Evening journal., 1911-03-23
EPWORTH LEAGUE DEVOTIONAL
MEETING.

Topic for March 26th, "a Good Sol
der" 2 Tim. 2;3 Tim. 1; Is;
6: -.
We naturally expect a soldier to be
brave. but IL is more than courage
that characterizes the man Paul had
in mind when he admonished Timothy
to be "a good soldier"
Alexander, the Great, was a brave
man; before he achieved military
greatness, his boldness caused the APP
plause of all the court. On one oc-
casion he mounted vicious horse and
his father. Philip of Macedon, and the
court. watched in breathless anxiety,
expecting every moment 10 see him
hurled to the ground, but Alexander
was master of horse as we'll as Of
men. and when he turned the horse
and rode proudly back. the court
cheered and his father kissed him say
ing, Seek another kingdom, my son,
that may be worthy Of thy abilities
for Macedonia is too small for thee.
Ascending the throne at the age Of
twenty. he carried out his fathers adj
vice and kept seeking other king
doms" until IL is written that he sat
down and wept because there were no
more worlds to conquer-he made a
mistake. however. for there was just
one world he had ignored-his own
will: he died in a drunken revelry.
Diplomacy and good generalship are
admirable traits i'm a soldier
Napoleon was a great general; he
was also a schemer, but his plans for
the future went wide the mark after
all. He craved everything that stood
in the way Of attaining t.; he wanted
/ to live in the memory OF the world;
the heart OF the woman who loved him
was not too sacred to be broken by
him in order to perpetuate his great
name. And what we're the honors
which came to his son? There was
no throne left for him to ascend
there was a father exiled on St. He
lena, and the record Of thousands OF
! other mems sons having shed their
life's blood to perpetuate a memory
Of the king dethroned, uncrowned,
brolzen-spirited. dying horribly lone
ly death on a desert islandl
George Washington was brave, he
was also a good general, but he led an
army to victory, not for self
ACKNOWLEDGMENT. but to suppress
tyranny When he stood that day with
his army lined up on one side, and the
French army on the other side and the
defeated English army of 1000 men
marched slowly between the ranks
Washington, with fine delicacy, took
the sword which the chagrined Eng
lish General CORVALLIS had sent and
directed It to be given to the English
General Lincoln, who had eighteen
months previously surrendered al
Charleston. Washington did not need
that sword to make him greaterl
When the people Washington had led
to freedom offered him a crown. he
refused to take away their freedom
/ prefering to be called "The Father OF
His Country" Note the difference
between this spirit and that of Alex
ander, who cried for fame and Ma
poleon who stamped out empires as
one would shake the dust on his feetl
When Paul wrote these words. SUI
fer hardship with me as a good sol
der" he had in mind man who Is
unselfsh. obedient, alert, loyal and
long-suffering.
He knew what constituted "a good
soldier" Read 2 Cor, l1-24; 33. and
YOU will see that Paul knew what he
was saying-knew from actual expert
ence.
The soldier or the Christian whC
puts self first has no right to the uni
form-in fact, he will soon lay II aside
because II is uncomfortable. The
soldier or the Christian who has no
! learned to obey will cause confusion
in the ranks; he must be awake les
the enemy invade the camp and thil
means his ultimate destruction; II h
! be other than loyal. he shall sit will
Judas and Benedict Arnold; he mus
keep at his post even If the Lore
seems to hide himself. for Withdrawn
means defeat; endure as seeing Hin
who is invisible"
The fight may be hard and long
life holds little but struggle for som
ofus-but he that endureth to the en'
: shall be saved. and Just one day Il
Heaven will compensate for the hard
ships Of long life.
,, Longfellow has a legend which tell
of Monk, Felix, who left the conven
one morning and walked into IN
woodlands, and it seemed to him tina
the very dusk of the woods was
Truce Of God for all the sorrow of thi
sin-cured world. He opened a booh
which he carried I'm his hand and hi