The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1897-07-22


and they say, God either dare no
punish lis, or he has forgotten to dt
So Let us see. Samuel, Gods prophet
tells Saul to go down and Stay all thu
Amaekites, not leaving one of then
alive; also to destroy all the beasts il
tnelr pOSSeSSlOn--OX, sheep, camel, anC
ass. Hank! I hear the tread of two
hundred and ten thousand men, with
mOnstrOus Saul at their head, ablaZe
with armour, his shield dangling at his
side. holding in his hand spear, al
the waving of which the great host
marched or halted. I see smoke curling
cloud of it, and now 1 see the whole
city rising in a chariot of smoke be-
hind steeds of fire. 1t is Saul that set
the city ablaZe. The Amalekites and
the 1sraelites meet; the trumpets of
battle blow peal on peal, and there is
death-hush. Then there is a signal
waved; swords cut and hack; arms
fall from trunks, and heads roll in the
dust. Cash after cash, the frenZied
yell, the gurgling of throttled throats,
the cry of pain, the laugh of revenge,
teeth-an army's death-groan. Stacks
Of dead on all sides, with eyes unshut
and mouths yet grinning vengeance
HuZza for the Israelites! Two hundred
and ten thousand men wave their
plumes and clap their shields, for the
Lord God hath given them the victory.
Get that victorious army of Israel is
conquered by sheep and oxen God,
through the prophet Samuel, told Saul
to Stay all the Amalekites, and to Stay
all the beasts in their possession; but
Saul, thinking that he knows more
than God. saves Agag, the Amalekitish
king, and five drove of sheep and a
herd of oxen that he cannot bear to
Kill. Saul drives the sheep and oxen
down toward home. He has no idea
that Samuel, the prophet, will find out
that he has saved these sheep and
oxen for himself. Samuel comes and
asks Saul the news from the battle.
Saul puts on a solemn face, for there
is no one who can look more solemn
than your young hypocrite, and he
says. Il have fulfilled the command of
the Lord Samuel listens, and he hears
the drove Of sheep a little way off.
Saul had no idea that the prophets ear
would be so acute. Samuel says to
Saul, IF you have done as God told
YOU. and slain all the Amalekites and
all the beasts in their possession, what
meaneth the bleating of the sheep in
mine ears,and the lowing Of the oxen
that I hear?' All, one would have
thought that bushes would have con-
sumed the cheek Of Saul! No, no! He
says the army-not himself, of course.
but the army-had saved the sheep
and oxen for sacrifice; and then thew
thought it would be too bad anyhow to
kill Agag, the Amalekitish king. Sam
uel takes the sword and he slashes
Agag to pieces;and then he takes the
skirt of his coat, in true Oriental stvle
and rends it in twain, as much az tn
say, "You, Saul, just like that, shall
be torn away from your empire and
torn away from your throne" In other
words, let all the nations of the earth
hear the story that Saul, by disobeving
God, won a flock of sheep but lost
kngdom5
l learn from this subject that Cod
will expose hypocrisy. Here SAM mo-
tends he has fulfilled the divine COM
mission by Staying all the beasts he-
longing to the Amalekites, and vet Of
the very moment he is telling the story
and practicing the delusion, the secret
comes out, and the sheep bleat and tho
oxen below.
A hypocrlte is one who pretends n
be what he is not, or to do what bo
does not. Saul was only a tyne of
class. The modern hypocrite 1oo1S
awfully solemn, whines when he pravs
and during his public devotion shows a
great deal of the whites of his evos
He never laughs, or, if he does ,aneh
he seems sorry for it afterward os
though he had committed some great
indiscretion. The first time he gets
chance he prays twenty minntes ~
public, and when he exhorts. he soo,oe
to imply that all the race are sinners
one exception, his modesty forbiddino
the stating who that one is. There aro
a great many churches that have Two
or three ecclesiastical Uriah Heens
When the fox begins to pray, look
OuI LII yOul CuiChouS. Inc more pan-
uine religion man has, the more com
Portable he will be; but you may know
religious impostor by the fact that
he prides himself on being uncomfor-
table. man of that kind is of i'm.
mense damage to the church of Christ
ship may outride hundred storms
and yet handful of worms in the
planks may sink it to the bottom The
church of God is not so much in danger
'of the cyclones Of trouble and perse-
cution that come upon it as Of tha
vermin of hypocrisy that infest #
wolves are of no danger to the fold If
God unless they took like sheep. Ar
mold was OF more damage to the army
than CORVALLIS and his hosts. Oh we
cannot deceive God with s church Ger
tllcate! He sees behind the curtain
as well as before the curtain: he secs
everything inside out. IA man NAV
through policy, hide his real Character.
but God will after awhile tear open pen