Fitzgerald enterprise. (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1895-1912, 1910-03-31
Rev. Guyton Fisher
breaches Brilliant Sermon
To knights Templar

III1S DCIIDLuIS III cuul Coolho u DDNJ
of knights Templars when ] read you
the words which follow the text:
Master. the Jews of late sought to
stone thee; and goest thou thither
again?
The proposal to go into Judea again
was no pleaure trip or recreation. The
disciples knew this, especially Thomas
the bave old pessimist-who said
"Let us also go that we may die with
Him." AndI Jesus better than all
knew what the journey and its Sc
quence held for him.
He beheld the future. He knew
that by the tomb of Lazarus He would
speak to death, and the cold, clammy
monster recognizing Him who hath the
keys of life and death in His creed
hands, would stink back to hell, from
whence it came, and Lazarus would
come forth. He saw beyond the CRATE
full tears of the sisters He loved, the
malice-strained faces of the Scriees
and Phar seees, as they turned away
in jealous hate to plan for the de-
struction of one who was menace
to their false position and artificial
power He saw the finished structure
Of their pans wrought out; it was Il
cross. lie saw the end Of this jour.
ney into Jude&. 1t wound its tortu-
Gus way through Gethsemane and Pi-
lates hail and stopped on Golgotha'3
height. But-He saw that tomb CT
Lazarus, and the sorrow Of the sisters
whom he loved; Mary and :Iartha
needed Him; it was enough; an3
though it meant the stirring of the
b,ackest hatred that ever wandered
from hell and death in the end, the
lovely Christ calmly uttered the he
roic words, Let us go into Judea
again"
Sir knights, bring this message
today because of its heroic note; be-
cause this heroic figure, unique, sol
tary, sublime. is at once the example
and inspiration of every faithful
knight who would keep pure his
heart and mis- armor bright.
Let us go into Judea again.!
This scripture might be appropriate to-
day. If for no other reason than that
it shall be our pleasure, | trust, to
go into that land again, via History
delightful path, where our Saviour
lived and labored loved and sang
Palestine, made immortal by the tomb
of Christ and the Christian knights
who defend it.
Since there is hardy feathers
weight of worth without woman's
in it, the ladies present will not be
surprised to learn that the first order
of knights was instituted by Constan
tine for the defense and protection OF
the Holy Sepulchre, at the prayer Of
Helena, his mother, woman. | have
read much of the fates who weave, "a
lot and cut the brittle thread of life;
and it is a remarkable thing that in
poetry, painting and proverb, they are
said to be. without exception, three
women. To this / am prepared tC
subscribe, and, having spent some lit
tie tine looking into the matter,
am prepared to affirm that those three
! ates are a mans Wife, his mother
and his mother-in-law.
Not Only was the Order of Chris
tian Knighthood instituted at the sup
plicat'on of a woman, but the church
Of the Holy Sepu1chre itself sprane
from the sentiment and generation OF
the same woman. Through the influ.
ence of a woman an obscure cavern
had become a marble temple paved
with precious stones and decorated
with splendid co,onades. The holy
place where once our Savior lay now
presented to p'ous pilgrims with a
magniticence which redoubled venera-
ton; and thousands of Christians
came on this inaugural occasion to
listen to the panegyric of Christ from
learned Bishop Eusebius.
From the depths Of France; from
the forests of Germany, from al the
countries of Europe, new Christians
were seen Fastening to visit the era
de of the faith they had embraced.
Illustrious families of Europe turned
from battlemented tower and moated
grange to seek an asylum at Jerusa.
lem by the tomb of the Christ; and
Christians found on the banks of the
Jordan that peace that seemed Danish
ed from the rest of the world.
This peace lasted for several CEN
turtles to be signally broken when the
king of Persia invaded Syria, Pales-
tine and Egypt. The Holy City It
self fell into the hadns of the fire
worshippers; the conQuerors bore
away into captivity vast numbers of
Christians, profaned the churches of
Jesus Christ and among the SPOTS of
the vanQuihed, carried away the Cross
OF the Saviour, which had been pre-
served in the church for the resur-
rection. For four hundred years the
6cly City was in their greedy NAV;
the followers of Mohammed set hostile
foot upon the field of France itself.
At last the 400 years of apathy and
despair ing glorious was broken at the
Council of Clermont in Auvergne, No
vember, 1895. when Pope Urban ad-
dressed himself to all the nations rem
resented. and particularly TO the
French, who formed the majority:
Nation be'oved by God" said he. "it
is in your courage that the Christian
church has placed its hope. It is be-
cause | am well acquainted with your