the gen.
tlemen of the mansion. Spirits rode up from
hell, and in long array there came "A force
together that threatened to put to rout this
newly arrived one from heaven
Jesus, now seeing the battle gathering,
lifted His own standard. Blu who gathered
about it? How feeble the recruits A few
shoremen, a blind beggar. a woman with an
alabaster box. another woman with two
mites n a group Of frlendless, moneyiess
and posttionless people came to HIS standard.
What chanc was there for Hin? Nazareth
against Him, Bethlehem against Him, Caper-
naum against Him, Jerusalem against Him,
Galilee against Him, the courts against Him.
the army against Him, the throne against
Him, the world against Him, all he'll against
Him. No wonder they asked Him to sur
render.
But He could not surrender, He could not
apologize. He could not take any back steps.
He had come to strike for the deiverance OF
an enslaved race. and He must do the work.
Then they sent out their pickets to watch
Him. They saw in what house He went and
when He came out. They watched what Ho
ate. and who with what He drank, and how
much. They did not dare to make their
final assault. for they knew not but that be-
hind Him there might be a Reinforcement
that was not seen.
But at last the battle came. 1t was to be
more fierce than Bozrah, more bloody than
Gettysburg, involving more than Austerlitz.
more combatants employed than at Chalons,
n ghastlier conflict than all the battles OF the
earth put together, though edmund Burke's
estimate of t~hirty-hve millions of the slain be
accurate. The day was Friday. The hour
was between ~ and 3 O'Clock. The field
was a slight hilloc northwest Of Jerusalem.
The forces engaged were earth and hell,
joined as allies on one side, and heaven,
represented by a solitary inhabitant on the
other.
The hour came. oh, what a time it was
l think that day the universe looked on, The
spirits that could be spared from the
heavenly temple and could get conveyance
of wing or chariot came down from above.
and spirits getting furlough from beneath
came up ; and they listened, and they looked,
and they watched. Oh, what an uneven bat
tle! Two worlds armed on one side an
unarmed man on the other. Tit regiment
of the Roman army at that time stationed at
Jerusalem began the attack. They knew
how to fight. for they belonged to the most
thoroughly drilled army of the world. With
spears glittering in the sun they charged up
the hill. The horses prance and rear
amid the excitement Of the populace tho
heels of the riders plunged in the TANKS, urg-
ing them on.
The weapons begin to tell Oh Christ. See
how faint He looks! There the blood
starts, and there, and there, and thers. If
He is to have re-anforcements, let Him call
them up now. No He must do this work
alone. He is dying. Feel for yourself OF
the wrist the pulse is feebler. Feel under
the arm the warmth is less. He is dying.
Aye, they pronounce Him dead. And just
at that moment that they pronounce Him
dead He rallied, and from His wounds He
unsheathed a weapon which staggered the
Roman legions down the hill and hurled the
satanic battalions into the pit. 1t was a
weapon OF love-inhnite love, all conquer
ing love. Mightier than javelln or spear, it
~triumphed over all. Put back, ye armies OF
earth and he'll!
The tide of battle turns. Jesus hath over
come. Let the people stand apart and make
a line that He may pass down from Calvary
to Jerusalem, and thence on and out all
around the world. The battle is fought.
The victory is achieved. The triumphal
march is begun. Hark to the hoofs OF the
warriors steed and the tramping OF a great
multitude, for He has many friends now
The hero of heaven and earth advances.
Cheer, cheer! "Who is this that cometh
from Edom, with dyed garments from Boz
rah, travelling in the greatness OF His
~strength?'
We behold here a new revelation Of a
blessed and a startling fact. People talk oil
Christ as though He were going to do some
thing grand for Us after awhile. He has
lone it. Peopletalk as though ten or twenty
years from now. in the closing hours OF out
life or in some terrible pass of life, Jesus will
utlp us. III has UOu6 Tue WIN tilSah9s "a
did it 1861 years ago. You might as well talk
of Washington as though he were going to
achieve our national independence in 1850 US
to speak OF Christ as though He were going
to achieve our salvation in the future-He
did II in the year of u Lord 33-1S6l
years ago-on the field of Bozrah, the
Captain OF our salvation fighting unto death
for your and my emancipation.
Alive have to do is to accept that fact in
our hearts, and we are free for this world,
and we are free for the world to come.
But, lest we might not accept, Christ comes
through here to-day travelling in the great
ness, OF His strength" not to tell you that he
is going to fight for you some battle in the
future, but to tell you that the battle is
already fought and the victory already won.
You have noticed that when soldiers com
home from the wars they carry on their flag:
the names Of the battlefields where they wert
distinguished. The Englishman coming bacl
has on his banner Inkerman and Balaklaya
the Frenchman Jena and Eylau the German
Versailles and Sedan. And Christ has OIL
the banner He carries as the
names Of 1000 battlefields He won for you
and for me. He rides past all OUT homes ol
bereavement--5y the door bell swathed in
sorrow by the wardrobe black with woe. by
H.