The Burke County news. [volume] (Morganton, N.C.) 1899-1901, 1899-04-28

ouc 4 would read like this: "Ibelieve In
nothing. the maker Of heaven and earth,
.ci II nothing which 1t hath sent, Wnlch
nothing was born OF nothing and which
nothing was dead and buried and descend
ed into nothing and rose from nothing
and assembled TO nothing and now stitch
a. the right land Of nothing, from
Which Il will come tojudge nothing. 1 be-
lieve In the holy agnOstic church and in
the communion OF n~OthinSarianS and IN
the forgiveness Of nothing and the resur-
rsction of nothing and in the life that never
shall be. Amen That is the creed OF
tens CT thousands Of people IN this day. II
YOU have a mind to adopt such a theory, I
will not. II believe in God, the Father AL
mighty, Maker OF heaven and earth, and in
Jesus Christ and In the holy catholic
church and in the communion OF saints
and in the life everlasting. Amen Oh,
when | see EleaZar taking such a stout
grip Of the sword in the battle against sin
and for righteousness, l come to the con-
clusion that VT ought to take a stouter
grip OF Gods eternal truth-.he sword OF
righteousness.
As I look at Eleazar's han l also notice
his spirit of self forgetfulness. He did not
notice that the hilt of the sword was eating
through the palm Of his hand. He did not
know ii hurt MIN. a. Re went out into the
conflict be was 50 anxious for the victory
he forgot himself, and that hit might go
never 50 deeply into the palm OF his hand.
it could not disturb him. His hand-clave
unto the sword" On, my brothers and
sisters, let US go into the Christian conflict
with the spirit or self a%bnegation. Who
cares whether the world praises us or de-
ounce Us? What do we care for misrep-
re-entatlon or abuse or persecution IN Il
conflict like this? Let US forget ourselves.
That nan who is afraid of getting his hand
hurt will never XII IA Phi!istine. Who
cares whether vou get hurt or not il you
get the victory? Oh. how many Christians
there are who are all tho time worrying
about the way the world treats them!
They are so tired, and they are SO abused,
and they are SO tempted. when Eleazar
did not think whether be had a hand Or an
arm or a foot. All be wanted was victory.
We see how men forget themselves In
worthy achievement. We have often seen
men VINO, in orier to achieve worldly sue
cess. will forget all physical fatigue and
All annoyance anG all obstacle. Just after
the battle Of Yorktown in the American
Revolution a musician, wounded, was old
he must have his limbs amputated, and
they We're about to iasten him to
the surgeons table. for it was
long before the merciful discovery Of
an;estEetics. fie said: no; don't fnsten
me to that table. Get re a vioi;n.' A
violin was brought to him, and he said,
Now, 50 to work rs | begin to play" and
for forty minutes. during the awful pangs
81 amputatiOn, he moved not a muscle nor
dropped a note, while he played some
sweet tune. Oh, is it Lot strange that with
the music Of the Gospel Of Jesus Christ,
and with this grand morch OF the church
militant on the way 10 become tho church
triu mphaat. We caano forget ourselves
and forget all ranS and all sorrow and a..
per- ecution and al perturbation?
We know what men accomplish under
worldly opposition. Men do notshrink back
tor ~antagonisn or for hardship. lor nave
admired Pra-cOttsS conquest Of NeXico,"
a, brilliant and beautiful IL history rs was
ever written. but some OF YOU may not
know under what disadvantages it was
Ttitten-that conquest OF Mexico"-for
Prescott was totally Blind. and he mad two
pieces OF wood parallel to each other fast
cacd, and totally blind. with his pen be-
tween those pieces OF wood. he wrote thu
stroke against one piece Of wood telling
how lar the zen must sc il one way, the
stroke against the other piece Of wood tell.
ing how far the pen must % the other wa~.
Oh, how much men Will endure for worldly
knowledge and for worldly success. ard vet
how iitti. W. endure for Jesus Christ! How
many Christians there are that 20 around
saying, 'Oh, my hand: oh. nv hand. nv
hurt hand, Don't vou see there is blood on
the sword: while E!eazar. With the hiltim-
heiaed in the flesh Of his right hand. does
not know it.
Must | be carried TO the skies
On tlowerv bed, Of ease.
NhIie others fought to win the prize
OR sailed through bloody s"as?
WHAT have We suffered in comparison With
taose who expired with suffocation or were
turned or wore chopped 10 pieces for the
truths sake? We talk OF the persecution
OF oictn times. There is just as much per-
srcntlon going on now in various ways. In
lSl9, III Madagascar. eighteen men were nut
10 death for Christ's sake. They were to
be hurled over the rocks. and before they
We're hurled over the rocks. il order 10
make their death the more Dreadful in an
tlcipation, they were put in baskets AM
swung to and fro over the p-ecipice that