St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1899-05-13


,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 q missivc. delicate as we'd
ding card. to ask the old black giant
of sin if he will not surrender. Women
saved by the grace of God and on glori-
GUS mission sent, detained from tho
Sabbath classes because their new hat
il not done. Churches that shook our
cities with great revivals sending
around to ask some dem0nstrative wor.
shipsr If he will not please to say
'.amenn and .shalieluiah" little softer.
It seems as If in our churches we want
ed baptism Of cologne and balm OF
a thousand flowers when we actually
need baptism Of fire from the Lord
God of Pentecost. But we are 20 afraid
will criticize our sermons
or criticise our prayers or criticise onr
religious work that Our anxiety fof the
worlds redemption is lost in the fear
We win get our hand hurt, while Flea
ar went into thcconfiict, "and hin hand
clave unto the sword"
: But / see in the next place what a
hard thing it-was for. Eleazar to get his
hand ri his sword 1Arted. The mus
cles and the sinews had been so.long
graspd around the sword he could mot
drop 1t. and his three comrades, / supk
1bse, came upeand tried to help him,
and they bathed the back part OF the
hand, hdping the sihews and muscles
;iwould femx.. But No Hi hand claye
unto the sword" Then they tried to
pull open the fingers and to pull back
the thumb. but no sooner Xeres they
pulled back than they closed again.
ana his hand clave unto the sword"
.syou and have seeg it many . timG
There are in the United States Ep-day
many aged ministers of the Gospel.
Tley are too feeble uow to pfGAch- In.
the church rDcords the word standing
opp1sitc their name Is 'semerituaE or
the words are, ~ minister witAout
charge" They wefe . heroic raee.
They had small salaries and but few
lbodk4 andsthey SWAN spring fleshets
to meet their appointments. But they
did i6yheir day mighty work for God.
They took of more Of the heads Of
Philistine iniquity than You could
count from noon to sundown. Youput
that old dminister of the Gospel now into
a prayer meeting or occasional pulpit
- r.cy--<~<,,,, ~rbo,..N <Iorn 10 .<xvv,n <Sr,a
to be colnforted, and it i the same old
ring to his voice, and the same old story
of pardon and peace and Christ and
Heaven. His hand has 50 long clutched
the sword in Christian conflict he can
not drop it His hand clave unto the
sword.
i had in my parish n fhilsdel-
tfAiA avery aget11nAns rho in Eettarly
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.
meetings without propping, he would
throw his arm around a 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. I was called to see
him die. + entered the room, and he
said: mfr Talmage. I cannot speak
to you now" He was in q very pleas
ant delirium, as he imagined he had an
audience before him. He said: Unjust
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 1t 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 fat on
his back, but he il preaching. His dying
words are a battle charge againstidol-
airy, and a rallying cry for the Lord Of
Hosts as he says: Behold. this day
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 aud
his great heart have been severed. The
elmwood rods had stung him fearfully.
When the corn ship broke up, he swami
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
light fell, down to this day. when he 10
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 Chrikten-
dom: 81 am now ready to be offered,
and the time Of my departure Is at hand.
have fought the good fight" And 70
his dying hand clave unto the sword.
1t 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 my
mother had left him for the skies, and
he had been homesick to join her CONF
pany. He was SO years Of age. Minis
tiers 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 his seed beg
ging bread" They bathed his brow,
and they bathed his hands, ard they
bathed his feet and they succeed
ed in Strengthening out the feet. but