Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1898-11-23
SERMONS OF THE DAY
Subject: 'rTbe Wrestlers''-The Time Is
Coming When the Last Mighty Evil of
the World viii BE Grappled by Hight
eOusnesa and Thrown.

Coming When the Last Mighty EVIL Of
the World VIII BE Grappled by Hight
eousness and Thrown.
TEXT: "We wrestle not against flesh and
blood, but against principalities, against
powers against the rulers of the darkness
of t is world, against spiritual wickedness
in high places. ."-Ephesians vi, IL.
Squeamishness and fastidiousness were
never charged against Paups rhetoric. In
the war against evil he took the first
weapon he could lay his hand on. For II.
lustration, he employed the theatre, the
arena, the foot-race, and there was moth
ing in the lsthmian game, with its wreath
OF pine leaves; or Pythian game. with its
wreath of laurel and palm; or Nemean
game, with its wreath of parsley; or any
Roman circus, but he felt he had a right to
put it in sermon or epistle, and are You not
surprised that in my text he calls upon
wrestling bout for suggestiveness? Plu-
tarch says that wrestling is the most artis-
tic and cunning of athletic games. We
must make q wide difference between
pugilism, the lowest Of spectacles, and
wrestling, which is an effort in sport to put
down another on floor or ground, and We,
all of US, INDUCED in it in our boyhood
days, II we were healthful and plucky- The
ancient wrestlers were first bathed in oil,
and then sprinkled with sand. The third
throw decided'tbe victory, and many Tan
who went down in the first throw or sec
ond throw, in the third throw was on top,
and his opponent under. The Romans did
not like this game very much, for it
not savage enough, no blows or kicks be-
ing allowed in the game. They preferred
the foot of hungry panther on the breast of
fallen martvr.
In wrestling, the opponents would bow
in apparent suavity, advance face to face,
put down both feet solidly, take each other
by the arms, and push each other backward
and forward until the work began in real
earnest, and there were contortions and
strangulations AMI violent strokes OF the
foot of one contestant against the foot OF
the other, tripping him up, or with strug-
gle that threatened apopiexy or death, the
defeated fell, and the shouts of the specta-
tors greeted the victor. 1 guess Panl had
seen some such contest, and it reminded
him Of the struggle of the soul with temp
tation, and the struggle Of truth with error,
and the struggle Of heavenly forces against
apollyonic powers, and he dictates my text
to an amanuensis, for all his letters, save
the one to Philemon, seem to have been
dictated, and as the amanuensis goes on
with his work hear the groan and laugh
and shout of earthly and celestial belliger-
ents: I'VE wreste not against flesh and
blood, but against prlncipaities, against
powers, against the rulers of the darkness
of this world, against spiritual wckedncss
in high places"
notice that as these wrestlers advanced
to throw each other they bowed one to the
OtneI. II was u cINllIty, UOL OHly III uTe-
clan and Roman games, but in later days,
In all the wrestling bouts at Clerkenwell.
England and in the famous wrestling match
during the reign of Henry I'LL, in st. Giles
Field, between men OF Westminster and
people of London. However rough twist
and hard a pull each wrestler contemplated
giving his opponent, they approached each
other with politeness and suavity. The
genuflexions, the afYahility, the courtesy in
no wise hindered the decisiveness, OF the
contest Well PAUL. see what you mean.
In this awful struggle between right and
wrong. we muctnot forget to be gentlemen
and ladies. Affability never hinders, but
always helps. You are powerless as soon
as you get mad. Do not call rum-sellers
murderers. Do not call infidels fools. Do
not call higher critics reprobates. Do not
call all card-players and theatre-goers chill
dren of the devil. Do not say that the dance
breaks through into hell. d. not deal In
vituperation and bil1ingsgates and con-
tempt and adjectives dynamite. The other
side can beat US mt that. Their dictionaries
have more objurgation and birthstone.
We are in the strength of God to throw
fiat on its back every abomination that
curses the earth, but let US approach our
mighty antagonist with suavty. Her
cules, a son of Jupiter and Alcmene, will
by a precursor Of smiles be helped rather
than damaged for the performance of his
''twelve labors." Let us be as wisely
strategic in religious circles as attorneys
In court-rooms, who are complimentary
to each other in the opening remarks, be-
fore they come into legal struggle such as
that which left Rufus Choate or David
Paul Brown triumphant or defeated.
People who get into rage in reformatory
work accomplish nothing but the deple-
tion OF their own nervous system. There
is such a thing as having gun so hot at
the touch-no1e that it explodes, killing
the one that sets 1t off. There are
some reformatory meetings to which ]
always decline to so and take part, be-
cause they are apt to become demonstra-
tions of bad temper. 1 never like to heaI
a man swear, even though he swear on
the right side. The very Paul who in my
text EN- mployed in illustration the wrestling
match, behaved on a memorable occasion
as we ought to behave. The translators
of the Bible made an unitentional mis-
take when they represented Paul as in
sulting the people of Athens by speaking
Of "the unknown god whom ye ignorantIy
worship" Instead Of charging them with
Ignorance, the original indicates he COM !
plimented them by suggesting that they
were very religious; but as they confessed
understand about God, he proposed to say
some things concerning Him, beginning
where they had left off. The same Paul !
who said In one place, "Be courteous, and
who had noticed the bow preceding the
wrestling match, here exercises sunvities
down the rocky side of the Acropolis the
whole Parthenon of idoiatries, Minerva and
Jupiter smashed up with the rest OF them. /
In this holy war polished rifles will do
more execution than blunderbusses. Let
our wrestlers bow rs they go into the
struggle which will leave all perdition un-
der and all heaven on top.
Remember also that these wrestlers went |
through severe and continuous course OF
preparation for their work. They were
Il "a k.~f 4 .lTr,1
their muscle. As Paul says, every man
that striveth for the mastery is temperate |
in all things" The wrestlers were put
under complete discipline-bathing, gym
nastics, struggle in sport with each other
to develop strength and give quickness to
dodge of head and trip OF foot; STOPPING
to lift each other off the ground; suddenly
rushing forward; suddenly pulling back
ward: putting the left foot behind the
others right foot, and getting his oppo-
nent off his balance; hard training for days
and weeks and months, so that when they
met it was giant clutching giant. And,
my friends, IL we do not want ourselves to
be thrown in this wrestle with the sin ana
error Of the world, We had better get ready
by Christian discipline, by bolv seif-de-
nial, by constant practice, by submitting
to divine supervisal and direction. Do not
begrudge the time and the ;nocey for that
young man who is in preparation Tor thf
ministry, spending two years in grammar
school, and four years in college, and
three years In theological seminary. 1
know that nine years are big slice to
take of Of a mans active life. but u you
realized the height and strength or the
archangels OF evil in our time with which
that young man is going to wrestle. you
would not think nine years Of lreiaration
were too much. An uneducated ministry
was excusable in other days, but not in this
time, loaded with schools and colleges.
man who wrote me the other day letter
asking advice as he felt called to preach
the Gospel, began the word God" with
small '.g." That kind Of H man is no.
called to preach the GOSPEL. Illiterate men,
preaching the Gospel, quote for their own
encouragement the scriptural passage.
"Open thy mouth wide and 1 will I'LL it,"
Yes! He will fill 1t with wind. Preparation
for this wrestling is absolutely necessary.
Many years ago D octor Newman and d octoH
Sn nj erland on fha nIatform Of BRIGHAM