The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1902-03-04
THE FOLLY OF ROASTING
Or. Talmage Says History Is Full of
Instances Showing How Arrogance
Was Rebuked.
We Had Better Underrate Than Overrate
Ourselves

HARNESS Is inc obsolete WOrd TOT armOr.
IL means harness for the man, not harness
for the beast; harness for battle, not har-
ness Tor the plow. The ancient armor
consisted of helmet for the head, breast
plate and shield for the heart, greaves for
the feet. The text makes comparison
between n man enlisting for some war and
veteran returning, the one putting on
the armor and the other putting it off
Benhadad, the King Of Syria, thought
he could easily overcome the King of Is
rael. Indeed, the Syrian was so sure of
the victory that he spread an ante-bellum
banquet. With thirty-two kings he was
celebrating what they were going to do.
There were IN all thirty-three kings at the
carousal, and their condition is described
in the Bible, not as convivial or stimu-
lated exaltation, but drunk. Their gilded
and hammered pavilions were surrounded
by high mettled horses. neighing and
champlng and hitched TO chariots such as
kings rode in. Benhadad sends officers
over to the King of Israel demanding the
surrender of the city, saying, Thou shalt
deliver TO me thy silver and thy gold and
thy wives and thy children" and after
ward 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
demand will be resisted Then Benhadad
sends another message to the King of Is
rael, message full of arrogance and bra
vado, practically saying: 1--WE will destroy
you utterly / will grind Samaria into the
dust, but there will not be dust enough TO
make a handful for each one of my troops"
Then the King of Israel replied to Benha-
dad, practically 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 girdeth on
his harness boast himself as he that put
teth it Off "
An avalanche OF courage and righteous
ness, the Israelihsh army came down on
Benhadad and his host. 1t was a hand to
hand fight each Israelite hewiug down
Syrian Benhadad, on horseback, gets
away with some of the cavalry. but is only
saved for a worse defeat, in which 100000
Syrian infantry were slaughtered in one
day. Now we see the sarcasm and the
epigrammatic power of the message Of my
text sent by the King of Israel to Benha-
dad, Let not him that girdeth on his
harness boast himself as he that putteth
it of"
All up and down history we see such
too early Boosting. Soult the Marshal of
France, was so certain that he would con-
quer that he had proclamation printed
announcing himself King of Portugal, and
had grand feast prepared for 4 o'clock
that afternoon, but before that hour he
fled IN ignominious defeat, and yelling.
ton, OF the conquering host, sat down at 4
France had ordered for himself. Charles
v. invaded France and was so sure of
conquest that he requested Paul Jovius,
the historian, to gather together a large
amount of paper on which to write the
story OF his many victories, but disease
and famine seized upon his troopers, and
he retreated IN dismay. So Benhadad's
behavior has been copied in all ages of the
world. 1t will be my object, among other
lessons, to show that he who puts off the
armor, having finished the battle is more
to be congratulated than he who begins.
FIRST, Ind encouragement in this sub
Ject for the aged who have got through
the work and struggle of earthly life. Nv
venerable friends, If you had at twenty
five years of age full appreciation of what
you would have to go through in the thir-
ties and the forties and the fiftiss of your
lifetime You would have been appalled,.
fortunately the bereavements, the temptas
tons, the prosecutions, the hardships,
/ were curtained from your sight. With
more or less forttude YOU passed through
the crises of pain and sadness and disap-
pointment and fatigue and still live to re-
count the divine help that sustained you.
At twenty or thirty years of age at the
tap OF the drum you put on the harness.
Now, at sixty or seventy or eighty you
are peacefully putting 1t off. You would
not want to try the battle Of life over
again. Though you can look back and see
many mistakes, the next time YOU might
make worse mistakes. Instead of being
depressed over the fact that you are being
counted out or omitted in the great under
takings OF the church and the world,
Jolce that you have a right to hang up
your helmet and sheathe your sword and
free your hands from the gauntlets and
your feet from the boots of mail
There are old farmers who cannot do
one more days work. What harvests
they raised in 1870! They knew the rota-
ton of crops as well as they knew the ro-
tation OF the seasons. Under what bis
terings suns they swung the scythe and
the cradle! Through what deep SHOWS
they drew the logs or cut their way to the
foddering OF the cattlel What droughts
what freshets, what insectile invasions.
they remember To clothe and feed and
educate the household they went through
tolls and self sacrifices that the world
knew but little about. Rest aged man
Let the boys do the shoveling and thrash
ing and cutting and sweating. You have
put the harness of, and do not try to put
it on again.
There are old mechanics that can no
more shove the plane or pound with the
hammer or bore with the bit or run up
the ladder to the scaffolding Master me
chanics they were OF subordinates who
wrought faithfully in the work of house
or barn or ship building. You have n
right to quit. You have finished your
task. BE thankful that your work is done
Then there are aged physicians What
tragedies Of pain and accident they have
assuagcd! How many brave battles they
have fought with lancet and cataclvsml
How many fevers they cooled How
many broken bones they setl How many
anxious days they passed when they knew
that human lives depended upon their
skill and hdelityl They drove back death
from many a cradle
Again, / learn from Benhadad's beha-
vior the unwlsdom Of boasting of what
one is going 20 do Two messages had he
sent TO the King Of Israel, both messages
full Of insolence and braggadocio. with
brmmiuE bcaker iu hand he is talking
with the royal group about what he viii do
with the spoils Of the victory he is going
70 achieve that afternoon. He takes it
for granted that Samaria will surrender
He gives command for the capture OF
some of the inhabitants of Sam8ria who
are approaching, saying. Whether they
be come out for peace take them alive, or
whether they be come out for war take
them alive But behold the fugitive king
in frightened retreat before sundownl
Better not tell boastingly what you are
going 10 do Wait until he is done
Or. Pendleton and Mr.. Saunders we're
talking I'm the time of persecution under
Queen Mary Saunders was trembling and
otraid, but Pendleton said WHAT Man
there ls much more cause for me to fear
than you. You arc small, and i have q
large bodily frame, but you viii zee tho
last piece of this flesh consumed to ashes
before i ever forsake Jesus Christ and His
truth, which ! have prolessed" Not long
after Saunders the faint hearted, gave