The Penn's Grove record., 1914-10-23
AGE-LONGC CONFLICT
Good and Evil Have Been in
Combat Since the Beginning
of the World.

Good and evil have an agelong con-
nlct. These two mighty forces find
their leadership In men. The force of
evil hnds its head In a Pharaoh who
opposes Moses, or in a Goliath who
ngnts with David, or a Nebuchadnez-
Ear In conflict with Daniel, or a Plate
and Herod against the Christ. But did
any OF these Guido Rab-shakeh, the
representative Of S~ennacherib, at the
walls OF Jerusalem defying Hezekiah
and the God Of the Jews? Read the
tnlrty-stxth and thirty-seventh chap
ters OF Isaiah and see his defiant atti-
tude, his insulting blasphemy. What
can Hezekiah do before the power of
S~ennacherib? Look how all the ma,
IONS In the path of his conquest have
1aiien. Their gods were o able to
ave them, and think you, says Rab-
shaken, that the God of Hezekiah shall
oeIVer you out of my hand?
Is not this the same spirit that has
oeen manifested towards Gods people
OF all ages? Who is the God of the
hebrews that l should serve him, says
Pharaoh. Goliath def1es the God OF
the Hebrews. The C~haldeans thrust
the three Hebrew children into the
furnace, though they are backed by
GOD. Herod will destroy, though God
works special d%eliverance for Peter.
IL IS this same defiant spirit that has
brought all the havoc of the persecu-
lions, until the roll of the martyrs has
heightened into untold numbers. It
is this same carnal nature that is in
the heart of unregenerate man.
1t is the spirit of rationalism, of
m~aterialism, it is ripened egotism,
equal to that of Nebuchadnezzar. who
exclaimed, "Is not this great Babylon
which l have BUILDER" It says to
the man hard pressed, There is no
use for you to resist temptation"
There is no help for you in God"
1t is better to succumb and to sur
render and live on a lower plane than
to fight and reach a higher plane" IT.
is the spirit OF anti-Christ that is al
ready in the world. 1t is the spirit OF
the world. The world, the flesh and
the devil fight their great battles not
only at Waterloo and Gettysburg but
in he human heart, the greatest bat
tlefeld OF the ages.
Rab-shakeh de1e5 not only Heze-
kiah but also you and me, your God
and my God. But, do you remember
how Hezekiah fought the battle and
won the victory? He took the letter
and went up to the house of the Lord
and spread the letter out before the
Lord and prayed. Study that prayer
ger, not his fears, but Gods glory:
Nov, therefore, o Lord, our God,
save us from his hand, that all the
kingdoms of the earth may know that
thou art the Lord, even thou only"
The effectual fervent prayer Of a
righteous mar availeth much" even
the prayer of an Elijah or a Heze-
kiah, men Of like passion as we are.
It is like that of Moses pleading for
Israel, or Samuel for Saul. 1t was a
great microscopy prayer, a prayer Of
Importantly. This is the victory that
overcometh the world, even our
faith" and that was the way he won
the battle and beat back the defiant
foe. for that night the Lord of hosts
dispatched his angel and death twas
it by pes~tilence?) smote the camp
from tent to tent until the dead mum
bered $4,000.
1t was to the God of Hezekiah that
Washington at Valley Forge and Lin
coin in his darkest hours appealed.
And God heard and wrought won
drously in their behalf. This is the
God who heareth prayer, to whom all
flesh must come. This is the God that
girds US with strength and makes US
able to stand in the thickest of the
fight. This girding alone makes the
church invincible, makes men heroic
and victorious. 1t has enabled them
to bring victory out Of seeming defeat
Through faith they have subdued
kingdoms, wrought righteousness, OBJ
tanned promises, stopped the mouths
of lions, quenched the violence of the
sword, waxed valiant in fight and
turned to flight the armies of the
aliens" But the Rab-shakeh spirit
prevails today. Against it the believer
must set himself. The business man
meets it; the student. the man Of
leisure, the oma of society, every
where a hard battle must be fought.
Pulpit and pew must meet it squarely,
and all the devices of battle have
fai1od oycanf This al1-nravnr nlan NJ