The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-03-13

is with u.s." And when his poet brother,
Charles Wesley. said to him, Brother John;
il the Lord were to give me wings. I'd n.y.
Johns reply was, "Brother Charles, IL tne
Lord told me to fly, I'd do it and leave him
to find the wings"
George Whitefield had three troubles-re-
lection from the pulpit5 Of England because
he was too dramatic--that was one trounie;
strabismus, or the crossing OF his eyes. tnat
subjected him to the caricature OF oil the
small wits Of the day; vermin and dead ami
mails thrown at him while he preached on the
commons-that made three troubles. Never
theless. his sermons were so buoyant that
little child, dying soon after hearing him
preach. said in the intervals OF pain. Let
me 90 to Mr.. Whitetleld's God" Oh, am
so glad that Benaiah of my text was not the
only one who triuInphed over lion In q pit
on a snowy day.
Notice in my text victory over bad
weather. It was snowy day, when one
vitality is at low ebb and the spirits are
naturally depressed and one does not feel
like undertaking a great enterprise, when
Benaiah rubs his hands together to warm
them by extra friction. or trashes his arms
around him to revive circulation OF the
blood, and then goes at the lion, which was
all the more fierce and ravenous. because OF
the sharp weather. Inspiration here admits
atmospheric hindrance. The snowy day at
Valley Forge well nigh put an end to the
struggle for American independence. Tho
snowy day demolished Napoleon's army on
the way from Moscow.
The inclemency Of January and February
weather has some years bankrupted thou
sands Of merchants. Long succession OF
stormy sabbaths has crippled innumerable
churches. Lighthouses Veiled by the snow
on many coast have failed to warn OH from
the rocks the doomed frigate. Tens OF thou
sands Of Christians OF nervous temperament
by the depression of snowy day almost
despair of reaching heaven. Yet in that
style of weather Benaiah Of the text
achieved his most celebrated victory.
and let us by the grace Of God become
victor over influences atmospheric. II we
are happy only when the wind blows from
the clear northwest, and the thermometer Is
above freezing point, and the sky is an In
verted blue cup Of sunshine poured all over
us, it is a religion 95 per cent. off. Thank
God there are Christians who, though their
whole life through sickness has been snowy
day, have killed every lion Of dependency
that dared to put its cruel paw against their
suffering pillow. 1t was snowy day when
the Pilgrim Fathers set foot not on bank of
flowers, but on the cold New England rock, and
from ship that might have been more ap-
propriately called after December hurrt-
cane than after a "Mayfower' they took
possession Of this great continent. And
amid more chilly worldly circumstances
many good man or a good woman has
taken possession OF whole continent OF
spiritual satisfaction, valleys Of peace and
rivers OF gladness and mountains OF Joy.
Christ landed in our world not In the month
of May, but in the stormy month OF Decem-
Der. to show that we might have Christ In
winter weather and on q snowy day.
Notice everything down in the pit that
snowy day depended upon Benaiah' weapon.
There was as much strength in one muscle OF
that lion as in all the muscles Of both arms OF
Benaiab. 1t is the strongest Of beasts, and
has been known to carry of an OK. Its
tongue is so rough that it acts as rasp
tearing off the flesh in Ecks. The two great
CANNES at each side Of the mouth make es-
cape impossible for anything it has once
seized. Yet Benaiah puts his heel on
the neck of this "king Of beasts"
Was it a dagger? Vas it a javelin? Was it o
knife? I cannot tell, but everything de-
pended on it. But for that Benaiah's body
under one crunch of the monsterwould have
been left limp and tumbled In the snow.
And when you and 60 into the fight with
temptation, II we have not the right kind OF
weapon. instead OF our Staying the Lion the
Nothing in earth or hell can stand before that
Victory with that, or no victory at all. By
that I mean prayer to God, confidence in His
rescuing power, saving grace, almighty de-
liverance. I do not care what you call 1t. I
call it ''sword Of the Spirit" And IL the
lions of all the jungles Of perdition should at
once spring upon your soul by that weapon
Of heavenly metal you can thrust them back
and cut them down, and stab them through
and leave them powerless at your feet. Your
good resolution welded against the powers
which assault you is a toy pistol against an
Armstrong gun; is q penknife held out against
the brandished sabers of a Heintzelman's
cavalry charge. Go into the fight against
sin on your own strength, and the result will
be the hot breath ofthe lion In your blanched
face. and his front paws one on each lung.
AlasI for the man not fully armed down in
the pit on snowy day. and before him q
lion!
All my hearers and readers have O big
fight OF some sort on hand, but the biggest
and the wrathiest lion which you have to
fight is what tho Bible calls sthe roaring
lion who walketh about, seeking whom he
may devour." Now. you have never seen
a real lion unless you have seen
Long caging breaks his spirit, and the con-
stant presence OF human beings tames him.
But you ought to see him spring against the
iron bars in the geological gardens OF
Calcutta and hear him roar for the prey. 1t
makes one'S blood curdle, and you shrink
back. although you know there is no peril.
Plenty of lions in olden time. Six hundred
of them were slaughtered on one occasion in
the presence Of Pompey in the Roman
amphitheater. Lions came out and de-
stroyed the camels which carried the bag
gage of Xerxes' army. In Bible times there
were so many lions that they are fire.
Joel, the prophet. describes the "cheek
teeth ola great lion, and Isaiah mentions
among the attractions of heaven that mo
lion shall bs there" and Amos speaks of
shepherd taking a lambs ear out of the mouth
of a lion. and Solomon describes the righteous
as "bold as lion." and Daniel was a great
lion tanner, and David and jeremiah and st.
John often speak OF this creature.
But most am impressed by what I have
quoted from the Apostle Peter when he calls
the devil lion. That means strength.
That means bloodthirstiness. That means
cruelty. That means destruction. Some Of
the sharpness of his tooth, and the horror Of
his rage. Yes, he is a savage devil. He
roared at everything good when Lord
Clavcrhouse assailed the Covenanters,
and Bartholomew against the Hugue-
nots one August night when the bell tolled
for the butchery to begin, and the ghestly
joke in the street was. BLOOD letting is good
in August" and so, 600 assassin knives were
plunged into the victims. and this monster
has had Under his paw many OF the grandest
souls Of all time, and fattened with the spoils
Of centuries he comes for you.
But L am glad to say to all of you who have
got the worst in such struggle that there is
a lion on our side If you want him. Revela-
tion v, 5. 'The lion of Judah's tribe" A
Lamb to us, but lion to meet that other lion,
and you can easily guess who will beat In
that fight. and who will be beaten. When
two opposing lions meet in jungle in India,
van cannot fell which will Ovaronma