Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1899-04-15

widows houses all the week we nave
got to stop our Indignation against the
Utilities and the Jebusites and the Cir
gashites and let those poor wretches go
and apply our indignation to the mod
ern transgressions which need to be
dragged out and slain. Ahabs here,
Herods here, Jezebels here, the mas
sacre of the infants here Strike for God
SO hard that while you Stay the sin the
sword will adhere to your own hand. l
tell you, my friends, we want a few
John Knoxes and john Wesleys in the
Christian church today The whole
tendency is to refine on Christian work.
We keep on refining on it until we
send apologize 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 hous-
ing. putting the spurs in only just
enough to make the charger dance
gracefully, and then we must send a
missive. delicate as wedding card, to
ask the old black giant of sin if he will
not surrender Women saved by the
grace of God and on glorious mission
sent detained from Sabbath classes be-
cause their new hat is not done.
Churches that shook our cities with
great revivals sending around to ask
some demonstrative worshiper if he
will not please to say "amen and
"halleluiah" little softer. 1t seems as
if in our churches we wanted Il baptism
of cologne and balm of thousand flow
ers when we actually need 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 re-
demption is lost in the fear we will get
our hand hurt, while ElcaZar went into
the conflict, "and his hand clave unto
the swcrd.
s:~on.: to the Fad.
But sac il ;he next !il::ce what a
hard tlias i ,.,!.i for Ei'i..ar Il %et his
hand aaa lis sword parted Tie ;ins-
cles and the aowS l.af l,e, = 81 oag
graspcd arou,: the Sy;or:1 lt cn7i' not
drop 1t VIXEN. ;a proposed to drop It.
and his t.,..ree co:;.r:d's. I sar?aia. c;::;3l"
up and tried 20 !:eip h.:n. anal they
bathed the has: i....:t of t: haiid. hoi'
ing tie sine,.s aad iausrIeS w"ai:l re-
lax But 10 His l.:t!l c!::::ro n:Go tn"
sword. Then thy t;if:! 10 lail apen
the fingers and TO pull laci; the th1mb.
but no sooner were tiiey pulled back
than they closed again. cans! his hand
clave unto the sword. . Bat after
awhile they were successful, and then
they noticed that the curye in the palm
of the hand corresponded exactly with
the curve of the hilt 'His hand clave
unto the sword.
You and I have seen it many time.
There are in the United States today
many aged ministers CT the gospel.
They are too feeble now TO preach. In
the church records the word standing
oppcsite their name is emeritus, or
the words are IA minister without
churge:- They were Il 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
iniouity than you could count from
noon to shutdown You put that old
minister of the gospel now into prayer
meeting or occasional pulpit or sick
room where there is some one to be COM
forted, 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 clutched the sword in
Christian conflict he cannot drop it
ellis hand clave unto the sword.
had in my parish in Philadelphia a
very aged man who in his early life had
been the companion and adviser of the
early presidents, Madison and Monroe
He had welded vast influence, but /
only knew him as very aged man
The most remarkable thing about him
was his aydor 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 partially gone. his
love for Christ was so great that all
were in deep respect and profound adj
miration and were moved when he
spoke. was called to see lin die. |
entered the room and lie said. "Mr.
Taluage, | cannot speak to You now.
He was in very pleasant delirium, as
he imagined he had an audience before
him He said. II must tell these people
to come to Christ and preEgre for heav-
en-. And then in this pleasant deliri-
UNI. 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
No Retiring From the Conflict.
Oh. if there ever was any one who
had a right to retire from the conflict
it was old Joshua. Soldiers come back
from battle have the names of the bat
ties OH their flags. showing where they
distinguished themselves. and it is a
very appropriate inscription. LOOK at
that flag of old General Joshua. On it
Jeri> no, 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 is preach
ing. His dying words are battle
charge against idolatry and a rallyins
cry for the Lord Of Eosts as be 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 and
his great heart have been severed. The
elmwood rods had atung him fearfully
Y, hen the cornship broke up. lie swan
ashore. coming NJ drenchel with the
brine. Every day since that day when
the horse reared under him in the sub
urbs of Damascus. ms the supernatural
light fell. down to this day, when he is
6S years of age and i'll from the prison
cell of the Mamartine. he has been out
rageously trea ted, and be is waiting to
die. How does he spend his last hours