St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1900-05-12

SH, La, SATURDAY
not lie on the surface, but are secfeted
By tact. by stratagem. by Christian
ambuscade, you may take almost any
castle Of sin for Christ. Come up to
ward men with a regular besiegemen,
of argument and you will be defeated
but just wait until the door Of theil
hearts is set ajar, or they are OF theil
guard. or their severe caution is away
from home, and then drop in on then
from a Christian ambuscade. There
has been many man up to his chin IL
scientific portfolios which proved
there was no Christ :nd no divine
revelation, his pen . scimiter hune
into the heart OF theological op
ponents, who nevertheless has beer
discounted and captured for God by
some little three-year-old child who
has got up and put her snowy arms
around his sinewy. neck and asked
some simple question about God.
: Oh, make . flank movement! Steai q
march ON the devill Cheat that man
into Heaven! a. fve-dollar treat,se
that will stand all the laws of homilet-
les may fail to do that which q penny
tract Of Christian entreaty may &C
complish. Oh, for more Christians in
smbuscade-not lying in idleness, but
waiting for quick spring, waiting un-
til just the right time comes! Do not
talk to a man about the vanity of this
world ON the day when he has bought
something at "12" and is going to cell
it ut .45." But talk to him about the
vanity Of the world on the day when he
has bought something at us" and il
compelled to sell it. at ''l2!" Do not
rub . mans disposition the wiring
way: do not take the imperative msod
when the subjunctive mood will do
just, as well; do not talk in perfevrid
style to phlegmatic nor try to tickle
q torrid temperament with an icieie.
Lesson the fourth: The Importance
of taking good aim. There is Joshua.
but how are those people in ambush mp
yonder to know when they are to drop
on the city, and how are these men
around Joshua to know when they are
to stop their fight and advance? There
must be some signal-a signal to stop
the one division and to start the other.
Joshua, with spear on which were
ordinarily hung the colors of battle,
points toward the city. He stands in
such conspicuous position, and there
is 30 much Of the morning light drip
ping from that spear tip, that al
around the horizon they see it. 1t was
as much as to say: There is the city.
Take i'll"
God knows and we know that = great
deaE of Christian attack amounts to
nothing simply because we do not take
good aim. Nobody knows and we do
not know ourselves which point we
want to take when we ought to make
up our minds what God will have us to
do and point our spear in that direc-
tion and then hurl our body, mind, soul.
time, eternity at that one target. In
our pulpits and pews and Sunday
school and prayer meetings we want
to get reputation for saying pretty
things, and SO We point our spear to-
ward the flowers, or we want q reputa-
lion for saying sublime things, and
We point our spear toward the stars, or
We went to get reputation for his
torical knowledge, and we point our
spear toward the past, or we want to
ret reputation for great liberality,
10 we swing our spear all around, while
here is the old world, proud, rebellious
md armed against all righteousness,
md instead of running any farther
way from it's pursuit we ought to
urn around, plant our foot in the
trength of the eternal God, lift the old
ross and point it in the direction of
he worlds conquest till. the redeemed
# earth, marching up from one side
nd the glorified of Heaven marching
lown from the other side, the last bat
lement of sin is compelled to swing
tut the streamers of Emanuel. OIL
hurch of God, take aim and conquer!
have heard it said: Look out for . |
ian who has only one idea; he is IRE.
istible." 1 say look out for the man
Who has one idea, and that determine
ion for soul-saving. l believe God
rould strike me dead if dared to
oint the spear in any other direction.
III, for some of the courage and en-
husiasm of Joshua! He flung two |
rmies from the tip Of that spear. It |
, sinful for us to rest unless it is to get |
tronger muscle and fresher brain and
urer heart for Gods work. feel on
~ head the hands of Christ in q new
rdination. Do you not feel the same
pressure? There is a work
or all of US. Oh, that we might stand
p side by side and point the spear to-
ard the city! 1t ought to be taken.
! will be taken. Our cities are drifting
4 toward loose religion or what is
allied liberal Christianity" which is
D liberal that it gives up all the cardi-
al doctrines of the Bible; so liberal
hat it surrenders the rectitude of the
,rone of the Almighty. That is liber-
ity with a vengeance. Let us decide
pom the work which we as Christian
len have to do and in the strength Of
cd go to work and do it.
I believe that the next year will be
le most stupendous year that Heaven
'er saw. The nations are quaking
ow with the coming of God. 1t will be
year of successes for the men OF
oshua, but of doom for the men of Al.
ou put your ear to the rail track, and
ou can hear the train coming miles
way. So put my ear to the ground,
1d hear the laundering on of the
ghtning train of Gods mercies and
dgments. The mercy of God is first
} be tried upon this nation. 1t will
preached in the pulpits, in theaters,
a the streets-everywhere. People
i'll be invited to accept the mercy of
le Gospel, and the story and the song
i'd the prayer will be mercy" But
ppose they do not accept the offer
mercy-what then? Then God will
me with His judgments, and the
will eat the crops, and the
eshets will devastate the valleys, and
e solicitations will swallow the
Al /