The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1895-03-01

Illo InTOC!Sn SlChuonS Has US6I u buOWy
day, have killed every lion of despond
ency that dared to put it's cruuel paw
against their suffering pillow. 1t was
a snowy day when the Pilgrim Fathers
set foot not OH bank of flowers, but
ON the cold New England rock, and
from ship that might have been more
appropriately called after a December
hurricane than after a "Mayfiower'
they took possession Of this great CONT
nent And amid more chilly worldly cir.
cumstances many good man or a good
woman has taken possession of whole
continent of spiritual satisfaction, val.
legs of peace and rivers of gladness and
mountains of joy. Christ landed in our
world not i'll the month of May, but in
the stormy month of December, to show
us that we might have Christ in win
ter weather and on snowy day.
Fearful Blast.
Notice everything down in the pit
that snowy day depended upon Benaiah's
weapon. There was as much strength in
one muscle of that lion as in all the
muscles of both arms of Benaiah. 1t is
the strongest Of beasts and has been
known to carry off an OK. Its tongue is
SO rough that it acts as rasp tearing
off the flesh in ticks. The two great
CANNES at each side of the mouth make
escape impossible for anything it has
once seized. Yet Benaiah puts his heel
on the neck of this liking of beasts. I"
Was it dagger? Was it javelin?
Was it knife? cannot tell, but every
thing depended on it. But for that
Benaiah IS body under one crunch Of the
monster would have been left limp and
tumbled in the snow. And when you
and l go into the fight with temptation,
if we have not the right kind of weap-
on, instead of our Staying the lion the
lion will slay us. The sword of the
Spirit Nothing in earth or hell can
stand before that Victory with that,
or no victory at all. BY that l mean
prayer to God, confidence in his resouing
power, saving grace, almighty deliver
ance l do not care what you call it. l
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 powerless at your feet. Your good
welded against the powers
which assault you is toy pistol against
an armstrong gun; Is penknife held
out against the brandished sabers Of a
s cavalry charge. Go into
he fight against sin on your own
strength, and the result will be the hot
breath of the lion in your blanched face,
Ind his front paws one on each lung.
Alasi for the man not fully armed down |
n the pit on a snowy day, and before
lin lionl tE
All my hearers and readers have
zig fight of some sort ON hand, but the |
biggest and the wrathiest lion which
'ou have to fight is what the Bible
alls "the roaring lion who walketh
bout, seeking whom he may devour. +"
now, you have never seen real lion
lnless you have seen him in India or
africa, just after capture. Long caging
reaks his spirit, and the constant pres
nee Of human beings tames him. But
on ought to see him spring against the
ron bars in the geological gardens of
,alcutta and hear him roar for the prey.
{ makes ones blood curdle, and you
brink back, although you know there
J no peril. Plenty of lions in olden
ime Six hundred of them were
laughtered on one occasion in the pres
nee of Pompey in the Roman amphi-
heater. Lions came out and destroyed
he camels which carried the baggage
{ Xerxes' army. In Bible times there
'ere SO many lions that they are fire.
uently alluded to in the Scriptures.
DEL, the prophet, describes the "cheek
eth" of great lion, and Isaiah men
ons among the attractions of heaven
lat mo lion shall be there" and
mos speaks of a shepherd taking a
mb's ear out of the mouth of a lion,
nd Solomon describes the righteous as
bold as lion, and Daniel was a
,eat lion tanner, and David and Jere-
iah and st John often speak of this
feature.
But most am l impressed by what l
ave quoted from the Apostle Peter
hen he calls the devil a lion. That
cans strength. That means blood
irstiness. That means cruelty. That
cans destruction. Some of you have
1t the strength of his paw, and the
arpness of his tooth, and the horror of
s rage. Yes, he is a savage devil. He
ared at everything good when Lord
averhouse assailed the Covenanters,
I'd Bartholomew against the Hugue-
ITS one August night when the bell
lied for the butchery to begin, and the
lastly joke in the street was, BLOOD
tting is good in August" and 90, 900
sassin knives were plunged into the ,
ctims, and this monster has had I'M j
r his paw many of the grandest souls :
all time, and fattened with the spoils
centuries he comes for you. :
But / am glad to say to all of you !
no have got the worst in such strug- !
8 that there is a lion ON our side if Z
u want him, Revelation V, 8, 1.-The :
N of Judah S tribe - A Lamb to us, :
{ lion to meet that other lion, and {
u can easily guess who will beat in ,
at fight, and who will be beaten. When
o opposing lions meet in jungle in }
dia, you cannot tell which will over u
me and which will be overcome. They -
are at each othpr for "a momant and