The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1897-03-25


! world. do not believe that God ever
made a better world than this. 1t is
magnificent in its ruins Let us stop.
talking so much against the world
God pronoun ced it very good at the be-
| ginning. Though a wandering child of.
God, see in it yet the Great Fathers
llneaments. Though tossed and driven
by the storms Of six thousand years,
| she sails braVely vet, and as at her
| launching in the beginning the morn
ing stars sang together and all the sons
o. God shouted for Joy, so at last, when
coming into the calm hasbor of Gods
mercy. she shall be greeted by the,
huzzas of glorifed 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, hypocritical in profession
against all this Christ makes onset
From false profession he would tear the
mask. From oppression he would
snatch 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
1t, he hates sin so well that to eradicate
the last trace Of it's pollution he will
utterly consume the continents and the
oceans. At the gate Of Eden the declar-
alton OF perpetual enmity was made
against the serpent. The tumult roun-
about Mount Sinai was only the roar
and flash Of Gods artillery Of wrath
against sin. Sodom on fire was only one
of Gods flaming bulletins announcing
hostility. Nineveh and Tyre and Jeru-
salem 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
3iniquity. They make us believe that
though nations belligerent and revenge.
full NAV sign articles of peace and come
to an amicable adjustment, there shall
be no cessation of hostilities between
the forces of light and the forces Of
i darkness until the kingdoms Of this
world have become the kingdoms Of our
Lord. Affrigh-ed by no opposition, dis.
couraged by no temporary defeats,
shrinking from no exposure every
man to his position, while from the top
OF our schools and churches and semi
naries and asylums, t'In the name OF
God we will set up our banners"
Again, it was the custom IN ancient
times, for the purpose Of gathering
armies, 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 beer employed for the gathering
Of an army. Thus it is that the Church
OF Christ lifts it's 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-
! IRENE youth or the infirmity of adj
vanced age be a clog rather than an
| advantage. But none are too young
for Christ's regiment: none can be too
old. The hand that is strong enough
to bound bail or trundle hoop is
skilled enough to fight for Christ, while
4 many, hand trem bling with old age
I has grasped the arrow 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 Lave long ago had your names
written on the roll Of celestial troops,
and you like the service we'll, although
you now bear the scars of multitude
nous conflicts and can recount many a
long march, and tell of siege-guns
4 opened on you that you thought never
would be spiked. But there may be
some who have not yet enlisted. Your
! being here implies that you are seri-
ously thinking about it, and your at
4 tention makes me hope you are only
looking for the standard to be hoisted.
i Will you not, hundred of you. with
all the aroused enthusiasm Of your ma
I ture, come bounding into the ranks,
4 while "In the name of God we set up
4 our banners? p
A Through natural 5modesty do you hold
back and say, Il will be of no advant-
age to Christ; am too awkward to
4 learn the step of the host, or to be OF
i any service N the shock Of battle %
I 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 heaven
ward would make the gates of he'll
tremble on their hinges. We may not
be as polished and trim as many Chris:
q tians we have known, and we may moi
q as we'll understand sharp-s shooting, but
8 there is rough work which we can al
accomplish. We may be axe-men, and
3 hew pathway through the forests. We
may be spadesmen, and dig the trenches
I or throw up the Notifications. We dc
not care where. We do not care what
{. if, we can only help in the cause Of oul
King and shout as loudly as any Of
4 them at the completion of the con
quest.
There are non-professors who have {
very correct idea of what Christians
ought to be. You have seen members
{, of the church who were as proud az
!, Ahab and lied as badly as Ananias, ane
who were as foul hypocrites as Judas
You aIhor all that. You say follower:
. of Christ ought to be honorable, hum