Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1897-03-19

HUMILIATION Iron Bethlehem To calvary.
Rent by bells onslaught. the spears OF
maddened soldiery and the hands n men
Z who said. ''L@t him De crucihed" With this
ensign In His bleeding hand the Saviour
sealed the heights % our sin. with this ne
mounted the walls Of perditiOn. and amid Us
very smoke and fame and blasphemy He
waved His triumph. while demons hoWled
with defeat ana heaven
Thronged His chariot wheels
And bore Himto His throne.
Then swept their golden harps and sung.
The glorious work i done.
Again, when a grand victory has been won.
I II j. customary to announce IL by naes noat-
/ ing from public buildings aud from trees and
! from the masts Of ships. They arr the sig
nal Tor eulogy and rejoicing aud iestivity.
/ So the ensign which the church HOSTS Is u
I banner OF victory. There was time when
! the religion Of Christ was not considered re-
spectacle. Men Of learning and position
frowned upon ii. Governments anathema-
TIED its supporters. To be a Christian was
! TO be an underling. But marx the dlner-
enee. Religion has compelled the worlds
1 respect. lniidelity, in the tremendous
| effort II has made 10 crush II, has cOmpii-
mented it, power. And there is not now a
J single civilized nation bur IN its constitution
or laws or proclamntions pays homage TO
the religion Of the cross. In the war in III
an hour OF danger. that the men he ordered
TO the field were intoxicated, and asked for
| the piOus men whom the Christian Havelock
| hal under his management. he said: Call
| out HayelocSs saints. They are never drunk,
| and HavelOcS is always ready That Chris
tidnity which gathered its first trophies from
| the fishermen's huts on the shore oil Galllee
now has Samsonian strength thrown upon Its
shoulders and has carried of the gates OF
science and worldly power. We pointnottothe
fOrtresses and standing armies and nayies as
the evidence of the church's progress. We
point to the men whom Christ mas redeemed
by His blood.
What if arsenals and navy yards do not be.
long to the church, We do not want them.
The weapons of our warfare are not carnal,
but spiritual and mighty through God 10 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 vet 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 1t that when God inspires the soul with
a new life he puts in it the principle OF
I'"never give up" In AL ages OF the church
there have been those who have had faith
that was almost equal TO sight. looking
through persecution and reverses with rs
much expectation rs through palpable
achievements. There have been men for
Christ who have acted rs did the favnrlte
troops of Bren, attacked bv Fitzpatrick OF
O,sory. The wounded soldiers begged that
they might enter the i'ht 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 sound man.
1t is said that 700 or $40 men, pale and
emaciated from former wounds and thus
supported by the stakes. struggled through
the combat. Thus has it been that multi
tudcs Of the children Of God. though feel
ing themselves weak aud wOunded-per
haps in body, perhaps in estate, perhaps in
sou--supportei by the staff OF Goi's prom
Use. have warrei it up to the hilt in the sub
jugatou of Il world OF wckedness.
We are mighty in this cause, for we have
the help OF the pious dead. Messengers OF
salvation from high heaven, they visit the
! field. They stand behind us to keep us from
; iguominious retreat. They 90 before us to
encourage us IN the strife. The McCheynes,
, | and the Paysous. and the Martyrs. and thu
Brainrris. an uncounted multitude Of the
gorinei, are our CONDUCTORS Have you
heard the Swiss tradition? The herdsmen
: say that three great leaders OF the Helvetic
l nation, though seemingly dead are only
living down under the ground in their old
time dress, refreshing themselves with sleep,
i, and that If ut any time the liberties OF their
country are in danger they will immediate
= " spring to their feet aud drive back the
! enemy. May ! not have the thought
u that il ever the church Of the blessed
i. Christ shall be threatened with destruction
-, by the foes which seem too great for her
y strength the Lord himself will not only come
to the doliverHnGe, but those great ancicnts
who have seemed to be sleeping among tn
. dead shall Immediately hear the trurpe,
u blast Of the church militant and. full armed
d spring back to their old positions in the
L ranks Of God, with the battlecrv, "NlorC
Il than cOnquerors through Him that loved
> us?" Although We have already much tc
y encourage us in the work OF the world,
= evangeli2ation, yet we must confess tina,
u much OF our time has been consumed IL
planting our batteries and getting ready for
the conflict We have not yet begun tC
( preach. We have not yet begun 10 pray. We
II have not yet begun 10 work. On the coas
Of heathendOm are missionary stations
= They have scarcely yet begun to accom-
. plish what they propose. lttakes some tim,
Z to dig the trenches and elevate the standard
y and direct the great guns. From what
u hear | think they are about ready now. lie
u but tho great Captain wave the signal unt
Il the ringing of celestial weaponry shall quak,
every dungeon OF he'll ana sound up amOnG
10 the thrones OF heaven. PHgOdas and temple,
10 shall tumble under the shock and besotteJ
n nations shall fly from their idols and super
st stitions. shouting like the confoundeC
~ worshipers of Baa; THE Lord, He is thu
"a God, The Lord He is the Cod
3 We 90 not alone to the field. We have in
by vincible allies in the dumb elements of ma
ly ture. As Job said. We are in league with thu
az very stones of the field. The sun by day an,
he the moon by night, directly or indirectly
en- shall favor Christianity. The stars in thei
y, courses are marshaled for US as they Tough
ed against Sisera. The winds of heaven are nov
ch as certainly acting in favor Of Christ as i
IT. reformation times the nvincibe armada il
IN its pride approached the coast OF England
d. As that proud navy directed its guns agains
NJ. the friends of Christ and religious liberty
IS God said unto his winds, 'Seze hold G
IS them" and to the sea. Swallow them
ne The Lord. with his tempests, dashed thei
he hulls together and splintered them on tn
ed rocks until the flower OF Spanish pride an
es valor lay crushed among the waves of tn
Of seabeach. All are ours. Aye, God tn
ne Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghos
to are our allies.
ty The Mohammedans, in their struggle I
lit subiuGate the world, had passages from tn
ar Koran inscribed on the blades of their scim
st tiers. and we have nothing to fear IT., ar
IS preaching the intideity and malice that or
III glittering on our swords the words Of Davi
'e- to the giant, II come to thee in the name
in the Lord Of Hosts, the God of the armies
n Israel, whom thou hast dehed."
va Now the church goes forth bearing pr
e. cious seed. but after awhile it will be ii
IN sheaf binding, and reaper angels shall shot
"a the harvest home. Nowit is tents and marcl
hit ing and exposure, but then, in the ranks
g PROSTATE inquity and on the very walls
G. heaven, "in the name Of God we will set u
81 our banners"
$, The earth sends up its long. deep groan
to pain and clanks the great chains of its bond
Ut age and cries by the voice of sea and Ian
,es and sky, "How long, o Lord, how long?
sol There was n tradition on the other side c