Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1905-01-28

II would be q mistake FOR ministers
to say: 1--WE will not talk to the people
in plain common sense way, as Christ /
talked to his audience in parable. We
will not draw our Illustrations from the /
incidents of daily life and Introduce
those fresh illustrations into our prac-
tical sermons, as Christ did when he
talked about the thieves on the jericho |
road. about the woman who lost
part Of her wedding dowry. But we
will gather our materials from past
ages and from the writers OF old and
from the sins of the Jewish people ana
not from the sins of the American peo-
pie, who live at our very door" There
are many doing this. The result is there
are hundreds of preachers who do not
WELD any modern 'slings." They do
not preach as Christ would have them
preach. They are ready to talk about
the lily of the valley and the rose OF
Sharon and the grapes of Eschol, but
they are not willing to utter philippe
against commercial sins in our own
day, against the groceryman VINO mas
false weights for his pound Of sugar
and tea as well as against the wealthy
millionaire who is living a double life
and is breaking the marital vows which
be once made to the young girl wnen
the twain at the marriage altar became
one.
| David Might Have Failed.
What we say about church work we
say about every other kind OF work.
Young man, do not do thing as law
yer or doctor or merchant merely be-
cause other lawyers or doctors or mer-
chants have been accustomed In the
mast to do that thing and In that way.
II was the novelty Of onslaught which
David used that was able to overthrow
the mighty Philistine. If you are going
TO make a success in life you must
have Independent ways OF doing your
work. You must get out Of the ruts.
Do not use Sauls sword to fight your
Goliath merely because all other SOL
diers are using swords to fight their
Goliaths. Develop your craftsmanship
bv swinging your natural slings. Da-
yid fighting his battles in an original
way was conqueror; David using
Saurs armor would have been fall-
ure.
There is another caution to the young
man who is going out to fight the bat
tles of life. He must be careful about
the quality and temper of his weapons
II we should discard the obsolete weap-
ons with which our ancestors fought
their battles, how much more should
all of us refuse to go forth to battle
in life with the glittering blades OF sin
in our hands which again and again
have proved impotent when the heat
of the struggle is on. We have often
read of the duels in chivalric times. In
those mortal combats the trueness OIL
blades decided whether the combatants
should live or die. We have read thai
when some combatants were just al
the critical stage Of the duel a blade
had snapped. Then there was lungt
with a sword, and the man who once
d held the false blade in his hand drop
, ned at the feet Of his adversary blooC
I soaked corpse. When we take th'
, blades Of sin we have false weapons II
our hands. In the heat Of life's battles
! these blades Of sin will fail US every
r time.
The Sword of Sin.
. Perhaps David was tempted to USE
, Saul's sword, as some OF US are tempt
, ed at times to go forth to fight the bat
= Ties of life with the weapons of sin il
= our hands. Methinks l can see th'
9 shepherd boy take the jeweled 0lad'
from the hands of the kings armorer
His face fushes with pleasure, his ey
flashes. he runs his thumb along tn
|, keen edge of the blade, and he looks
;, the ieweled hilt. "What," says he-"i
. the king going to let me have his owl
swordT But then David pushes /
:, aside and says, Better a sling thai
. this cumbersome blade" So Satal
places the sword of sin in our hands
= We look at it. 1t seems to be jew
. eled blade. We say to ourselves: 1T l
a only the sword Of just one lie. 1t /
only the sword of just one theft o
u one deceit or one sim" We know w
, can win victory with one blow fror
n that sword. Then we cannot bear
a Law it aside. But today let US pus
- AWAY that sword of sin at once.
70 will break in our hands as sure as W
- live. and it will leave us at the mere
q, Of our foes.
,r "Well," says some one, you hay
# been telling us what kind of weapon
10 not to use. Now tell us the kind we ca
!. 90 forth to fight Gods battles witt
n How do we know with what David
A sling we are to fight? How did Dayi
or know? What was his best sling" wei
o nv friends, l am not here to tell yor
D narticular sling, but | am here to te
or YOU how you can find out about thu
m sling. AS a rule, the sling which yc
n. are to use in the battle of life is the OF
that you can WELD the easiest.
Let me illustrate my thought IN
n simple way: When you were lltt
child the nrSt lntellectudl pdsSloH yo'
Id parents recognized in you was yo'
love for music. If some one sat dow
ed to play at the piano and you were or
"a ing you Immediately ceased to cry. !
ny soon as you were able you climbed u
ed on the music stool and began to pi'
er out the different notes with your chu
en- by fingers. For hours and hours "
De- can sit and listen to music. People 81
TX, you are born musician. If | were "
&C. 1 would develop that talent for Chris
rs' l would go and sing and play in eve
to sickroom l could enter. l would go
ma hospital and mission hall and chur'
m. choir loft. To sing and to play is
,ot you to WELD a Davids sling. Deyel'
= thot talent brother Develop Ii