Newport weekly independent., 1901-05-30


 slave trade, but how much he accom- phshed is suggested by Lord Broug- hams remark concerning Wilberforce after his decease: He went to Heaven with S00,0U0 broken letters in his hand" Some one, trying to dis suade Napoleon from his invasion of Russia, said: Man proposes, but God disposes." But you remember Mos COW, and 95,ooo corpses in the snow banks. The only kind of boasting that prospers was that of Paul, who cried out: Il glory in the cross of Christi" And that of John Newton, who de- clared: "I am not what I ought to be; I am not what l wish to be; I am not what I hope to be, but, by the grace Of God, I am not what I was"
 Do not boast of your moral strength. One of the most brilliant men of the nineteenth century, hav- ing temporarily reformed from in- ebriacy, stood on the platform of Broadway tabernacle, New York, and said: Were this great globe one crystallite and l were offered the pos session of it if I would drink one glass of brandy I would refuse with scorn, and want no religion to help me-" But that same man died at Poughlkeepsie drunken pauper. Bet ter underrate than overrate our selves.
 Notice also my text takes it for granted that you must put on the har. ness, else how can you take it off? Life is battle-a 30 years, a 40 years or a 50 years war. Helmet you must have, for the battleaxes of skepticism and agnosticism are aimed at your head. Every possible effort will be made to make you think wrong. The young man who gets his head filled with wrong notions about God, about Christ, about the soul, about the great beyond, is already captured. Put on the helmet, the latchet well adjusted under the chin. Think right and you will act right. Yes, breastp.ate for the heart. That is the most important part 10 be defended That decides what you love and what you hate, what you hope for and what you despise. That deeides earthly happiness and eternal destiny. Keep the heart pure and the life will be pure. Have the heart corrupt and your actions will be corrupt. Oh, that all of us might have new heart cov- cred with a divinely wrought breast. plate! Yes, greaves for the feet. So many dangerous roads are we com pelled to walk. So many people tread on sharp prongs of temptation and go lame and limping all the rest of their days. Iron mailed shoes for the feet.
 l congratulate all those who are now in the thickest of life's battle that the time is coming when the struggle will end and you will put the harness off, helmet and greaves and breastplate having fulfilled their mis- sion. You cannot in one visit to Lon don Tower see all. You must go again and again to that place which is as. sociated with the story of Lady Jane Grey and Anne Boleyn and Walter Raleigh and Sir. Thomas More You will see the crowns of kings and queens, the robe worn by the Black Prince, and silver baptismal fonts from which royal infants were chris tened, and the block on which Lord Lovat was beheaded. But no part of London Tower will more interest you than the armory, in which is sl1illful- ly and impressively arranged collec- tion of all styles of armor worn be- tween the thirteenth and eighteenth centuries, suggesting 500 years of conf1ict-cuiras and neck guard and chin piece and lance rest and gauntlet and girdle and mailed apron You see just how from head to heel those old- time warriors were defended against sharp weapons that would cut or thrust or bruise and allowing them to come out of battle unhurt when otherwise they would have been slain.
 o ye soldiers of Jesus Christ, when the war of life is over and the victors rest in the soldiers home on the heavenly heights, perhaps there may be in the city of the sun a tower of spiritual armor such as incased the bat. Some day we may be in that armory and hear the heroes talk of how they fought the good fight of faith and see them with the scars of wounds forever healed and look at the weapons of offense and defense with which they became more than conquerors. In that tower of Heaven, as the weapons of the spiritual con- fict are examined, St. Paul may point out to us the armor with which he advised the Ephesians to equip them selves and say: That is the shield of faith That is the helmet of sol.