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

Again A tnenS,snAr.
been Won Zen a g victory has
it by flags MS Is customaryNs> announco
ings and from esag from publfc>build.
Of ships. They are ssaa sss@a from the masts
and rejoicing and festiSssss'nasl for eulogy
sign which the church hoist. 50 the en-
Of victory. There was a time "a a banner
religion of Christ was not consiaa. the
respectable. Men Of learning and pessal
ton frowned upon it, Governments
mathematical its supporters To be
Christian was to be an underling. But
mark the difference Religion has COM
pelled the worlds respect. Infdelity, in
the tremendous effort it has made 10
crush il, has cOmplimented its power
And there is not now a single civilized
nation but in its constitution or laws or
proclamations pays homage to the reli-
gion Of the cross. In the war in India,
when Sir Archibald Campbell found in
an hour Of danger that the men he Or
dered to the field were intoxicated and
asked for the pious men whom the Chris
tian Havelock had under his manage
ment, he said: "Call out Havelock's
saints. They are never drunk, and Have
lock is always ready" That Chris
tianity which gathered its first trophies
from the fshermen's huts on the shore
Of Galilee now has Samsonian strength
thrown upon its shoulders and has car
ried off the gates Of science and world
" power. We point not to the fortresses
and standing armies and nayies as the
evidence Of the church's progress. We
point to the men whom Christ has re-
deemed by his blood
What IL arsenals and navy yards do
not belong TO the church: We do not
want them. The weapons Of our war
fere are not carnal, but spiritual and
mighty through God to the pulling
down Of strongholds The world and
satan have no idea Of the strength and
heroism which God will yet let out
against the forces of darkness. As yet
they have had only one round from the
first regiment The Lord Of Hosts will
soon appear in the field at the head Of
his troops. Depend upon it that when
God inspires the soul with new life he
puts in IL the principle of never give
up" In all ages of the church there
have been those who have had a faith
that was almost equal TO sight, looking
through persecution and reverses with
as much expectation as through palpable
achievements. There have been men for
Christ who have acted as did the favor
ite troops of Brien, attacked by Fitzpat
rick Of Ossory. The wounded soldiers
begged that they might enter the fight
with the others. They said, Let stakes
be stuck in the ground and suffer each
Of us, tied to and supported by one Of
these stakes, to battle in the ranks by
the side Of a sound man." II is said
that zoo or 500 men, pale and emaciated
from former wounds and thus supported
BY the stakes, struggled through the
combat. Thus has it been that multi
tudes of the children Of God, though
feeling themselves weak and wounded
perhaps in body, perhaps in estate per-
haps in soul-supported by the staff Of
Gods promise, have warred it up to the
hilt in the subjugation Of a world OF
wickedness. ~
A Mighty Csass.
We are mighty III this cause, for we
have the help Of the pious dead. Mes
sengers of salvation from high heaven,
they vidr rne field. They stand behind
Us 10 keep us from ignominious retreat
They go before us 10 encourage Us in the
strife. The McCheynes, and the Pay
sons, and the Martyrs, and the Brain
erds, an uncounted multitude OF the
glorifed, are our coadjutors. Have you
heard the Swiss tradition: The herds
men say that three great leaders Of the
Helvetic nation, though seemingly dead,
are only lying down under the ground
in their old time dress, refreshing
themselves with sleep, and that If ar
any time the liberties Of their country
are in danger they will Immediately
spring 10 their feet and drive back the
enemy. May 1 not have the thought
that if ever the church Of the blessed
Christ shall be threatened with destruc-
ton by the foes which seem too great
for her strength the Lord himself viii
not only come to the deliyerance, but
those great ancients who have seemed
to be sleeping among the dead shall i'm
mediately hear the trumpet blast Of the
church militant, and, full armed, spring
back 10 their old positions in the ranks
Of God, with the battlecry, More than
conquerers through him that loved us.'
Although we have already much to en-
courage us in the work Of the worlds
evangelization, yet we must confess that
much of our time has been consumed IN
planting our batteries and getting ready
for the conflict. We have not yet begun
10 preach. We have not yet begun TO
pray. We have not yet begun TO work
On the coast of heatnendom are mission
airy stations. They hsye scarcely yet BE-
gun to accomplish what they propose.
1t takes some time TO dig the trenches
and elevate the standard and direct the
great guns From what l hear / think
they are about ready now. Let but the
great Captain wave the signal, and the
ringing of celestial weaponry shall
quake every dungeon of hell and sound
up among the thrones Of heaven. Pago-
das and temples shall tumble under the
shock and besotted nations flying from
their idols and superstitions, shouting
like the confounded worshipers Of Baal:
"The Lord, he is TIE Godl The Lord,
he is the Godp
We 20 not alone to the field. We have
invincible allies in the dumb elements
Of nature. AS Job said, we are in league
with the very stones of the field. Tho
sun by day and the moon by night, di-
rectly or indirectly, shall favor Chris
tianity. The stars in their courses are
marshaled for us, as they fought against
Sisera. The winds of heaven are now as
certainly acting In favor Of Christ as in
reformation times the invincible arma-
da in its pride approached the coast OF
England. As that proud navy directed
fits guns against the friends of Christ
and religious Liberty, God said unto his
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