Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1896-07-03
gDiritual Archers.

courage IL the hunter stand with trem-
bling hand or shoulder that finches
with fear, instead of his taking the cat
amount, the catamount takes him.
What would become of the Greenlander
if, when out hunting for the bear, he
should stand shivering with terror on
an iceberg? What would have become
of Du Chaillu and Livingstone i'll the
African thicket with faint heart and
a weak knee? When panther comes
within 20 PAGES Of yol and it has its eye
on you and it has squattod for the fear
full spring, "Stcady thorc!'
Courage, o ye spiritual archersl
There are great monsters in lIiquity
prowling all aroand about ile commu-
nifty. Shall we rot Of {. q strength Of
God go forth and &C bat them? we not
only need more heat. but more back
bone. What is the church Of God that
it should fear to look in the eye any
transgression? There is the Bengal tiger
Of drunkenness that prowls around, and
instead of attacking it, how many Of us
ulut lilt NlAuAAn RNN Va AAAN I'm
munion tablet There is so much invested
in it we are afraid to assault it; millions
of dollars in barrels, in watts, in spigots,
in corkscrews, in gin palaces with mar
Bile floors and Italian top tables, and
chased ice coolers and in the strychnine
and the logwood and the tartaric acid
and the nux vomica that 60 to make up
our "pure" American drinks. | looked
with wondering eyes on the Heidelberg
tun." Il is the great liquor vat Of Ger
many, which is said TO hold 500 hogs
heads Of wine and only three times in
100 years it has been filled. But, as 1
stood and looked at it, said to myself:
THAT is nothing-sO0 hogsheads. Why
our American vat holds $500, 900 bar
rels Of strong drinks and we keep 2OO,-
900 men with nothing to do but 10 see
that il is filed" OH to attack this
great monster Of intemperance, and the
kindred monsters of fraud and unclean-
ness, requires you to rally all your
Christian courage Through the press,
through the pulpit, through the plat
form, you must assault It, Would TO
God that all our American Christians
would band together, not for crack
Drained fanaticism, but for holy Chris
tian reform.
1 think it was in 1898 that there
went out from Lucknow, India, under
the sovereign, the greatest hunting
party that was ever projected. There
were 10, 900 armed men in that hunting
party. There were camels and horses
and elephants. On some princes rode,
and royal ladies under exquisite hous-
ings. and 800 coolies waited upon the
train, and the desolate places Of India
were invaded by this excursion, and the
rhinoceros, the deer and elephant fell
under the stroke of saber and bullet.
After awhile the party brought back
trophies worth go 900 rupees, having
left the wilderness Of India CHASTITY
with the slain bodies Of wild beasts.
Would to God that, instead Of here and
there q straggler going out TO fight these
great monsters Of iniquity in our coun-
try. the million membership Of our
churches would band together and hew
in twain these great crimes that make
the land frightful with their roar and
are fattening upon the bodies and souls
of immortal menl Who is ready for such
a party as that? Who will be mighty
hunter for the Lord?
The Game.
I remark, again, if you want to be
successful in spiritual archery you need
not only to bring down the game, but
bring it in. l think one Of the most
beautiful pictures of Thorwaldsen Is his
Autumn. 1t represents a sportsman
coming home and standing under a
grapevine He has staff over his
shoulder, and on the other end Of that
staff are hung a rabbit and brace OF
birds. Every hunter brings home the
game. No one would think Of bringing
down a reindeer or whipping up a
stream for trout and letting them lie IN
the woods. At eventide the camp Is
adorned with the treasures Of the forest
-beak and fin and antler. II you go out
10 hunt for immortal souls, not only
hiring them down under the arrow OF
the gospel, but bring them into the
church of God, the encampment we
have pitched this side Of the skies.
Fetch them in. Do not let them lie out
in the open field. They need our prayers
and sympathies and help. That Is the
meaning of the church of God-help.
O We hunters for the Lord, not only
bring down the game, but bring 1t I'M
If Mithridates liked hunting so well
that for seven years he never went IN
doors. what enthusiasm ought we TO
have who are hunting for immortal
soulsl II Domitianus practiced archery
until he could stand hoy down IN the
Roman amphitheater, with hand out
the fingers Ike that, and then the king
could shoot an arrow between the hngers
without wounding them, TO what drill
and what practice ought not we subject
ourselves in order to become spiritual
archers and mighty hunters before the
Lordl" But let me say, you will never
work any better than you pray. The ola
archers took the bow. put one end OF II
down beside the foot, elevated the other
end. and it was the rule that the bow
should be lust the size Of the archer; II
it were Just his size, then he would 60
into the battle with confidence. Let me
say that your power to project good IN
the world will correspond exactly to
-FOUR own spiritual stature. In other
words, the first thing in preparation foI
Christian work is personal conservation.
Oh. for a closer walk with God.
A calm and heavenly frame.
A light 10 shine upon the road
That leads me to the Lamb
I am sure that there are some here
who at some time have been hit by th'
Gospel arrow. You felt the wound Of
that CONVICTION. and you plunged int
the world deeper; just as the stag whef
the hounds are after it, plunges int'
Scroon lake, expecting in that way tC
escape. Jesus Christ is ON your track 70
day. impenitent mani not in wrath, bu
in mercy. o ye chased and painting
soulsl here is the stream of Gods mere,
and salvation. where you may cool you
thirst Stop that chase Of sin today u.
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