The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1902-01-10
THE BATTLE OF LIFE
How the End Of the Struggle May
Be- Frightened.
lesson which May BE Learned from
Roasting Of Bcnhadad, the King
OF syria-Humanity En-
~ couraged.
xr-onyrirht. 100. by Louis Klopsch. N. VI
A>-SF' - lsjle Washin eton vi

manitv and shows how the. evening OF
life NAV be frightened. The text is
KINGS. eO:l1: LET not himtha girdeth
on his harness boast himself as ne
that putteth it off"
Harness is the obsolete word Tor ar
NOR. 1t means harness Tor the man'
mot harness for the beast; harness Ior
battle. not harness for the plow. Inc
ancient armor consisted of helmet LOT
ths mead, breastplate and shield 1or tne
heart, greaves for the feet. The text
makes a comparison between man
enlisting for some war and veteran
returning, the one putting on the ar
mor and the other putting it oil.
Benhadad, the king of Syria, thougns
he could easily overcome the king OF
Israel, Indeed, the Syrian was SO sure
of the victory that he spread an anle-
beIlum banquet. With SO kings ne was
celebrating what they were gong 70 10.
There were in all SO kings at the ca
rousal, and their condition is described
in the Bible not as convivial or sim
u,ated exaltation, but drunk. Their
gilded and hammered pavilions were sur
rounded by high-met titled horses, nelgh-
inc and champing, and hltched 10 char-
lots such as kings rode in. Benhadao
sends officers to the king OF lsrael oe-
1nanding the surrender OF the city say
ing: Thou shalt deliver me thy silver
and thy gold and thy wives ana 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 calleu
a 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 OIL
Israel, message full of arrogance and
bravado, practically saying: I'VE VIII
destroy you utterly. l Will GRIND ga
maria into the dust, but there Will not
be dust enough to make hanoful lot
each one of my troops" Then the king
of Israel replied to Benhadad, Prac-
fically saying: 'Let me see you 40
what YOU say. You royal braggart, you
might better have postponed your BAN
nuet until after the battle instead OF
spreading it before the battle. You
huzza too soon. Let not him that glrd-
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 a hand to hand fight, each lsraellte
hewing down Syrian. Benhadad' on
horseback, gets away with some OF the
cavalry. but is only saved for worse
defeat, in which 100000 Syrian lnfan-
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 Boosting. .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
the conquering host sat down at four
o'clock at the very banquet the mar
shall. of France had ordered for himself
Charles V. invaded France and was sc
sure of conquest that he requested
Paul Jovius, the historian, to gather
tore Their a large amount of paper or
which to write the story OF his many
victories, but disease and famine seized
upon his troopers and he retreated II
dismay. SO Benhadad's behavior ha:
been copied in all ages of the world
II will be my object. among other les
sons. to show that he who puts oil
the armor, having finished the battle
is more to be congratulated than ht
who begins.
First, find encouragement in this
subject for, the aged who have got
through the work and struggle o.
earthly life. My venerable friends, Il
YOU had at rs years of age full appre
citation of what you would have to gt
through in the thirties and the fortie'
and the fifties of your lifetime yor
would have been appalled,. Fortunate
Nv the bereavements, the temptations
the prosecutions, the hardships, wer'
curtained from your sight. With more
or less fortitude you passed through
the crisis of pain and sadness and dis
appointment and fatigue and still liv'
to recount the Divine help that sus
tanned you. At 20 or 30 years OF you
age at the tap of the drum you put OF
the harness. Now, at 60 or 20 or sc
YOU are peacefully putting it off. Yo'
would not want to try the battle o
-. - -.-ssr, @ rnanu Of inst Vol