News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1895-02-28

80 per cent off. Thank God there are
Christians who, though their whole
life through sickness has been o snowy
day, have killed every lion Of despond-
ency that dared to put its cruuel paw
AGAINST their suffering pillow. 1t was
a s,inwy day When the Pilgrim Fathers
set foot not OH a bank Of flowers, but
ON the cold New England rock, and
from a ship that might have been more
appropriately called after December
hurricane than after "Mayfower
they took possession Of this great contl-
nent And amid more chilly worldly cir
cumstances many good man or good
woman has taken possession of whole
continent of spiritual satisfaction, val
leys of peace and rivers of gladness and
mountains of joy. Christ landed in our
world not in the month Of May, but III
the stormy month Of December, to show
us that we might have Christ in WIN
ter weather and on snowy day.
A Fearful Blast.
Notice everything down in the pit
that snowy day depended upon Benalah'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. "
Was it dagger? Was it javelin?
Was it q knife? cannot tell, but every
thing depended on 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
md l 90 into the fight with temptation,
If we have not the right kind OF weap-
On, instead of our Staying the lion the
lion will Stay 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 | mean
PRAYER to God, confidence in his resculng
power, saving grace, almighty deliver
ance do not care what you call 1t. L
call it "sword of the Spirit. And IT
the lions of all the jungles Of perditlon
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 toy pistol against
an armstrong gun; is penknife held
out against the brandished sabers of
Heintzelman S cavalry charge. Go into
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.
Alasi for the man not fully armed down
in tho pit on snowy day, and before
him 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, seeking whom he may devour. "
Now, you have never seen real lion
unless you have seen him in India or
Africa, Just after capture Lo"g caglng
breaks his spirit, and the constant pres
ence of human beings tames him. Bat
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
tho camels which carried the baggage
of Xerxes' army. In Bible times there
were so many lions that they are fire.
uuently alluded to in the Scriptures.
Joel, the prophet, describes the "cheel
teeth" of great lion, and Isaiah men
lions among the attractions Of HEAVIER
that "no lion shall be there, " anC
Amos speaks of shepherd taking {
: lambs ear out of the mouth of q lion
and Solomon describes the righteous Al
"bold as q lion," and Daniel was {
great lion tanner, and David and Jere
miah and st. John often speak of thi
creature.
But most am l impressed by what
|, have quoted from the Apostle Pete
when he calls the devil lion. Tha
means strength. That means blood
/ thirstiness. That means cruelty. Tha
means destruction. Some Of you hav
5 felt the strength of his paw, and tn
sharpness Of his tooth, and the horror o
l his rage Yes, he is a savage devil. Il
roared at everything good when Lor'
Claverhouse assailed the Covenanters
? and Bartholomew against the Hugue
. nots one August night when the bel
! tolled for the butchery to begin, and tn
i CHASTITY joke in the street was, "Bloo
n letting is good in August" and 90, 90
@ assassin knives were plunged into tn
O victims, and this monster has had III
t der his paw many Of the grandest soul
s Of all time, and fattened with the spoil
, Of centuries he comes for you.
J. But am glad to say to all Of 20
n who have got the worst in such strue
o gle that there is a lion on our side
p you want him, Revelation V, 5, eth
J. lion of Judah's tribe" A Lamb to Us
y but lion to meet that other lion, an
% you can easily guess who will beat i
}. that fight, and who will be beaten. Whe
s two opposing lions meet in jungle i
India, you cannot tell which will owe
}. come and which will be overcome. The
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