The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-01-29

weapons with which we are to accom-
plish that work than II the explorer
Robert Edwin Peary should try to reacn
the north pole in a sailboat fashioned
after the hull of the Santa Maria, the
hagship of Christopher Columbus or 10
fight a. modern war with out OF oale
weapons like some of those antiques 10 pe
found In the British museum
1t would be a mistake Tor ministers "
saw: I'VE will not talk to the peopie
in a plain common sense way, as CHRIST
talked to his audience in parable. we WIN
mot draw our illustrations from the
Incidents of daily life and introduce those
fresh illustrations into our practical ser
mons, as Christ did when he talked apou.
the thieves on the Jericho road, or ABOUT
the woman who lost q part OF her weu-
ding dowry But we will gather our ma
terials from past ages and from the writ
ers of old and from the sins OF the Jew
,sh people and not from the sins OF the
American people, who live at our very
door There are many doing this. Inc
result is there are hundreds OF preachers
who do not WELD any modern 'sllngs'
They do not preach as CHRIST Wouiu nsv w,
them preach. They are READY 10 tam
about the lily of the valley ana the rose
of Sharon and the grapes Oh Eschor, pus
thev are not willing to utter pniiipp'o
aRainSt COfnmeTCldl SiIs III w.
against the groceryman who mas lalse
weights for his pound of sugar and TEA as
veil as against the wealthy millionaire
who is living a double life and Is preak-
ing the marital vows which he once naoe
IN fine Young girl when the twain at the
marriage altar became one.
David Might Have Failed.
What we say about church work we
COW about every other kind OF work.
Young man. do not do a thing as law
yer or doctor or merchant merely because
other lawyers or doctors or merchants
have been accustomed in the past to 90
that thing and in that way IL was the
novelty of onslaught which DAVID useu
that was able to overthrow the iliish'y
Philistine. If you are going to make a
success In life YOU must have independ-
emf WAYS of doing your work. You must
get out OF the ruts. Do not use Saui
sword to fight your Goliath merely ne
cause all other soldiers are using s"olus
to fight their Goliaths. Develop your
Workmanship by swinging your natural
slings. David fighting his battles IN an
original wav was a conqueror; DAVID US
49, ca,,ps ornor would have been fall
ure. ~
There Is another caution to the young
man who is going to fight the battles OIL
life He must be careful about the quai
ity and temper of his weapons II W.
should discard the obsolete weapons win
which our ancestors fought tnelr patsies,
how much more should all Oh us lelu ,.,
TO go forth to battle in life with the gnu
tering blades of sin in our hands "nich
AGAIN and again have proved lmpotent
whom the heat of the struggle Is on we
have often read of the duels III ciiisani ~
times In those mortal coihpa'e IL
trueness of blades decided whether tne
combatants should live or dle' we NV
read that when some compatah's
lust at the critical stage OF the ouei
blade had snapped. Then there was d
,nuga with a sword, and the man VINO
lunoa with a sword and the man VINO
dronned at the feet of his adversary d
hlood-soaked corpse. When we take tne
blades of sin we have false weapons III
our hands In the heat Oh iies patlies
these blades of sin will fall US every
time.
The Sword of Sin.
Perhaps David was tempted to use
Saul's sword as some of us are tempteo
at times to go forth to fight the pattles
of life with the weapons OF SIN III oul
hands. Methinks / can see the shepn ~,
boy take the jeweled blade from the
hands of the kings armorer. His race
Pushes with pleasure, his eye flashes, ne
runs his thumb along the keen edge Oh
the blade, and ne looks at the jeweied
hIt. what" says he-fs the KING
going to let me have his own SWORD
But then David pushes it aside and says,
Better sling than this cumbersome
blade" So Satan places the sword of sin
In our hands We look at IT, II seeins
to be a jeweled blade. We say to our
selves: ut is only the sword OF just one
lie II is only the sword of just one
theft or one deceit or one sin" we know
that sword Then we cannot bear to lay
it aside. But today let us push away that
sword Of sin at once. It will break In our
hands as sure as we live, and II VIII iea'e
us at the mercy of our foes.
.swell," says some one, you have been
telling us what kind OF weapons not to
use. Now tell us the kind we can go
u,a Lnow With what David's sling we are
to fight? How did David know? What
was his best sling?' Well my friends
am not here to tell your particular sling