Connecticut western news., 1895-06-06
righteousness, not from hearing John Wesley preach, but from seeing him kiss a little child on the pulpit stairs.

not from hearing John Wesley preach, but from seeing him kiss D little child on the pulpit stairs.
 The Help of God.
 Again, my subject springs upon us the thought that in calculating the pros- poets of religious attempt we must take and omniscience and om- nipresence and all the other attributes of God into the calculation. Whom do you see on that plowed field of my textf One nearer says, 'tI see Shamgar. " An other nearer says, "I see GOO Philis- tines. My nearer, you have missed the chief parsonage on that battlefield of plowed ground. also sec Shamgar and 500 Philistines; but, more than all and mightier than all and more overwhelm- ing than all, see God. Shamgar with his unaided arm, however muscular, and with that humble instrument made for agricultural purposes and never for combat, could not have wrought such victory. It was omnipo- tence above and beneath and back of and at the point of the oxgoad. Before that battle was over the plowman realized this, and all the 600 Philistines realized it, and all who visited the battlefield lSterward appreciated it. I want in heaven to hear the story, for it can nev- CT be fully told on earth-perhaps some day may be set apart for the rehearsal, while all heaven istens-the story of how God blessed awkward and humble Many an evangelist has come into town given up to world liness. Tho pastors say to the evangel- ist: "We are glad you have come, but it is hard field, and we feel sorry for you The members of our churches play progressive euchre and go to the theater and bet at the horse races, and gayety and fashion have taken possession of the town. We have advertised your meet ings, but are not very hopeful God bless you. This evangelist takes his place on platform or pulpit. He never graduated at college, and there are before him 20 graduates of the best universi- ties. He never took one lesson in elocu tion, and there are before him 20 trained orators. Many of the ladies present are graduates of the highest female semi naries, and one slip in grammar or one will result in sup pressed giggle. Amid the general chill that pervades the house the unpretend- ing evangelist opens his Bible and takes for his text, "Lord, that my eyes may be opened. Opera glasses in the gal lery curiously scrutinize the speaker. He tells in plain way the story of the blind man, tells two or three touching anecdotes, and the general chill gives way before strange warmth.
 A classical nearer who took the first honor at Yale and who is prince of finds his spectacles becoming dim with moisture suggestive of tears. A worldly mother who has been bring ing up her sons and daughters in utter godlessness puts her handkerchief to her eyes and begins to weep. Highly edu- cated men who came to criticise and pick to pieces and find fault bow on their gold headed canes. What is that sound from under the gallery? It is a sob, and sobs are catching, and all along the wall and all up and down the audi ence there is deep emotion, so that when at the close of the service anxious souls arc invited to especial seats or the inquiry room, they come up by scores and kneel and repent and rise up par doned; the whole town is shaken and places of evil amusement are sparsely attended and rum holes lose their pa irons, and the churches are thronged, @I,ox xxylo s+xv so p1o and elevated and rejoiced. What power did the evangelist bring to bear to cap- ture that town for righteousness? Not one brilliant epigram did he utter. Not one graceful gesture did he make. Not one rhetorical climax did he pile up. But there was something about him that people had not taken ill the esti- mate when they prophesied the failure of that work. They had not taken into the calculation the omnipotence of the Holy Ghost. It was not the flash of 8 Damascus blade. It was God, before and behind and all around the oxgoad. When people say that crime will tri- umph and the world will never be con- verted because of the seeming insuffi- ciency of the means employed, they count the GOO armed Philistines on one side and Shamgar, the farmer, awk wardly equipped, on the other side, not realizing that the chariots of God are 20, 900 and that all heaven, cherubic, seraphic, archangeic, deific, is on what otherwise would be the weak side. Ma poleon, the author of the saying, "God E. n. ~f Ino ' lived to find out his mistake, for at Wa terloo the 160 guns of the English over came the 250 guns of the French. God is on the side of the right, and one man in, the right will eventually be found stronger than GOO men in the wrong. In all estimates of any kind of Christian work do not make the mistake every
 day made of leaving out the head of the
 universe.
 Humble Weapons.
 Again, my subject springs upon us
 the thought that in Gods service it is
 best to use weapons that are particular
 ly suited to us. Shamgar had, like many
 of us, been brought up on farm. He
 knew nothing about javelins and buc-
 klers and helmets and breastplates and
 greaves of brass and catapults and bal
 iste and iron scythes fastened to the
 axles of chariots. But he was familiar
 with the fail of the thrashing floor and
 knew how to pound with that, and the
 ax of the woods and knew how to hew
 with that, and the oxgoad of the blow
 man and knew how to thrust with that
 And you and will do best to use those
 means that we can best handle; those
 weapons with which we can make the
 most execution. Some in Gods service
 will do best with the pen; some with
 the voice; some by extemporaneous
 speech, for they have the whole vocabu-
 lary of the English language half way
 between their brain and tongue, and
 others will do best with manuscript
 spread out before them. Some will
 serve God by the blow, raising wheat