Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1898-09-29


and from the text Psalms 6s:1: lie
God arise, let His enemies be scat
tered"
A procession was formed to carry
the ark, or sacred box, which, though
only three feet nine inches in length
and four feet three inches in height
and depth, was the symbol of God s
presence. AS the leaders of the pro.
cession lifted this ornamented and bril-.
liant box by two golden poles run
through four golden rings, and start
ed for Mount Zion, all the people chant
ed the battle hymn of my text: Let
God arise, let His enemies be scat
tered"
The Cameronians of Scotland, out
ragged by James L., who forced upon
them religious forms that were often
sive, and by the terrible persecution
of Drummond, Dalziel and Turner, and
by the oppressive laws of Charles l.
and Charles H., were driven to pro-
claim war against tyrants, and went
forth to fight for religious liberty; and
the mountain heather became red with
carnage, and at Boutwell, bridge and
Ards Moss and Drumclog the battle
hymn and the battle shout of those
glorious old Scotchmen was the text
l have chosen: Let God arise, let
His enemies be scattered"
What a whirlwind of power was Oil
yer Cromwell, and how with his SOL
diers, named the "Ironsides," he went
from yintnru n yintnrui Gnnncinr
mics melted as he looked at them. He
dismissed parliament as easily as
schoolmaster a school. He pointed his
finger at Berkeley castle, and it was
taken. He ordered Sir Ralph Hopton,
the general, to dismount, and he dis
mounted. See Cromwell marching on
with his army and hear the battle
cry of the "Ironsides," loud as storm
and solemn as dea th-knell, standards
reeling before it, and cavalry horses
going back on their launches, and
armies flying at Marston Moor at
Winceby Field, at Naseby, at Bridge
water and Durtmouth-"Le God arise,
let His enemies be scattered!"
So you see my text is not like a
Iohi uhb tuSoSiSu o"'Ao
that you sometimes see hung up in
parlor, a sword that was never in bat
tie, and only to be used on general
training day, but more like some
weapon carefully hung up in your
home, telling its story of battles, for
my text hangs in the Scripture arm
DRY, telling of the holy wars of 5000
years in which it has been carried,
but still as keen and mighty as when
David first unsheathed it. 1t seems
to me that in the church of God and
in all styles of reformatory work,
what we most need now Is a battle
cry. We raise our little standard, and
put on it the name of some man who
only few years ago began to live and
In a few years will cease to live. We
go into conquests against the armies of
lniquity, depending too much on hui
man agencies. We use for a battle
cry the name of some brave Christian
reformer, but after awhile that re
former dies, or gets old, or loses his
courage, and then we take another
battle cry, and this time, perhaps, we
put the name of some one who be-
trays the cause and sells out to the
enemy. What we want for battle cry
is the name of some leader who will |
never betray us, and will never sur
render, and will never die.
All respect have for brave men
and women, but if we are to get the |
victory all along the line we must take
the hint of the Gideonites, who |
wiped out the Bedouin Arabs, com
monty called Midianites. These Gid
eonites had a glorious leader in Gid |
con, but what was the battle cry with |
which they flung their enemies into
the worst defeat into which any army !
was ever tumbled? 1t was: The sword |
of the Lord and of Gideon" Put God |
first, whoever you put second. If
the army of the American revolution
Is to free America, it must be The
sword of the Lord and of Washington"
If the Germans want to win the day
at Sedan, it must be The sword of the
Lord and Of Won Moltke." Waterloo
was won for the English, because not
only the armed men at the front, but
the worshipers in the cathedrals at the
rear were crying: The sword of the
Lord and of Wellington"
The Methodists have gone in tr-
umph across nation after nation with
the cry: The sword of the Lord and
of Wesley" The Presbyterians have
gone from victory to victory with the
cry: The sword of the Lord and of
John Knox" The Raptists have con-
quered millions after millions for
Christ with the cry: The sword of
the Lord and of Judson." The Amer
lean Episcopalians have won their
mighty way with the cry: THE sword
of the Lord and Of Bishop McIlvaine."
The victory is TO those who put God
first. But as we want a battle cry
suited to all sects of religionists and
to all lands, | nominate as the battle
cry of Christendom in the approaching
Armageddon the words Of my text,
sounded before the ark as it was car
ried to Mount Zion Let God arise, let