Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1900-04-09

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-
ton and then hurl our body mind
soul, time, eternity at that one target.
In our pulpits and pews and Sunday
schools and prayer meetings we want
to get a reputation for saying pretty
things, and so we point our spear to-
ward the flowers, or we want Il reputa-
ton for saying sublime things, and
we point our spear toward the stars, or
we want to get a reputation for his
tOrical knowledge, and we point our
spear toward the past, or we want to
get reputation for great liberality, SO
we swing our spear all around, while
there is the old world, proud, rebellious
and armed against all righteousness,
and instead of running any farther
away from it's pursuit we ought to turn
around, plant our foot in the strength
Of the eternal God, lift the old cross
and point it in the direction of the
worlds conquest till, the redeemed Of
earth, marching up from one side and
the glOrifled of heaven marching down
from the other side, the last battlement
streamers of Emanuel. O church of
God, take aim and conquer!
1 have heard it said, "Look out for a
man who has only one idea; he is ire
sistible." I say look out for the man
who has one idea, and that a deter
mination for soul saving. believe God
would strike me dead if 1 dared to
point the spear in any other direction.
Oh, for some of the courage and en-
thusiasm of Joshua! He flung two
armies from the tip of that spear. 1t is
sinful for us to rest unless it is to get
stronger muscle and fresher brain and
purer heart for Gods work. 1 feel on
my head the hands of Christ in a new
ordination. Do you not feel the same
omnipotent pressure? There is a work
for all of us. Oh, that we might stand
up side by side and point the spear to-
ward the city! 1t ought to be taken.
1t will be taken. Our cities are drift
ing off toward loose religion or what
is called liberal Christianity" which
is so liberal that it gives up all the car
dinal doctrines of the Bible; so liberal
that it surrenders the rectitude of the
throne of the Almighty. That is liber-
atty with a vengeance. Let us decide
upon the work which we as Christian
men have to do and in the strength of
God go to work and do it.
1t is comparatively easy to keep on 81
parade amid a shower of bouquets and
hand clapping and the whole street full
of enthusiastic huzzas, but it is not so
easy to stand up in the day of battle,
the face blackened with smoke, the
uniform covered by the earth plowed
up by whizzing bullets and bursting
shells, half the regiment cut to pieces,
and yet the commander crying "For-
ward, marchr' Then it requires old
fashioned valor. My friends, the great
trouble of the kingdom of God in
this day is the towards. They do
splendidly on a parade day and at COM
munion, when they have on their best
clothes of Christian profession, but in
the great battle of life, at the first
sharpshooting of skepticism, they
dodge, they fall back, they break ranks.
We confront the enemy, we open the
battle against fraud, and, 10, we find
on our side n great many people who do
not try to pay their debts. And we
open the battle against intemperance,
and we find on our side a great many
people who drink too much. And we
open the battle against profanity, and
we find on our side n great many
men who make hard speeches. And
we open the battle against infidelity,
and, 10, we find on our side a great
many men who are not sure about the
book of Jonah. And while we ought to
be maSSing our troops and bringing
forth more than the united courage of
AusterlitZ and Waterloo and GettyS-
burg we have to be spending our time
in hunting up ambuscades. There are
a great many in the Lords army who
would like to go out on campaign
with satin slippers and holding UNI
brellas over their heads to keep off the
heavy dew and having rations of can
vasback duck and lemon custards.
If they cannot have them, they want
to go home. They think it is unhealthy
among so many bullets!
Divine Mercy.
I believe that the next year will be
the most stupendous year that heaven
ever saw. The nations are quaking
now with the coming of God. 1t will
be a year of successes for the men of
Joshua, but of doom for the men of All.
You put your ear to the rail track, and
you can hear the train coming miles
away. So I put my ear to the ground,
and I hear the laundering on of the
lightning train of Gods mercies and
judgments. The mercy of God is first
to be tried upon this nation. 1t will be
preached in the pulpits, in theaters, on
the streets-everywhere. People will
be invited to accept the mercy Of the
pOSnel and the story and the song and