The Greenville times., 1900-02-10

Hellopolis, went down under his tre-
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. lie 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
tion 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
cd glee is sepulchral ghastliness. In
the brightest days of the Mexican en-
pire Montezuma said he felt gnawing
at his heart something like canker.
Sin, like q monster wild beast OF the
forest, sometimes liclSs 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
so, it is so. "The way of the wicked
He turneth upside down."
History tells us that when Rome
was founded on that day there were
12 vultures flying through the air, but
when transgressor dies the sky is
black with whole tiocks of them. Vul-
lures! yultures! When l see sin rob-
bing so many, and / see them going
down day by day and week by week,
l must give a plain warning. l dare
not keep it back, lest l risk the saliva
ton of my own soul. Rover, the pi-
rate, pulled down the warning bell on
Inchcape rock thinking that he would
have 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 say to the wicked thou shalt
surely die, and thou givest him not
warning, that same man shall die in
his iniquity, but his blood will | re-
quire at thy hands"
! learn from this subject what sad
| thing it is when the church of God
loses it's metal! These Philistines saw
that if they could only get all the
metallic weapons out of 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 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 surrendering its courage.
1t has not enough metal. How seldom
| it is that you see man taking his po-
silion in pew or in pulpit or in re-
ligious society and holding that posi-
ton against all oppression, and all
trial, and all persecution, and all criti-
cism. The church of God to-day wants
more backbone. more defiance, more
consecrated bravery, more metal.
How often you see a man start CUB
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 away at him cannot do him any
permanent damage. 1t is only when
man is wrong that he can be damaged.
Why, God is going to vindicate His
truth, and He is going to stand by you,
do your whole duty. You have one
sphere. 1 have another sphere. "The
Lord of Hosts is with us, and the God
of Jacob is our refuge. Selah." We
want more of the determination OF
Jonathan. do not suppose he was
very wonderful man, but he got on his
knees and cambered up the rock. and
with the help of his armor bearer he
hewed down the Philistines, and a
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 you knew
where l am going to take you you
would shake worse than that!"
There is only one question for you
to 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 out what God wants us to do. go
ahead and do it, all the energies of our
body. mind and soul enlisted in .he
undertaking. Oh, my brethren, we
have but little time in which to fight
for God! You will be dead soon. Put
in the Christian cause every energy
that Gcd gives you. what thy hand
fndeth to do do it with all thy might,
for there is neither wisdom nor device