Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1901-05-15

all Christian workers to Increased
q fidelity and shows how much EFFORT
at doing good fails through lack OF
adroitness; text. Genesis X, ., HE was
q mighty hunter before the Lord
In our day hunting is a sport. but in the
lands and a times infested of Wild
beasts ii was matter of life or death
with the people. 1t was very different
from. going out on a sunshiny afternoon
with patent breechoader TO shoot reed
birds on the flats, when Pollux and
Achilles and Diomedes went out to clear
the land of lions aud panthers and bears.
XenophOn grew eloquent in regard to
the art OF hunting. In the far east peo-
pie. elephant mounted, chased the tiger.
Francis l. was called the father of hunt
ing And Moses, in my text, sets forth
NimrQd as a hero, when it presents him
with broad shoulders and shaggy apparel
and sun Drowned face and arm punched
with muscle, "a mighty hunter before the
Lord" | think he used the bow and the
arrows with great success practicing
archery.
l have thought if it is such grand
thing and such brave thing to clear wild
beasts ont of a country if it is not bet
destroy those great evils of sDciety that
are stalking the land with fer,e eye and
bloody paw and sharp tusk ind quick
spring. l have wondered if there is not
such a thing as gospel archery, by which
those who have been flying frolN the
truth may be captured for God and
heaven. The Lord Jesus in his sermon
used the art of angling for an illustration
when he said. Il will make you fishers of
men, And so | think have authority
for using hunting as an illustration ,t
gospel truth and | pray God that there
may be many man enlisted in the work
who shall begin to study gosp j archery
of whom it may after awhile be said,
''He was a mighty hunter before the
Lord"
How much awkward Christian work
there is done in the world! How many
good people there are who drive souls
away from Christ instead of bringing
them TO him! All their fingers are thumbs
religious blunderers who upset more
than they right. Their gun has crook
ed barrel and kicks as it goes off. They
are like a clumsy comrade who goes
along with skillful hu4ters At the very
moment he ought to be most quiet he is
cracking an alder or falling over u log
and frightening away the game.
The archers of oldcn time studied their
art They We're very precise in the mat
ter. The old books gave special direc-
tons as to how an archer should go ard
as to what an archer should do. He
must stand erect and firm. his left foot
a little in advance of the right foot.
With lis left hand he must take hold
of the bow in the middle, and then with
the three fingers and the thumb of his
right hand he should lay hold the arrow
and affix it to the string-so precise was
the direction given. But how clumsy we
are about religious work! How little
skill and care we exercise! How often
our arrows miss the mark! l am glad
that there are institutions established
in many cities of our land where men
may learn the art of doing good-stlydy-
ing spiritual archery and become known
as mighty hunters before the Lord"'
In the first place, if you want to be eff
fectual in doing good you must be very
sure of your weapon. There was some
thing very fascinating about the archery
of olden times. Perhaps you do not know
what they could do with the bow and ar
row. Why, the CHIEF battles fought by
the English Plantagenets Were with the
longbow They would take the arrow of
polished wood and feather it with the
plume of bird, and then it would fly
from the bowstring of plated silk. The
bloody fields of Agincourt and Solway
Moss and Neville's Cross heard the loud
thrum of the archer's bowstring. Now,
my Christian friends we have mightier
weapon than that 1t is the arrow of the
II. = - aa-t.s
arrow; it is feathered from the wing of
the dove of Gods spirit: il flies from
bow made out of the wood of the cross.
AS far as l can estimate or calculate, it
has brought down lG0,000,OG0 OF souls.
Paul knew how to bring the notch of
that arrow on to the howstring, and its
whir was heard through the Corinthiam
theateys AMI through he court room until
the KNEES of Felix knocked together. 1t
was that arrow that stuck in Luthers
heart when he cried out: oh, my sins.
Oh. my sins," If it strike 4 man in the
head, it kills his skepticism: if it strike
him in the heel, il will turn his step; if
it strike him in the heart. he throws mp
his hands, as did one Of old when wound
ed in the battle, crying. 20 Gaiilean,
thou hast conquered
III EHe dfhOty o. lNS LS3Il oI REM
broke there are old corsretS which show
that the arrow of the English used 10 90
through the breatsplate, throggh the body
of the warrior and ont through the back
plate. What a symbol OF that gospel
which is sharper than two-cdged sword.
piercing to the dividing asunder of soul
and body ana Of the joints and marrow.
Would 10 Goa we had more faith in that
gospel, The humhlest man in the world,
If he had enough faith in it, could bring
a hundred souls TO Christ--perhapS 500.
The religion of Ralph Waldo Emerson
was the philosophy Of icicles the religion
of Theodore Parker was a sir0cco of the
desert, covering up the soul with dry
sand; the religion Of Beaan was the ro-
nance Of believing almost nothing; the
religion of the HHXleys and the Spencers
is merely pedestal on which human phi!
losophy sits shivering ii the night OF the
soul. looking up TO the stars. offering no
help to the nations that crouch and groan
at the base. Tell me where there is one
man who has rejected that gospel for an
other VINO is thoroughly satisfied and
helped ana contented in his Skepticism
and | will take tire car tomorrow and
ride 5OG lilies to see hinl- The full pow
or OF the gospel has not yet been touched.
AS a sportsman throws up his hand and
catches the bali flying through the AIR,
jast 50 easily will this gospel after awhile
catch this round world flying from its or
bit and bring it lack 10 the heart OF