The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1897-12-17

and lest we should complain that we
have no tools 10 work with. God gives
rs our hands and feet with every
knuckle.. and with every joint and
with every muscle, saying 10 US. ''lay I
hold and do something
But how often IL is that men with |
physical strength do not serve Christ, |
They are like a ship full-manned and |
full-riggcd, capable Of vast tonnage,
able 10 endure all stress Of weather,
yet swinging idly at the docks, when
these men ought 10 be crossing and re-
crossing the great ocean Of Human suf- |
fering and sin with Gods supplies Of
mercy. How often Il Is that physi- |
cal strength is nsed in doing positive |
damage, or in luxurious case, when,
with sleeves rolled up and bronsed
/ bosom. fearless Of the shafts Of OPP
position. 1t ought to be laying hold
with all its might. and Juggling away
20 lift up this sunken wreck Of a world.
II is a most shameless fact that much
Of the business Of the church and Of
! the world must be done by those COM
paratiyely invalid. Richard Baxter.
by reason Of his diseases, all his days
sitting in the door Of the tomb.
yet writing more than hundred
volumes. and sending ont an influence
for God that will endure as long as
the saints Everlasting Rest" Ell
ward Paxton, never knowing a well
day. yet how he preached and how he
wrote, helping thousands of dying
souls like himself To swim in a sea of
glory And Robert MCheyne, walk
ing skeleton. yet yon know what he
/ did in Dundee. and how he shook Scot
land with zeal for God Philip DOdd-
ridge. advised by his friends, because
OF his Illness, not 20 enter the ministry.
yet you know what nc did for the rise
and progress of religion in the church
and in the world
Wilberforce was told by his doctors
that he could not live a fortnight yet
at that very time entering upon phi
lanthrOpic enterprises that demanded
the greatest endurance and persist
encc. Robert Hall. suffering excruci-
atoms. so that often in his pulpit,
while preaching. he would stop and
lie down on a sofa, then getting up
again TO preach about Heaven until
the glories of the celestial city dropped
ON the multitude. doing InOre work,
perhaps, than almost any well man in
his day.
BEHOLD also, in the story Of my text,
illustration of the damage that
strength can do II it be misguided II
seems to me that this man spent n
great deal Of his time in doing evil
this Samson Of my text To pay a bet
which he had lost by guessing Of his
riddle he robs and kills 80 people He
was not only gigantic in strength, but
gigantic in mischief, and type Of
those men in all ages Of the world who.
powerful in body or mind, or any fac
ulty Of social position or wealth. have
used their strength for ubiquitous pur-
poses.
Il is not the small, weak men Of the
day who do the damage. These small
men who go swearing and lOaans
about your stores and shops and bank
ing houses. assailing Christ and the
Bible and the church-they do not do
the damage. They have no influence.
They are vermin that you crush with
your foot But it is the giant Of the
day. the misguided giants, giants in
physical power, or giants in mental
acumen, or giants in social positions.
or giants in wealth. who do the dam
age. The men with sharp
pens that stab religion and throw their
poison all through our literature, the
men who use the power of wealth to
sanction iniqui;y. and bride justice.
and make truth and honor bow to
their golden scepter Misguided
giants-loOk out for theml In the mid
die and latter part Of the last century
no doubt there were thousands Of men
in Paris and Edinburgh and London
who hated God and blasphemed the
, name Of the Almighty: but they did
but little mischief-they were small
! men, insignificant men Yet there
were giants in those days
J Who can calculate the sOul-hav &C Of
! q Rousseau. gong on with very en-
thusiasm Of iniquity. with fiery mag
nation seizing upon all the impulsive
natures Of his day7 Or David Hume.
} who employed his life as spider en-
: ploys Its summer, in spinning out silk
, en- webs TO trap the unwary2 Or Vol
} taire, the most learned man Of his day,
. marshaling a great host Of seeptics and
leading them out in the dark land of in.
| AI.Ngs-n GgNr. L.. =.
: uncomfortable grudge against religion
; In his history Of one of the most fas-
cinating periods Of the worlds exist.
: ence-"The Decline and Fall Of the
5 Roman Empire book in which,
; with all the spiendOrs Of his genius, he
mAgnifed the errors Of Christian dis
7 eiples, while. with . sparseness Of no
d tice that never can be forgiven, be
2 treated of the Christian heroes OF whom
: the world was not worthy
{ Oh, men Of stout physical health
; men Of great mental stature. men o.
! high social position, men Of great pow
5 er Of any sort want you 10 under
! stand your power. and I want you Il
e know that that power devoted 70 Coz
/, viii be crown on earth. to you typi
: cal Of crown In Heaven; but mis-
guided. bedraggled IN sin. aiministra
Z tive Of evil, God will thunder againsi
: you with His condemnation In the day
. when millionaire and pauper. mAstel
/ and slave, king and subject, shall stant
! side by side in the Judgment; ana
: money bags and judicial erInine, ant
= royal ROBE shall be riven with III,
; lightnings
E Behold, also, how = giant may b,
: slain Delilah started the train Of cir
4 eumstsnoes that pulled down the tenn
: pie Of DzgOa about SAmson's ears And
: tens Of thousands Of giants have gon,
o down 10 death and hell through tn.
{ sane impure destinations II seems 4
! me that IL Is high time that pulpit ans
platform and printing press speak on
: against the impurities Of modern 50
ciety. FastidiOusness and pruderJ
= say: Better no, sPeak-yOu viii rouss
o up adverse criticism; you viii max,
! worse what yoa wan; TO make better
{ better deal IL glittering generzlities
! the subjeet is too delicate for polit.
J ears But there comes a voice from
4 Heaven OverPOwering the mineing sen
r timentalities Of the day. saying. -CrJ
: aloud. spare not, lift up thy voice Hk,
e strumpet and show my people theil
5 transgressiOns and the house Of Iacol