Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1901-12-30
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EOBdDce III encourages mummy auu
shows how the evening of life may be
frightened The text is I Kings Xxx,
IL. Let not him that girdeth on his
harness boast himself as he that put
teth ID off,"
Harness Is the obsolete word for ar
NOR. liz means harness for the man,
not harness for the beast; harness for
battle. not harness for the plow. The
ancient armor consisted OF helmet for
the head. breastplate and shield for
the heart. greaves for the feet. The
text makes q comparison between
man enlisting for some war and n vet
eran returning. the one putting on the
armor and the other putting it off.
Benhadad. She king OF Syria, thought
he could easily overcome the king Of
Israel. Indeed, the Syrian was so Sure
Of the victory that he spread an ante
bellum banquet. With thirty-two kings
ne was celebrating what they were go
ing to do. There were in all thirty
three kings at the carousai. and their
condition is described in the Bible, not
as convivial or stimulated eXaltatiOn,
but drunk. Their giIded and hammered
pavilions were surrounded by high
mettled horses. neighing and champing
and hitched to chariots such as kings
rode in Benhadad sends officers over
90 the king of Israel demanding the
surrender of the city, saying. Thou
shalt deliver me thy silver and thy gold
and thy wives and thy children" and
afterward sends other officers. saying
that the palace of the king will be
searched and everything Benhadad
n
Then the king of Israel called a council
of war. and word is sent back to Ben
hadad that his unreasonable demand
will be resisted. Then Benhadad sends
another message to the king of Israel,
a message fun of arrogance and brava-
do, practically saying: 1--WE will de-
stroy yGu utterly. / will grind Samaria
into the dust. but there will not be dust
enough to make handful for each one
of my troops" Then the king of Israel
replied to Benhadad. practically say
ing: Let me see you do what you
say. You royal braggart, you might
better have postponed your banquet IN
I'll after the battle instead of spreading
II before the battle. You huzza too
soon. Let not him that girdeth on his
harness boast himself as he that put
teth ii off. :"
/, Too Much Roasting.
An avalanche of courage and right
eousness, the Israelitish army came
down on Benhadad and his host. 1t
was hand to hand fight. each Israel
lite hewing down a Syrian. Benhadad,
on horseback, gets away with some of
the cavalry, but is only saved for a
Lee t.
infantry were slaughtered in one day.
Now we see the sarcasm and the cpl
grammatic power of the message of
my text sent by the king of Israel to
Benhadad. Let not him that girdeth
on his harness boast himself as he that
pdtteth ii 0ff,''
. All up and down history we see such
too early Boosting Soult, the marshal
OF France, was so certain that he
would conquer that he had 4 proclaTa
ton printed announcing himself, king
of Portugal and had grand feast pre-
pared for 4 o'clock that afternoon. but
before that hour he fed in ignominious
defeat, and Wellington Of the conquer
ing host sat down at O'Clock at the
very banquet the marshal of France
had ordered for himself. Charles Y.
invaded France and was so sure of
conquest that he requested Paul Jo-
vius. the historian. to gather together
q large amount of paper on which 10
write the story OF his many victories,
but disease and famine seized upon
his troopers. and he retreated in dis
may. So Benhadad's behavior has
been copied in all ages Of the world.
wx-f1I 10 III Loo
sons. to show that he who puts off the
armor. having finished the battle. is
more to be congratulated than he who
begins.
First, I find encouragement in this
subject for the aged who have got
through the work and struggle of
earthly life. My venerable friends, if
you had at twenty-five years of age
full appreciation OF what you would
have to 90 through in the thirties and
the forties and the fifties of your life
time you would have been appalled,.
Fortunately the bereavements. the
temptations. the prosecutions. the
hardships. were curtained from your
sight. With more or less fortitude you
passed through the crises of pain and
sadness and disappointment and ia
dgue and still live to recount the di
vine help that sustained you. AT twen-
" or thirty years OF your age at the
tap of the drum you put on the har-
ness. Now. at sixty or seventy or
eighty. yOu are peacefully putting it
on. YoC would not want to try the
battle Of life over again. So many of
Just your temperament and with as
good a starting and as fine parentage
and seemingly with as much equipoise
OF character as you had have made
complete shipwreck that you would
not want aEain to run the risks.