Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1901-05-17

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effort at doing good fails through lack of
text, Genesis K, 8, "He was
a mighty hunter before the Lord"
In our day hunting is a sport, but in the
lands and the times infested of wild
beasts it was a matter of life or death
with the people. 1t was very different
from going out on a sunshiny afternoon
with a patent breechloader to shoot reed
birds on the fats, when Pollux and
Achilles and DiOmedes went out to clear
the land Of lions and 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 ! was called the father of hunt
ing. And Moses, in my text, sets forth
Nimrod 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 a grand
thing and such brave thing to clear wild
beasts out Of a country if it is not bet
ter and Drawer thing to hunt down and
destroy those great evils Of society that
are stalking the land with fierce eye and
bloody paw and sharp tusk and quick
spring. ! have wondered il there is not
such n thing as gospel archery, by which
those who have been flying from 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, II will make you fishers Of
men," And so l think l have authority
for using hunting as an illustration Of
gospel truth, and pray God that there
may be many a man enlisted in the work
who shall begin to study gospel 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
crooked barrel and kicks as It goes off.
They are like q clumsy comrade who
goes along with skillful hunters. At the
very moment he ought to be most quiet
he Is cracking an alder or falling over
a log 0nd frightening away the game.
How few Christian people have ever
learned haw the Lord Jesus Christ at the
well went from talking about a cup Of
water to the most practical religious
truths, which won the woman's soul for
God! Jesus in the wilderness was break
ing bread to the people. think it was
very good bread. 1t was very light
bread, and the yeast had done its work
thoroughly. Christ, after he had broken
the bread, said to the people, Beware
Of the yeast or Of the leaven Of the
Pharisees." So natural a transition il
was and how easily they all understood
him! But how few Christian people there
are who understand how to fusten the
truths Of God and religion to the souls
of menl
The 0rchers of olden time studied Their
art. They were very precise in the mat
ter. The old books gave special diree
tions as to how an archer should 60 ant
as to what an archer should do. HI
must stand erect and firm. his left foo
little IN advance Of the right foot
With his left hand he must take hole
OF the bow In the middle, and then will
l tue NuIGG uuEtlS uuu NuE LuuluD VI III
right hand he should lay hold the arrow
and affix 1t to the string-so precise wa
the direction given. But how clumsy w
are about religious work. How littl
skill and care we exercised How Oftel
our arrows miss the mark! ! am gla,
that there nre institutions establishes
In many cities Of our land where me-
may learn the art Of doing good-study
ing spiritual archery and become know
as mighty hunters before the Lordg'
In the first place, IL you want to be e.
fectual in doing good you must be yer
sure Of your weapon. There was SOM
thing very fascinating about the archer
J Of Olden times. Perhaps you do not kno'
J what they could do with the bow and a
row. Why. the chief battles fought /
5 the English Plantagenets were with Il
] lOngbOw. They would take the arrow
polished wood and feather it with Il
plume Of a bird, and then Il would t
from the bOwstring Of plated silk. IT
bloody fields of Agincourt and SOlwl
: Moss and Neville's Cross heard the lol
thrum of the archer's bowstring. No
my Christian friends, we have a might
weapon than that. II Is the arrow of Il
!. gospel; it is q sharp arrow; It is
2. straight arrow; It Is feathered from Z
n wing Of the dove Of Gods spirit; It ri
a from q bow made out of the wood Of {
cross. As far as I can estimate or calC
:. late, Il has brought down 400000.000
souls. Paul knew how to bring the not
Of that arrow on to the bowstring, a
its whir was heard through the Cor
THAN theaters and through the courtrOC
until the knees Of Felix knocked togeth
II was that arrow that stuck in Luthe
q heart when he cried out: "Oh, my sill
Ii Oh, my SINS" II It strike a man 10 (
m head, Il kills his skepticism; IL Il stri
him In the heel. it will turn his step; Il
strike him IN til heart, he throws up
3 hands. as did one OF old when wounded
s the battle, crying, 20 Galilean, thou b
conQueredT
In the armory Of the Earl OF Pc
q broke there are old cOrselets which sh
that the arrow of the English used to
IS through the breastplate, through the bC
Of the warrior and out through the ba
b plate. What a symbol Of that gos
{ which Is sharper than two edged swC
5 piercing to the dividing asunder Of S
IS and body and Of the joints aud marrt
Would to God we had more faith 10 t
e gospel The humblest man IN the wo
II he had enough faith in It, could br
a hundred souls to Christ-perhaps
Just In proportion as this age seems
O. believe less aud less 10 It. believe n
and more In 1t. What are men about I
on. they will not accept their own dellv
ance? There is nothing proposed
men that can do anything like this gos
The religion Of Ralph Waldo Emer
Del. was the philosophy of icicles; the relil
- OF Theodore Parker was a sirOecO of
g desert, covering up the soul with
49, sand; the religion Of Renan was the
nance Of believing almost nothing;
religion Of the Huxleys and the Spen
is merely a pedestal on which human
losOphy sits shivering in the night Of
soul, looking up to the stars, offering
help to the nations that crouch and g
ate. at the base. Tell me where there is
- man who has rejected that gospel fOI
.r other who is thoroughly satisfied
o.ti- helped and cOntented in his skepti
iers' and / will take the car tomorrow and
e or 500 miles to see him. The full pOw'
entT the gospel has not yet been touched.
noes a sportsman throws up his hand
lord, catches the ball flying through the
Just SO easily will this gospel after a7
catch this round world flying from II
- bit and bring It back to the heal
Christ, Give it full swing, and it
pardon every sin, heal every wound.
A' every trouble, emancipate every slaV
lings ransom every nation. Ye Christian
Id at and women who go out this afterno
ways do Christian work. as Won 20 int,
Sunday schools, and the lay brea