The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1903-09-23

| opportunity. In just such situations Nose,
said, Blot me, | pray thee. out of tht
book which thou hast written" Jesus said
II hold not My. life Of any account as deaf
unto Myself. 1 am ready to die" Who
ever goes upon great mission must like
the early Christians, take his life in hi.
hands. 1t is only along that pathway that
salvation lies. It is a great price. but of
ten paid for an inferior purpose. Heroisnl
asks for life as, the price of patriotism
home home and freedom. Ambition demands
life for reputation and honor. Conve
nience and progress do not hesitate to &C
cept life as a price. Our bridges, buildings
and tunnels are built with the cost of life
Shall we, then, murmur at the missionary
who is willing to risk fever and riot in the
interests of eternal salvation? When ex.
amples OF self.devotion fall into the per.
spcctive OF history we applaud the martyr
spirit. God help lis to value and covet il
when near at hand.
Esther went with fear and trembling,
but not cowardice. Herosm is not fool.
hardy; To go forward in the face of dan.
ger. despite. fear, is true courage. Paul
ministered in Corinth with much weak.
ness, fear and trembling, but beneath all
was the splendid heroism Of self-deyotion.
If ! perish"-but such a spirit cannot
perish. 1t may seem to fall in seif.sacri.
nee, but it does not perish. Some heroes
Of faith come out unscathed from conflict,
they are delivered from the edge of the
sword. the force of violence and power OF
hire. Others are stoned, sawn asunder and
killed. But they do not perish. The mar
tyrs torn by lions on the Roman arena
were as victorious as Daniel who was de.
livered. The witnesses who burned at
Smithiield were as triumphant as the three
men who could not be burned by the seven
fold heat of Nebuchadnezzar's furnace.
The Huguenots who fell on st. Bartholo-
Joshua's army. Christ did not perish on
the cross. Paul did not perish in Rome.
Ie.emachus did not perish in the Roman
arena. Such dying is the highway to life
and power.
The Queen asked the forfeited lives OF
her people. She. was related to them and
a sufferer with them. From their side she
was moved with compassion. From her
1neenly position she Obtained deliverance.
This is the object of all mediation. Our
Saviour as the man Jesus is touched with
the feeling OF our inhrmities. AS the ex.
altcd Lord He intercedes to supply our
need according to His riches in glory. The
privilege OF prayer is granted to us, that
from the human side we may feel the bur
den OF human sorrow and woe, ald so be
pressed into an intercesson for divine sue
cor. In our weakness we are tempted to
abuse this great carte Blanche of our Lord.
Salome. who received the same overture
FsNm {, king as did Esther, asked the death
of John the Baptist. MANY n petition of
prayer would end in death if granted. But
no carnal, selfish supplcation will receive
the Endorsement OF the Lord Christ, and
consequently fails.
Then we come to the banquet scene. 1t
Is most suggestive. On'y the hostess and
two guests, but what issues trembie in the
na.ances. Esther is under sentence of
ieath. The dark hour is drawing nigh.
Haman. the prime minister, is in gee; he
succeeding most marvelous.y. Yet in
one day all is suddenly reversed. Tse
queen becomes the author of life and Ha-
nan is sent to the gal,ows built for an
,ther. Success may be upon lis in the very
darkest hour, while failure may be dog
leart. Righteousness seems to be worsted
n the conflict with evil. Good measures
ieem to fail, evil ones to triumph. Scru.
ouious honesty goes to the wall. while
:rickery and fraud are crowned with sue.
,ess. Virtue is seemingly strangled and
tempted to be envious at the prosperity OF
the wicked. But we may not pass judg-
ment until the issue is seen. There will
1ome a day when Righteousness shall flour
ish and evil perish. The plots OF the
worlds Hamans. Herods and Judases all
miscarry. Sin and evil rot at the core.
Righteousness and truth have the quality
Of immortality.
At the right r1oment Esther not only
stated the plot. but named the adversary
and enemy-this wicked Haman. 1t was
TN awful crisis. 1t is always a crisis when
contending PRINCIPLES cone to the decisive
struggle. n every soul there is a Haman
the. spiritual life. In our conflict with this
evil self there comes n time when we must
be specific in naming the foe. No salvation
comes from genera!ities. This adversary
and enemy may wear different names in
our- disposition 1t may be pride envy
icalonsy, bitterness, wor!dliness, etc
Whatever it NAV be, it has n'anned our
If We would save our lives. families. citir :
and the world we must deal uncompromis
inglv with the particular Haman who is
working destruction. Not until Haman
goes to the gallows can life stand secure
Having seized the supreme Opportunity
q; great risk. Esther finds great reward
The clerks write the message OF life more
rapidly than thev wrote the sentence of
death. TIE good work is fastened with
more speed than the message of woe Joy
snpp.arts sorrow and life comes in the
place Of death The harvest of sacrifice IS
life. We SOW in tears, we reap in Joy. In
this successful mission of Esther the me.
iiatry we have an adumbration OF the sal
vation wrought ont by Jesus Christ. He
took His life in His hands He died and
-ose arain from the dead He secured a
reversal of the sentence of death written
igainst us and proc,aims forgiveness of
aims and the gift of eternal life. Ours is
he privilege first to receive and rejoice in
ihis truth and then to speed the glad It'd
lngs to every creature in all the word
These are our supreme opportunities They
r'ay be shadowed with self.sacrifce. but il
hey are reso'ute,y seized they will issue in
the morning OF Joy.
Victories Won.