The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-05-14

has squatted for the fearful spring,
STEADY theret" Courage, o ye spiritual
archers! There are great monsters Of
iniquity prowling all around about the
community. Shall we not in the strength
of God go forth and combat them? We
not only need more heart, but more back
bone. What is the church OF Gcd that
it should fear TO look in the eye any
transgression? There is the Bengal tiger
of drunkenness that prowls around, and
instead of attacking il how many of US
hide under the church pew or the COM
munion table? There is so much invest
ed in it we are afraid to assault it. Mil
lions Of dollars in barrels, in watts, in
spigots, in corkscrews, in gin palaces
with marble floors and Italian top tables
n chased ice coolers, and in the strych-
nine and the logwood and the ~tartaric
acid and the u vomica that go to make
up our pure" American drinks. / look
ed with wondering eyes on the "Heidel-
berg tun." 1t is the great liquor vat Of
Germany, which is said to hold 800 hogs
heads of wine, and only three times in
100 years it has been filed. But as l
stood and looked at it I said to myself:
THAT is nothing-SO hogsheads. Why,
our American vat holds 100000 bar
rels of strong drinks, and we keep 3OO,-
600 men with nothing to do but to see
that it is filed"
Oh, to attack this great monster of in
temperance and the kindred monsters Of
fraud and uncleanness requires you to
rally all your Christian courage. Through
the press, through the pulpit, through the
platform you must assault it. Would to
God that all our American Christians
would band together, not for crack brain
ed fanaticism, but for holy Christian re-
form! 1 think it was in 1893 that there
went out from Lucknow, India, under the
sovereign, the greatest hunting party that
was ever projected. There were 10000
armed men in that hunting party. There
were camels and horses and elephants.
On some princes rode and royal ladies un-
der exquisite housings, and 500 coolies
waited upon the train, and the desolate
places Of India were invaded by this ex-
cursion, and the rhinoceros and deer and
elephant fell under the stroke of the sa-
Der and bullet. After awhile the party
brought back trophies worth $4,000 ru-
pees, having left the wilderness of India
CHASTITY with the slain bodies Of wild
beasts. Would to God that instead of
here and there a straggler going out to
fight these great monsters of iniquity in
our country the millions of membership
of our churches would band together and
hew in twain these great crimes that
make the land frightful with their roar
and are fattening upon the bodies and
souls Of immortal men! Who is ready
for such a party as that? Who will be a
mighty hunter for the Lord?
1 remark, again, if you want to be sue
cessful in spiritual archery you need not
only to bring down game, but bring it in.
| / fhinty nnn Of Tho r,Drf Aorsfy ~sok--o-
Of T~horwaldsen is his Autumn" 1t rep
resents a sportsman coming home and
standing under a grapevine. He has a
staff over his shoulder, and on the other
end Of that staff are hung a rabbit and a
brace Of birds. Every hunter brings home
the game. No one would think of bring
ing down a roebuck or whipping up a
stream for trout and letting them lie in
the woods. At eventide the camp is
adorned with the treasures of the forest
beak and fin and antIer.
If you so out to hunt for immortal
souls, not only bring them down under
the arrow Of the gospel. but bring them
into the church of God. the grand home
and ~encampment we have pitched this
side the skies. Fetch them in; do not let
them lie out in the open field. They need
our prayers and ~sympathies and help.
That Is the meaning of the church Of God
help. 0 We hunters for the Lord, not
only bring down the game, but bring it in.
If Mithridates liked hunting so well
that for seven years he never went in
doors, what enthusiasm ought we to have
who are hunting for immortal souls! II
Domitian practiced archery until be
amphitheater with a hand out, the fingers
spread apart, and then the king could
shoot an arrow between the fingers with.
out wounding them. to what drill and what
practice ought we to subject ourselves il
order TO become spiritual archers and
mighty hunters before the Lord!" But
let me say you will never work any bet
ter than you pray. The old archers toos
the bow. put one end Of it down beside
the foot. elevated the other end. and i
was the rule that the bow should be just
the size Of the archer. If it were just hi:
size. then be would 60 into the battle
with confidence. Let me say hat you
power TO project good in the world vii
correspond exactly to your W spiritual
stature. In other words, the first thin:
in preparation for Christian work is per
Sonal conservation.
oh, for a closer walk with God.
A calm and heavenly frame,
A light to shine upon the road
:, That leads me to the Lambl
I am sure that there are some men WIZ
, Mt some time lave been hit by the Cos
pei arrow. You felt the wound Of ;ha'
conviction. and you plunged into TIN
world deeper. just as the stag. when tn
D hounds are after it. plunges into Schrnrl
lake. expecting in that way to escape
Jesus Christ is on your track today. &
] impenitent man! Not in wrath, but il
I mercy. o ye chased and painting souls
Here is the stream Of Gods mercy anc
!, salvation. where you may cool you
thirst! Stop that chase Of sin today +,
the red fountain that leaped from thu
, heart Of my Lord. | bid you stop! Their
, is mercy for you-mercy that pardons
, mercy that heals. everlasting mercy. TIL
II gates of Gods love stand wide. oDe,.
? Enter and be forever safe.
h There is in a forest in Germany
I place they call the deer leap"-tw'