Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-01-30

by Rev. Jacob Birmingham
Yesterday Morning

Yesterday Morning
AT ST. LUKE'S P. E. CHURCH-THE
REV. BRITTINGHAM PREACH
ED ON THE GENERAL SUBJECT
OF CHRISTIAN PUGILISM-AN
INTERESTING DISCOURSE,
FULL OF INSTRUCTIVE PHASES
OF THE FREE CHRISTIAN LIFE.
The Rev. Jacob Birmingham, rector
of st. Luke's P. E. church, corner of
South Penn and Ohio streets, Island,
delivered an excellent sermon at the
morning service yesterday. Rev.
Birmingham preached On the general
subject OF Christian pugilism. He took
as his text, l Cor. 9, pit. 26 and q, so
fight l, not as one hat beateth the
air, but l keep under my body, and
bring it into subsection, lest that by
any means, when l have preached to
others, 1 myself should be a cast
away."
THE writings of st. Paul abound in
the most striking imagery and you
have no doubt observed that he always
chooses such illustrations as are famll-
lar to the people to whom he writes.
If writing to the Hebrews, the Temple
and priesthood and sacrifices are used
to inforce his meaning; When writing
to the Romans, or rather to those who
were familiar with the camp life OF the
Romans, he takes his imagery from the
soldier and those things which apper-
tains to his duty. Where can be
found a more graphic description OF
Christian soldiership than in those
words where the Apostle says:
Wherefore take unto you the whole
armor of God that you may be able TO
withstand in the evil day, and have
done all, to stand. Stand, therefore,
having your loins grit about with
truth, and having on the breastplare
Of righteousness, and our feet shOd
| with the preparation OF the gospel OF
! peace; and above all, taking the shield
of faith, wherewith We shall be able to
quench the fiery darts of the wicked"
In to-day's epistle we see the same
| a~daptability to environment. He is
writing to a Greek population and he
naturally takes his most striking il
lIoIl oIlOAO 1lOb1 II IotIAAlltb SolANo
which took place every three years at
a spot on the sea coast about nine
miles from COrinth. In his writings
to these people he compares the Chris
tian life to the foot race and the box-
ing contest, and so enforces a fact hat
is as true to-day as it was then, and
for us as for those Greeks. that life
the Christian life-is a conflict not only
with and for others, but with and for
ourselves. If it be your duty (as l
tried to show lately that it is your
duty to help the heather in far-off
lands, and your neighbors at your
doors and your dear ones within them,
it is equally your duty to help your
self. 81 thine own self be true, and
it must follow as the night the day,
thou cans't lot her be false to any
one" 1t is with oneself that the con-
test must begin if we are to be helpful
to Others and victorious at the last.
The conflict is a hand to hand en-
counter in the arena of daily circum-
stances it is also a most real battle,
with a most tangible opponent. What
ever may be fought of the reality Of
the devil, or of the world as we speak
and think of it in our voices of renun-
citation, no one can doubt for a moment
the absolute reality of the body, that
part Of ourselves which seems ever
ready to oppose our advancement in
the Christian life, and possibly the loss
of the crown of life everlasting.
The Apostle plainly realized the re-
ality of this antagonist and the no less
reality of his conflict in the arena OF
daily circumstances; he also shows the
necessity Of keeping the body with its
evil desires under, lest that by any
means when l have preached to others
| myself should be a castaway." Sure
ly if the great Apostle st. Paul realized
the great necessity to fight against the
flesh and to keep the body with its
evil desires under, how much more
need for US to realize the same thing.
IF the Cedar Of Lebanon trembles,
what shall the reed by the brook do?'
Let us then in the first place try to
appreciate every day that the fight in
which we are engaged as Christian
men and women is not an empty show
for display, but a very real encounter
with a most determined foe. Fight
every evil propensity with all your
might and do not strike in the air or
at random, but as One who knows how
to deliver his blows with effect. If St.
Paul, that splendid Ntian athlete, had
to contend with the fleshly lusts of the
body, so have we; if he had to strike
hard the love of ease and the indis-
position to hardship and toll which
are SO natural to human nature, so
have we, and with such persistency as
to bring the body under complete con
troll to the spirit which must always be
the superior and the body ought to be
made to feel this superiority. Not
that the Apostle means by this that
we are to prosecute the body as the old
a~scetics used to do. If not the body
itself, We are to fight so much as the
evil tendencies that are in the body.
Once conquer them and the body will
soon be brought to recognize its place
and it will gladly and joyfully serve
its master and accomplish the purpose
for which it is intended. Try to find
out just what the special sin is which
makes the fight SO hard, and pound
away at that one point. When you