The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1895-03-01

man" So to ali downtown business
men, and to ali uptown business men,
l say: If you have on hand goods that
you cannot sell, and debtors who will
not, or cannot pay. and you are also
suffering from uncertainty as to what
the imbeci,e American congress will do
about the tariff, you have three trou
bles, and enough to bring You within
the range of the consolation of my
text. where you find the triumph OF
Benaiah over a lion, and a pit, and a
snowy day. If you have only one trou-
BILE. cannot spend any time with you
to-day. You must have At least three.
and then remember how many have
triumphed over such a triad of misfor-
tune. Paul had three troubles: San
hedrin denouncing him-that was one
great trouble; physical infirmity,
which he called "A thorn in
the flesh" and although we
know not what the thorn
used that it must have been something
that struck him-that was the second
trouble: approaching martyrdom-that
made the three troubles. Yet, hear
what he says: If had only one mis-
fortune co-ld stand that; but there
are two too many" No; | misinter-
pref. He says: ''SO-rowful, yet al
ways rejoicing; poor. vet making many
rich; having nothing, yet possessing all
things" Thanks be unto God, who
giveth Us our victory through our Lord
Jesus Christ"
David had three tr1u bles; a bad boy.
a temptation to diSsoluteneSs. and de-
thronement. What does he say? God
is our refuge and strength, very pres
ent help in time of trouble. There
fore, will we not fear, though. the
earth be removed. and though the
mountains be cast into the midst of the
sea"
John Wesley had three troubles: De-
famation by mobs, domestic infelicity,
fatigue from more sermons preached
and more miles travelled than almost
any man of his time. What does he
say? The best of all is. God is with
us" And when his poet brother, Charles
Wesley, said to him: Brother John,
if the Lord were to give me wings. I'd
fiv," Johns reply was: Brother
Charles, if the Lord told me to fly, I'd
do it. and leave Him to fad the wings"
George Whitefield had three troub les.
Rejection from the pulpits of England
because he was too dramatic-that was
one trouble; strabismus, or the crossing
of his eyes, that subjected him to the
caricature OF all the small wits of
the day; vermin and dead animals
thrown at him while he preached on
the commonwealth made three trou-
bles. Nevertheless, his sermons were
so buoyant that little child dying
soon after hearing him preach said in
the intervals of pain: Let me go to
Mr. Whitefeld's God" Oh, | am so
glad that Benaiah Of my text was not
the only one who triumphed over a
lion in a pit on a snowy day.
Notice in nv tex: a victory over bad
weather. 1t was a snowy day, when
ones vitality is At low ebb. and the
spirits are naturally depressed. and one
does not feel like undertaking n great
enterprise, when Benaiah rubs his
hands together to warm them by eX-
ira friction. or threshes 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. Inspira-
tion here admits atmospheric hinder
ance. The snowy day at Valley Forge
well nigh put an end to the struggle
for American independence. The
snowy day demolished Napoleon's
army on the way from Moscow. The
inclemency of January and February
weather has some years bankrupted
thousands of merchants. The success
sion of stormy Sabbaths has crippled
innumerable churches. Lighthouses
yelled by the snow on many a coast
have failed to warn off from the rocks
the doomed frigate. Tens of thousands
of Christians of nervous temperament
by the depression of a snowy day al
most despair OF reaching Heaven. Yet
in that style of weather Benaiah of the
text achieved his most celebrated vic
tory: and let US by the grace of God be-
come victor over influences atmos-
pheric. If we are happy only when
the wind blows from the clear north
west. and the Thermometer is above
freezing point and the sky is an in
verted blue cup of sunshine poured all
over US, it is religion ninety-tive per
cent. off. Thank God there are
Christians, who, though their whole
life through sickness has been a snowy
day, have killed every lion of despond-
ency that dared 10 put its cruel paw
against their suffering pillow. Christ
landed in our world not in the month
of May. but in the stormy month of
December, to show US that we might
have Christ in winter weather, and on
a snowy day.
Notice everything down in the pit
that snowy day depended upon Bena-
iah's weapon. There was as much
strength in one muscle of that
lion as in ali the muscles of both
arms of Benaiah. Yet Benaiah puts
his heel on the neck of this king of
beasts" Was it dagger? Was it a
javelin? Was it a knife? l cannot
tell. but everything depended on it.
But for that, Benaiah's body under one
craunch of the monster would have
been left limp and tumbled in the
show And when you and l go into
the fight with temptation, if we have
not the right kind OF weapon, instead
of our Staying the lion, the lion will
slay u.s. The sword of the Spirit.
Nothing on earth or hell can stand be-
fore that. Victory with that, or no
victory at all By that mean prayer
to God, confidence in his rescuing pow
er, saving grace, Almighty deliverance.
do not care what you call il: | call il