The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1902-01-30
VOL. XL.
THE BATTLE OF LIFE
pow the End OF the Struggle May
Be Frightened.
.on which May Be Learned from
Hoasting of Benhadad, the King
of syria-Humanity En-
couraEed.
sronyrieht, l9o., by Louis klopsch, N. T.
= tSOf WaShiuS uSton.

fronyrieht, 190., by Louis klopsch, n. VI
Washington.
While this discourse of DR.. Talmage
rebukes arrogance, it encourages hu-
manity and shows how the evening of
life may be frightened. The text is l
Kings. 2O:11: Let not him that girdeth
an his harness boast himself as he
that putteth it OIL.
Harness is the obsolete word for ar
NOR. 1t means harness for the man,
mot 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 a comparison between man
enIisting for some war and a veteran
returning, the one putting on the ar
NOR and the other putting it off.
Benhadad, the 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 80 kings he was
celebrating what they were going to do.
There were in all 80 kings at the ca
rousal, and their condition is described
: in the Bible not as convivial or stim-
uIated exaltation, but drunk. Their
rilded and hammered pavilions were sur
rounded by high-mettled horses, neigh
ing and champing, and hitched to char
lots such as kings rode in. Benhadad
sends officers to the king of Israel de-
mandng the surrender of the city, say
ing: 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 wants he will take without
asking Then the king of Israel called
council of war and word is sent back
to Benhadad that his unreasonable de-
mand will be resisted. Then Benhadad
sends another message to the king of
Israel, message full of arrogance and
brayado, practically saying: I'VE will
destroy you utterly. will grind Sa-
maria into the dust, but there will not
3 be dust enough to make handful for
each one of my troops" Then the king
of Israel replied to Benhadad, prac-
tically saying: LET me see you do
what you say. You royal braggart, you
might better have postponed your ban
quet until after the battle instead of
spreading it before the battle. You
huzza too soon. Let not him that grid
eth on his harness boast himself as he
that putteth it off, -
An avalanche of courage and right
eousness. the Israelitish army came
down on Benhadad and his host. 1t
was hand to hand fight, each Isra elite
hewing down Syrian. Benhadad, on
horseback, gets away with some of the
cavalry, but is only saved for a worse
defeat, in which 100000 Syrian infan-
try were slaughtered in one day. Now
we see the sarcasm and the epigram-
matte power of the message of my text
sent by the king of Israel to Benhadad:
Let not him that girdeth on his har-
ness boast himself as he that putteth
it off"
All up and down history we see such
TOO early boasting. Soult, the marshal
OF France, was so certain that he
would conquer that he had procla-
nation printed announcing himself
king OF Portugal and had grand feast
prepared for four o'clock that after
noon, but before that hour he fled in
ignominious defeat, and Wellington of
'he conquering host sat down at four
O'Clock at the very banquet the mar
shal OF France had ordered for himself.
oharles V. invaded France and was so
sure OF conquest that he requested
raul Jovius, the historian, to gather
together a large amount of paper on
winch to write the story of his many
I victories, but disease and famine seized
upon his troopers and he retreated in
oismay. So Benhadad's behavior has
Deen copied in all ages of the world
y Will be my object, among other les
sons, to show that he who puts off
me armor, having finished the battle,
more to be congratulated than he
who begins.
FIRST, 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 25 years of age full appre-
e,ation of what you would have to go
through in the thirties and the forties
anu the fifties of your lifetime you
would have been appalled,. Fortunate
= .ne bereavements, the temptations,
ne prosecutions, the hardships, were
.af,ained from your sight. With more
" iess fortitude you passed through
.ae cfisis OF pain and sadness and dis
.ppointment and fatigue and still live
= recount the Divine help that sus-
.ained You. At 20 or 80 years of your
aye at the tap of the drum YOU put on
.ne harness. Now, at 60 or 20 or so.
sou are peacefully putting it off. You
~ nuuio not want to try the battle of
az over again. So many OF just your
temperament and with as good start
1e and as fine parentage and seem
Ugly with as much equipoise of charac-
Us You had have made complete
s-ip"reek that you would not want
sain 70 run the risks. Thoungh you