The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1899-1900, 1899-04-12
) few John Kno1aE ana John wesleta

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in the Christian church to-day.
The whole tendency is to refine on
Christian work. We keep on refining
on it-until we send apologetic word to
iniquity we are about to capture it.
And we must go with sword, silver
chased and presented by the ladies, and
we must ride on white palfrey under
embroidered housing, putting the
spurs in only just enough to make the
charger dance gracefully, and then We
must send a miadve, delicate as we'd
ding card, to e5k the old black giant
of sin II he will rot surrender Women
saved by the grace of God and on glori-
Gus mission sent, detained from the
Sabbath classes because their new hat
is not done Churches that shook our
cities with great revivals sending
around to ask some demonstrative wor-
shipper If he will not please to say
amen" and "halleluiah" a little softer.
1t seems as II in our churches we want
ed a baptism of cologne and balm Of
thousand flowers when we actually
need a baptism of fire from the Lord
God Of Pentecost. But we are so afraid
somebody will criticise our sermons
or criticise our prayers or criticise our
religious work that our anxiety for the
worlds redemption is lost in the fear
we will get our band hurt, while Flea
zar went into the conflict, "and his hand
clave unto the sword" ha
But see in the next place what
hard thing it was for Eleazar to get his
hand and his sword parted The mus
cles and the sinews had been so long
grasped around the sword he could not
drop it, and his three comrades, 1 sup
pose, came up and tried to help him,
and they bathed the back part of the
hand, hoping the sinews and muscles
would relax. But no. "His hand claye
unto the sword" Then they tried to
pull open the fingers and to pull back
the thumb, but no sooner were they
pulled back than they closed again,
and his hand clave unto the sword"
You and have seen it many time.
There are in the United States to-day
many aged ministers of the Gospel.
They are too feeble now to preach. In
the church records the word standing
opposite their name is emeritus" or
the words are, "a minister without
charge" They were a heroic race.
They had small salaries and but few
books, and they swan spring freshets
to meet their appointments. But they
did in their day mighty work for God.
They took off more of the heads Of
Philistine iniquity than you could
count from-noon to sundown, You put
that old minister of the Gospel now into
a prayer meeting or occasional pulpit
or sickroom where there is some one
to be comforted, and it is the same old
ring to his voice, and the same old story
of pardon and peace and Christ and
Heaven. His hand has SO long clutcbed
the sword in Christian conflict he can
not drop it. "His hand clave unto the
sword" PIP,
Il had in, my parish in Philadel-
phia very aged man who in his early
life had been the companion and adj
wiser of the early presidents, Madison
and Monroe. He had welded vast in
| fluence, but only knew him as very
aged man. The most remarkable thing
about him was his ardor for Christ.
When he could not stand up in the
meetings without propping, he would
throw his arm around pillar of the
church, and, though his mind was par.
TALLY gone, his love for Christ was SO
great that all were in deep respect and
profound admiration, and were moved
when he spoke. 1 was called to see
him die. entered the room, and lie
said: "Mr Talmage. I cannot speak
to you now" He was in a very pleas
ant delirium, as he imagined he had an
audience before him. He said: "Tmust
tell these people TO come to Christ and
prepare for Heaven" And then in this
pleasant delirium, both arms lifted. this
octogenarian preached Christ and told
Of the glories of the world to come
There, lying on his dying pillow, his
dying hand clave to his sword.
Oh, if there ever was anyone who had
a right to retire from the conflict, il was
old Joshua. Soldiers come back from
battle have the names Of the battles on
their flags, showing where they distin-
guished themselves, and il is very APP
propriate inscription. Look at that
flag of old Gen. Joshua. On it, Jericho,
Gideon, Hazar, city of All, and instead of
the stars sprinkied on the flag the sun
and the moon which stood still There
he is, 10 years old. He is lying nat on
his back, but he is preaching. His dying
words are battle charge againstidol-
airy, and rallying cry for the Lord of
Hosts as he says: 'Behold, this day l
go the way of all the earth, and God
hath not failed to fulfill his promise
concerning Israel" His dying hand
clave unto the sword.
There is the headless body of Paul on
the road 10 0stea. His great brain and
his great heart have been severed. The
elmwood rods had stung him fearfully.
When the. corn ship broke up, he swan
ashore, coming up drenched with the
brine. Every day since that day when
the horse reared under him in the sub
urbs of Damascus, as the supernatural
Hight fell, down to this day, when he is
6s years of age and i'll from the prison
cell of the Mamertine, he has been out
rageously treated, and he is waiting
TO die. How does he spend his last
hours? Telling the world how badly he
feels and describing the rheumatism
that he got in prison. the rheumatism
affecting his limbs, or the neuralgia
piercing his temples, or the thirst that
fevers his tongue? Oh, no! His last
words are the battle shout for Christen-
dom: ~ am now ready to be offered,
and the time of my departure isat hand,