The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-02-25

of beasts" Was it a dagger? Was It y
5avelin? Was it knife? can not tell,
but everything depended upon it. But
for that, Benaiah's body under one
crunch Of the monster would have
been left limp and tumbled in the snow
And when you and I so into the fight
with temptation, if we have not the
right kind of weapon, instead OF
our Staying the lion, the lion will stay
US. The sword of the SpiritI Nothing
in earth or hell can stand before that.
Victory with that. or no victory at all.
By that I mean prayer to God, conf
dence in his rescuing power, saving
grace, Almighty deliverance. do not
care what you call it; I call it Sword
of the Spirit" And if 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 power
less at your feet. Your good resolu-
ton welded against the powers which
assault you is toy pistol against an
Armstrong gun; is a pen knife held out
against the brandished sabres of a
Heintzelman's cavalry charge. Go in
to the fight against sin on your own
strength, and the result will be the hot
breath of the lion in your blanched
face, and his front paws, one on each
lung. Alas! for the man not fully
armed. down in the pit, on a snowy
day, and before him a lion.
All my hearers and readers have q
big fight of some sort on hand. but the
biggest and the wrathiest lion which
you have to fight is what the Bible calls
THE roaring lion, who Walketh about,
you have never seen a real lion unless
you have seen him in India or Africa,
just after capture. Long caging breaks
his spirit, and the constant 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 ones 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 pres
ence of Pompey in the Roman amphi-
theater. Lions came out and destroyed
the camels which carried the baggage
of Xerxes' army. In Bible times there
were so many lions that they are fire.
Quently alluded to in the scriptures. Joel,
the prophet, describes the cheek teeth
of a great lion; and Isaiah mentions
among the attractions of heaven that
mo lion shall be there;" and Amos
speaks of a shepherd taking a lambs
ear out of the moLS h of a lion; and
Solomon describes the righteous as
bold as a Hon;" and Daniel was
great lion tanner; and David, and Jer-
emiah. and St. John often speak OF
this creature
Well, it will be better than that when
some of you are seen entering the har-
Dor of heaven. You have had a rough
voyage-no mistake about that. Snowy
day after snowy day. Again and again
the machinery of health and courage
broke down, and the waves of tempta-
ton have swept clear over thehurricane
deck, so that you were often compelled
to say, "Au thy waves and thy pillows
have gone over me-" and you were
down in the trough of that sea, and
down in the trough of the other sea,
and many despaired of your safe ar
rival. But the great Pilot, not one who
must come off from some other craft,
but the one who walked storm-sWept
Galilee, and now walks the wintry At
| lantic, comes on board, and heads you
| for the haven, when no sooner have
| you passed the narrows of death than
you find all the banks lined with i'm
| mortals celebrating your arrival: and
while some break off palm branches
from the banks and wave them, those
standing on one side will chant There
shall be no more sea- and those stand
ing on the other side will chant, These
| are they which came out of great trib-
| ulation, and had their robes washed and
made white in the blood of the Lamb.
| Off of the stormy sea into the smooth
harbOr. Out of leonine struggle in the
pit, to guidance by the lamb, who shall
lead you to living fountains of water.
Out of the snowy day of earthly sever
tiles into the gardens of everlasting
| flora, and into orchards of eternal fruit
age, the fall of their white blossoms the
only snow in heaven.