St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1900-03-10

Heliopolis. went down rrcer HIS tss-
mo ndonS noxxnra -

mendous powers
That was what gave Thomas Chal-
mers his power in his day. He con.
quered the worlds astronomy and
compelled it to ring out the wisdom
and greatness of the Lord, until, for the
second time, the morning stars sang
together and all the sons of God shout
ed for joy. That was what gave to
Jonathan Edwards his influence in his
day. He conquered the worlds meta
physics and forced it into the service
of God, until not only the old meeting
house at Northampton, Mass. but all
Christendom, felt thrilled by his Chris
ton power Well, now, my friends, we
all have tools of Christian power. Do
not let them lose their edges. We want
no rusty blades in this fight. We want
no coulter that cannot rip up the glebe.
We want no goad that cannot start the
lazy team. Let us get the very best
grindstones We can find. though they be
in possession of the Philistines, COM
pelling them to turn the crank while
we bear down with all our might on the
swift revolving wheel, until all our
energies and faculties shall be brought
up to bright, keen, sharp. glittering
edge.
A Christian life is the only cheerful
life, while a. life Of wicked surrender
is remorse, ruin and death. Its paint
ed glee is sepulchrssl ghastliness. In
the brightest days of The Mexican en-
p3re Montezuma said he felt gnawing
at his heart something like canker.
Sin, like n monster wild beast of the
forest, sometimes licks all over its vic
tim in order that the victim may be
more easily swallowed, but generally
sin rasps, and gals, and tears, and
upbraids, and files. Is it not so, Her
cd? Is it not so. Hildebrand? Is it
not SO, Robespierre? Aye. aye! 1t is
70, IL is so. THE way of the wicked
He turneth upside down."
History tells us that when Rome
was founded on that day there were
IL vultures flying through the air, but
when q transgressor dies the sky is
black with whole flocks of them. Vul-
lures! yultures! When I see sin rob-
bing so many, and see them going
down day by day and week by week,
I must give a plain warning. / dare
not keep it back, lest risk the SALIVA
tion of my own soul Rover, the pi-
rate, pulled down the warning bell on
Inchcape rock, thinking that he would
have a chance to despoil vessels that
were crushed on the rocks, but one
night his own ship crashed down on
this very rock, and he went down
with all his cargo. God declares:
"When I say to the wicked thou shalt
surely die, and thou givest him not
warning, that same man shall die in
his iliiquity, but his blood will l re-
quire at thy hands"
I learn from this subject what sad
thing it is when the church of God
loses its metal! These Philistines saw
that il they could only get all the
metallic weapons out Ct the hands OF
the Israelites, all would be well, and
therefore they took the swords and
the spears. They did not want them
to have q single metallic weapon.
When the metal of the Israelites was
gone, their strength was gone. This
is the trouble with the church of God
to-day. 1t is surrcndering its courage.
1t has not enough metal. How seldom
it is that you see a man taking his po-
sition in pew or in pulpit or in a re-
ligious society and holding that posi-
ton against all oppression. and all
trial, and all persecution, and all criti-
vrI1 ~1>,-cl, of C1.J <n Ior
more backbone. more defiance, more
consecrated bravery, more metal.
How often you see q man start out
in some good enterprise, and at the
first blast of opposition he has col
lapsed, and all his courage gone, for
getting the fact that If man be right
all the opposition of the earth pound
ing awny at him cannot do him any
permanent damage. 1t is only when
man is wrong that he can be damaged.
Why. GoG is going to vindicate His
truth, and He is going to stand by you,
Go forth in the service of Christ and
do your whole duty. You have one
sphere. 1 have another sphere. "The
Lord of Hosts is with us. and the Gcd
of Jacob is our refuge. Selah." We
want more of the determination of
Jonathan l do not suppose he was
very wonderful man, but he got on his
knees and clambered up the rock, and
with the help of his armor bearer he
hewed down the Philistines, and .
man of very ordinary intellect attain
ments on his knees can storm any
thing for God and for the truth. We
want something Of the determination
Of the general who went into the war
and as he entered his first battle his
knees knocked together. his physical
courage not quite up to his moral
courage, and he looked down at his
knees and said: "Ah. if yon knew
where 1 am going to take you you
would shake worse than that"
There is only one question for you
10 ask and for me to ask: What does
God want me to do? Where is the
field? Where is the work? Where is
the anvil? Where is the prayer meet
ing? Where'is the pulpit? And find
ing ont what God wants us to do. 60
ahead and do it. all the energies of our
body, mind and soul enlisted in the
undertaking. Oh, my brethren. we
have but little time in which to fight
fer God! You will be dead soon. Put
in the Christian cause every energy
that God gives you. "What thy hand
findeth to do do it with all thy might,
for there is neither wisdom nor device
in the grave" whittier we are all has
tening. Opportunities of usefulness
gone forever. souls that might have
been benefited three months ago never
again coming under our Christian in-
fuence. Oh, is it not high time that
we awake out of sleep?
Church of God, lift up your head at
tie coming victory! The Philistines
will go down. and the Israelites will
go up. We are on the winning side. /
think Just now the Kings horses are
being booked up to the chariot. and
when He does ride down the sky there
will be such hosanna among His
friends and such Wailip0 among His