Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1898-02-05
STURDY CHRISTIANS.
THE TIMES DEMAND MEN AND WON
EN- OF HEROIC MOLD.


DR.. Talmnge Draws Moral from ths
Life of Qncen Esther-Activc. Earnest
Working Christians Are Needed Now
and Always.
copyright. 1898. by American Press Asso-
ciatIon.l
WASHINGTON, Jan. 30.-Dr. Talmage
here shows the style of Christian char.
acter required for the times in which
we live and pleads for more heroics.
The text is Esther iv, ID, WHO know
eth whether thou art come to the king
dom for such time as this?'
Esther the beautiful was the wife
Of Ahasuerus the abominable. The time
had come for her to present petition
to her infamous husband in behalf Of
the jewish nation. to which she had
once belonged She was afraid to un-
dertake tho work lest she should lose
her own life but her cousin, Mordecai,
who had brought her up, encouraged
her with the suggestion that probably
she had been raised up of God for that
peculiar mission. "Who knoweth wheth-
er thou art come to the kingdom for
such time as this?''
Esther had her God appointed work.
You end have ours. It is my business
to tell you what style Of men and wom-
en- you ought to be in order that you
meet the demand of the ago in which
God has cast your lot So this discourse
will not deal with the tochnicalities,
but only with the probabilities.
When two armies have rushed into bat
tic, the officers of either army do not
want philosophical discussion about
the chemical properties of human blood
or the nature of gunpowder they want
some one to man tho batteries and take
ont the guns. And now, when all the
forces of light and darkness, of heaven
and hell, have plunged into the fight, it
is no time to give ourselves to the def
nitions and formulas and tcchnicalities
and conventionalities of religion. What
we want is practical, earnest, concen-
trated, enthusiastic and triumphant
help.
Aggressive Christianity.
In tho first place, in order TO meet tho
special demand of this age you need to
be an unmistal;ablc aggressive Chris
tian. Of half aud half Christians we do
not want any more. The church Of
Jesus Christ will be Letter without
them. They are the chief obstacle to the
church advancement am speaking
of another kind of Christian. All tho
appliances fer your becoming an earnest
Christian arc at your hand, and there is
a straight path for you into the broad
daylight Of Gods forgiveness You may
this moment be the bondmen of the
world, aid tho next moment you may
be princes of the Lord God Almighty.
You remember VI hat excitement there
was in this country years ago when the
Prince Of Wales came hcre-how the
people rushed out by hundreds of thou
eands to SEQ him Why? Because they
expected that some day ho would sit
upon the tErcro of England. But what
was all that Eorcr compared with the
honor to which God calls you to be soDs
and daughters Of the Lcrd Almighty,
yea, to be queens ard kings unto Gcd?
"They shall reign with him forever end
forever. F"
But you need to lie aggressive Chris.
tians, and not like those persons who
spend their lives in hugging their Chris
tian graces and wondering why they do
not make progress. How much robust
ness of health would man have if he
hid himself in dark closet? A great
deal Of tho piety Of today is too exclu-
sive. 1t hides itself Itnecds mere fresh
air, moro outdoor exercise. There are
many Christians who nre giving their
en- tire life 10 self EXAMINATION. They
arc feeling their pulses TO see what is
the condition CT their spiritual health.
How long would man have robust
physical health if he Kept all the day
feeling his pulse instead of going out
into active, earnest everyday work?
Won't Stand Analysis.
l was once amid the wonderful, be-
witching cactus growtLs CT North Car
DINA. never was moro bewildered
with the beauty Of flowers, and yet
when would take up one Of these cac-
fuses and pull tho leaves apart the beau
ty was all gone. You could hardly tell
that it had ever been q flower. And
there are great many Christian people
in this day just pulling apart their Chris
tian experiences to see what there is in
them, and there isnothing left in them.
This style of self examination is a
damage instead of all advantage to their
Christian character. remember when
l was boy used to have small piece
in the garden that called my own, and
/ planted corn there. ard every few
days would pull it up to sec how fast
it was growing. Now, there arc great
many Christian rcoplo in this day
whose self examination merely amounts
to the pulling up of that which they
only yesterday or the Gay before plant
ed. Oh, my friends, if you want to have
stalwart Christian character, plant it
right out of doors in the great field Of
Christian usefulness, and though storms
may come upon it. and, though the hot
sun of trial may try to consume it, 1t
will thrive until it becomes great tree
in which the fowls of heaven may have
their habitation have no patience
with these flowerpot Christians. They
keep themselves under shelter, and all
their Christian experience in small,
exclusive circle, when they ought to
plant it in tie great garden of the Lord,
SO that the whole atmosphere could be
aromatic with their Christian useful
ness. What we want in the church OF
God is more strength Of piety. The CEN
tury plant is wonderfully suggestive and
wonderfully beautiful, but l never look
OF it without thinking of its parsirnony.
It let's whole generations go BY before 1t
puts forth one blossom, so have really
more admiration when see the dewy
tears in the blue eyes Of the violets, for
they come every spring. My Christian
1;.,d, t;r,, 10 ooino hv so raDidlY that