The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1899-05-18

ring to his voice, and the same old story
of pardon and peace and Christ and
Heaven. His hand has so long ciutched
the sword in Christian conflict he can.
not drop it. His hand clave unto the
sword
L had in. my parish in Philadel-
phia very aged man who in his early
life had been the companion and ad-
wiser of the early presidents, Madison
and Monroe. He had welded vast in
fiuence, 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. was called to see
him die. l entered the room, and he
said: ''Mr. Talmage. l cannot speak
to you now.' He was in very pleas
ant delirium, as he imagined he had an
audience before him. He said: II must
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
dvinO hond o1o IN, Il;
Oh. if there ever was anyone who had
a right to retire from the conflict, it was
old Joshua. Soldiers come back from
battle have the names of the battles on
their flags. showing where they distin-
guished themselves, and it is very ap-
propriate inscription. Look at that
flag of old Gen. Joshua On it, Jericho.
Gibeon, Hazar, city of Al, and instead of
the stars sprinkled on the flag the sun
and the moon which stood still. There
he is, 10 years old. He is lying fiat on
his back. but he is preaching. His dying.
words are battle charge against idol
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 to Ostea. His great brain and
his great heart have been severed. The
elmwood rods had sturg 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 SUBJ
urbs of Damascus, as the supernatural
light 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: Il am now ready to be offered.
and the time of my departure is at hand.
l have fought the good fight And SO
his dying hand clave unto the sword.
It was in the front room on the Sec
ond floor that my father lay a-dying.
1t was Saturday morning, four o'clock.
Just three years before that day <1ny
mother had left him for the skies, and
he had been homesick to join her COM
pany. He was 80 years of age. Minis
ters of the Gospel came in to comfort
him. but he comforted them. How won
derfully the words sounded out from
his dying pillow: Il have been young
and now am old, yet have never seen
the righteous forsaken or his7seed beg
gipg bread" They bathed his brow,
and they bathed his hands, and they
bathed his feet. and they succeed
ed in Strengthening out the feet. but
they did not succeed in bathing open
the hand so it would stay open. They
bathed the hand open, but it came shut
They bathed it open again. but it came
shut What was the matter with the
thumb and fingers of that old hand
All, it had so long touched the sword OF
Christian conflict that "his hand claye
unto the sword"