Los Angeles herald., 1906-07-09
STANDING FAST
CLOSING THEME
REV. DR.. PHELPS CONCLUDES
SERMON SERIES
Bases Impressive Talk to Central Bap-
lists on Motto Faithful Unto
Death" Suggested by
General Otis

At the Central Baptist church, AL
varado and Pico streets, last night
| Arthur S. Phelps preached the closing
sermon Of the series of picked Topics
by Picked Men, to which well known
men have contributed subjects.
His theme was standing Fast"
which was selected for him at his re-
quest by Gen. Harrison Gray Otis of
the Times. He said:
Our verse for tonight is Eph. vi, 13,
Take up the whole armor of God that
ye may be able to withstand in the
evil day, and having done all, to stand
God makes his saints out of clay"
said Rev. Mr.. Phelps. The ancient
EphesiaHs, to whom the writer ad-
dressed his call to arms, had been the
lowest kind of heathen. They were
jewels plucked out of the mud.
He calls them to their faces in this
epistle, lifeless, hopeless. thoughtless,
and yet says: Put on the whole armor
of God, and having done all, stand.
Isn't 1t wonderful what God can do
with a broken life?
This verse paints them on the eve of
the battle. Take up the armor of God.
He says this because it lies all around
you.
Stultifies to Beg
1T stultifies religion to beg men to
be Christians.
The man who would rather go into
battle unarmed can take the conse-
quence. He can choose between the
armor and the spearpoint.
'As Hephaestus used to forge armor
for Homer's gods, so this armor is
made in heaven.
The first weapon is truth, because
it lies at the foundation of character.
Righteousness is the breastplate be-
cause nothing protects the heart like
right doing.
Have your feet shod with the
preparation of the gospel of peace. and
then, like the first man who wore a
pair of shoes and fulfilled the prophecy
that he would find the world covered
with leather, you will find peace every
where. knew a man who broke his
leg trying to stop a cannon ball.
- The word of Cod is the sword,
meaning not the Bible, as often sup
posed, but the message of God to the
human experience.
THE Bible tells of a man who fought
till the sword and his hand grew to-
gether..
Thick of Fight
1--WE are next introduced into the
thick of the fight. OF these six pieces
of armor not one was made for the
back.
tine foes we have to face offer a
strong temptation to take to our heels.
He that fights and runs away may
live to fight another day. but he will
fight the same way next time.
1.-The coward thinks everybody else so.
lo q l11n RI Of
that the man in the next pew has
spunk enough to stand his ground as a
Christian.
The man told by his officer to come
out of the hole refused to do so, saying:
You want to get in yourself
"Yet the wise soldier reckons the
enemy's strength and is not over
confident.
THE man who fell was asked why he
went down. and he answered: Not
withstandng.'
LAS Eglon, the lefthanded man in the
Bible, ran his dagger clear through
F.hud, the fat man. because the latter
was not looking at the right isde of the
sheath. so your enemies are swift and
smooth, and many a smarter man than
you are has gone down.
Like the drunken man that tried to
throw the evening express off the track
with his two arms. so many a con-
ceited young sinner thinks he will
throw sin out of his way at once for all.
standing fast is the virtue of all
virtues. Faithful unto DEATH is th5
motto Gen. Otis recommends to us.
Say, o Father. if all the world were
against thee what Wouldstt hou do?' I
would stand firm said Savonarola. for
my doctrine is the doctrine of godly
living.
And when Nerotto asked him, I'm
what spirit dost thou bear this martyr
dom?' he said, The Lord hath suffered
so much for me-, and kissing the
crucifix his voice was heard no more.
ITO stand fast, stand now"