Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1897-03-19

by the storms Of 5000 years, sue -,
bravely yet, and as at her launching io
the beginning the morning stars sang
together and all the sons Of God shouted
for joy, so at last, when coming into
the calm harbor Of Gods mercy, she
shall be greeted by the huzzas Of glori-
fed kingdoms. It is not the world
against which we contend, but its
transgressions Whatever is obstinate In
the will, degrading in passion, harmful
in custom, false in friendship, hypOcrit-
ical in profession-against all this
Christ makes onset. From false profes-
sion he would tear the mask. From op-
preston he would tear the rod. From
pride he would rend off the plumes.
From revenge he would exercise the
devil. While Christ loved the world so
much he died to save it, he hates sin so
well that to eradicate the last trace OF
its pollution he will utterly consume
the continents and the oceans. AT the
gate Of Eden the declaration Of perpet-
ual enmity was made against the SER
pent. The tumult roundabout Mount
Sinai was only the roar and fash OF
Gods artillery Of wrath against sin.
Sodom on fire was only one Of Gods
flaming bulletins announcing hostility.
Nineveh and Tyre and Jerusalem in
awful ruin mark the track OF Jehovah's
advancement. They show that God was
terribly in earnest when he announced
himself abhorrent of all iniquity. They
make us believe that, though nations
belligerent and revengeful may sign ar
ticles Of peace and come to an amicable
adjustment, there shall be no cessation
of hostilities between the forces Of light
and the forces Of darkness until the
kingdoms of this world have become
the kingdoms of our Lord. Affrighted
by no opposition, discouraged by NO
temporary defeats shrinking from no
exposure, every man to his position,
while from the tops Of our schoolhouses
and churches and seminaries and asy-
lums "in the name of God we will set
up our banners.
A Glorious Standard.
Again, it was the custom in ancient
times for the purpose Of gathering ar
mics to lift an ensign on the top Of some
high hill, so that all who saw it would
feel impelled TO rally around it. In
more modern times the same plan has
been employed for the gathering Of an
army. Thus it is that the church OF
Christ lifts its flag for recruits. The
cross Of Jesus is our standard, planted
on the hill of Calvary. Other armies
demand that persons desiring TO enter
the lists Of war shall be between such
and such an age, lest the folly Of ex-
treme youth or the infrmity of advanced
age be a clog rather than an advantage.
But none is too young for Christ's reg
iment; none can be too old. The hand
that is strong enough to bound ball or
trundle hoop is skilled enough TO fight
for Christ, while many hand trem-
bling with old age has grasped the ar
row Of truth, and with dim eye close
to it, taking aim, has sent its sharp
point right through the heart Of the
Kings enemies. Many Of you have long
ago had your names written on the roll
of celestial troops, and you like the serv-
ice well, although you now bear the
scars of multitudinous conflicts and can
recount many a long march and tell OF
siege guns opened on you that you
thought never would be spiked. But
there may be some who have not yet en-
listed. Your being here implies that
you are seriously thinking about it, and
your attention makes me hope you are
only looking for the standard TO be
hoisted. Will you not, 100 Of you, with
all the aroused enthusiasm OF your ma
ture, come bounding into tie ranks.
while "in the name of God we set up
our banners!"
Through natural modesty do you hold
back and say, Il will be Of no adyan-
taQe TO Christ. I am too awkward to
learn the step Of the host or to be OF
any service in the shock Of battle?" To
you make the reply, Try it. One hour
under Christ's drill, and you would so
we'll understand his rules that the first
step of your march heavenward would
make the gates Of hell tremble on their
hinges. We may not be as polished and
trim as many Christians we have
known, and we may not as well under
stand sharpshooting, but there Is rough
work which we can all accomplish. We
NAV be axmen and hew pathway
through the forests. We may tie spades
men and dig the trenches or throw up
the Notifications. We do not care where,
we do not care what, if we can only
help in the cause of our King and shout
as loudly as any Of them at tie compile
tion of the conquest.
There are nonprofessors who have
very correct idea of what Christians
ought to be. You have seen members oi
the church who were as proud as Ahat
and lied as badly as Ananias and who
were as foul hypocrites as Judas. foV
abhor all that. You say followers o.
Christ ought TO be honorable, humble
and self denying and charitable and pa
tient and forgiving. Amen. SO they
ought. Come into the kingdom OF
Christ, my hearer, and be just that
glorious Christian that you have de-
scribed. Every church has enough stingy
men in it to arrest its charities, and
enough proud men in it to grieve away
the Holy Ghost, and enough lazy men
In it to hang on behind till its wheels,
like Pharaoh's chariots, drag heavily,
and enough worldly men TO exhaust the
patience Of the very elect. and enough
narly men to make appropriate the BIZ
Bile warning, Beware Of dogs. Ii any
of you men on the outside Of the king
dom expect to make such Christians as
that, we do not want you to come, for
the church has already million mem
bers too many of just that kind We dc
not want our ranks crowded with serfs
when we can have them filled with
zouaves
There are men now, as in Christs
time. possessed Of seven devils In some
instances it seems as though at conver-
sion only six of these evil spirits were