The ledger. [volume] (Gaffney City, S.C.) 1896-1907, March 18, 1904, Image 9
Talmage
Sermon
Tly HeiJ.
FranK. ^COitt
J" u l m a. g c. 2).Z'.
Los Angeles, Cal., March 20. — In
these times of worldwide military ac
tivity and when soldierly qualities are
everywhere discussed this sermon on
the Ideal Christian soldier is peculiarly
appropriate. The preacher chooses as
his text II Timothy ii, 3, “Endure hard- !
nes^ as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”
Wtiat Is war? “War is hell,” once
^jtfntly said William T. Sherman. War
.'Wii river of blood flowing into a river
blood. War means sickness and
Heath, widowhood and orphanhood,
Knangled bodies, devastated harvest
m fields and pauperism. War is a mortal
w grapple when nation says to nation,
I “My quarrel with you cannot be set-
k tied but by fighting, and now we will
\ see which of us two has the power to
crush the other,” and then they put
their armies in the field commissioned
to kill one another. War is a grave
trench dug with bayonets. It is the
heavens deluging countless tears. It
Is man with clinched fist and flaming
eye—man with an artillery wagon for
a carriage and with the surgeon’s op
erating table for a couch. War! It is
the most brutal, t’ e most fiendish, tho
most terrific, the most blasting curse
of the ages. We have the right to hate
it with an Intense hatred and to pray
that the Prince of Peace may give us
more antipathy to It and a more in
tense horror of the awful suffering
Vnd death that it entails.
War an International Cnr«e.
But though war is an awful interna-
1 tlonal curse there have been occasions
when men have entered the army and
have gone to the battlefield from con
scientious motives. There have been
cases, as every student of history
■ knows, when it has become a sacred
■ duty for the redress of wrong or
for the defense of the home for the
patriotic citizen to take up arms.
Christ himself recognized the fact
when he said, “I came not to send
peace on the earth, but a sword.” So it
has come to pass that his followers
have at times, with sore reluctance,
but under a stern sense of duty, en
gaged in war. Unhappily, too, they
ha'^e been found in hostile camps, as
la our own civil war, when good Chris-
^ tian men conscientiously followed the
Confederate flag, as others equally
conscientious followed the Union flag.
A conspicuous illustration was that of
Leonidas Polk, the bishop of Louisiana,
whose pure Christian character none
could deny. He was so gentle and
kind in his private life that when one
of his black slaves was dying he was
Just as tender to him as if the black
man had been his own flesh and blood.
On the night on which the humble
slave closed his eyes in death the good
bishop said, “Tom, is there anything
else I can do for you?” The answer
was: “Yes, massa. If you will only
lie down by me on the bed and put
your arm around my neck, and let me
put my arm around your neck, ns we
used to do when boys lying under the
green walnut trees, I think that I could
die more easy.” So the great southern
minister and leader lay down upon his
slave’s cot and held his black servant
in his white arms until the white an
gel of death came down and took the
soul from beneath the black skin.
Burely such a man of God as Bishop
Polk was not cruel or malevolent. Yet
at the bugle blast of war he donned
the soldier’s uniform. As a lieutenant
general of the Confederate army he
was shot at Pine Mountain, Ga., June
14, 18G4. He was shot only a few
hours after he had confirmed into the
Episcopal church some of his brother
officers.
When Good Men May Fight.
It is proper and right at certain times
and seasons for good men to go to
war, if they go with the right motive.
The qualities which go to make up a
good and a brave soldier are those
which should characterize a good
Christian. The courage and self sac
rifice and devotion to a righteous cause
which have been displayed in the field
are needed in the Christian’s daily life.
Therefore, Paul aptly and powerfully
uses the figure of my text for a gospel
comparison. He is practically saying
to young Timothy: “Look upon your
Christ as a great leader and general.
Enlist in his service. Implicitly obey
his orders. Charge In Christ’s name
if the order is given you to charge.
Do sentinel duty and trudge weary
marches if that Is your order. Be
ready to fight on battlefield, or starve
in trench, or suffer in hospital, as duty
may command.” All young people are
‘ delighted with a military parade. Let
me in this sermon recount for you how
a gospel soldier should obey Christ’s
bugle call.
What does it mean to be a gospel
■oldA? First and foremost, to take
the oath of enlistment. The difference
between an army and a mob, the dif
ference between a collection of men
governed by one brain, ruled by one
voice, directed by one order, and a lot
of men running hither and thither
like a flock of sheep, or frightened,
stampeding cattle, doing as they will,
fs the difference between the oath of
enlistment and no oath. Before a man
takes the oath of enlistment he is a
free man. After he takes the oath of
enlistment he is no longer an independ
ent individuality. He Is a soldier,
^subject to the soldier’s orders, and is
"liable to be si l if he ih . rts or dis
obeys his superior officers. The oath
of eWifstment practically says: "I will,
iry, 1< others do my thinking.
1 " > v.’her * ! am told to go, and do
what I am told to do." The oath of
tnlistment is more binding than bands
«f steel. I well remember the time
that I took the oath of enlistment in
the United States army, and the trans
formation in my life which immediate
ly took place on account of that oath.
The Spanish-American war had broken
out. At that time I was living in Chi
cago, and was chaplain of one of the j
largest regiments in Illinois. As soon |
as war was declared, the colonel tele- J
graphed Governor Tanner, placing our
whole regiment at the service of the
state. What to do I knew not. My
duty to my church and to my family
required me to stay; my duty to my
country called me to go.
Tlit* Divine Coniiuiintler.
Worried and fretted by these con
flicting duties, I was harrowed by day «
and could not sleep by night. Rut no
sooner did I enter the exposition
grounds at Springfield, ill., where we
encamped, no sooner did the mustering
officer tall me to raise my right hand
over the open Bible and take the oath
of enlistment, than all worry and
doubt and trouble faded from my mind.
Why? One minute before I took that
oath of enlistment I was free to do
as I would. One minute after I took
that oath of enlistment I was a United
States soldier, subject to the orders of
the president of the United States.
What is true in reference to the Eng
lish soldier or the French soldier or the
American soldier is true of the gospel
soldier. You cannot do effective serv
ice as a soldier of Jesus Christ unless
you publicly give to him your oath of
enlistment. And when you once do
give that oath then you are no longer
your own master. Then you are in
exactly the same position toward your
divine commander as was Captain
Clark toward his earthly commander.
After he had brought the Oregon on
her famous trip from the Pacific ocean
around South America’s southernmost
cape, up past the coast of Brazil, Cap
tain Clark immediately went into the
tlrst United States port he could find
and telegraphed President McKinley,
“The Oregon has arrived safe and is
awaiting orders.” So when you be
come a Christian soldier or a Christian
sailor you must first take your oath
of enlistment and then always be
“waiting orders.” In the public church
aisle and by the table of the holy com
munion you give open test felony of
your purpose to surrender your will to
the divine will. You must say, “I am
ready, O Christ, to do what thou wilt
have me to do, and go where thou
commandest me to go.”
The GoMpel Soldier.
What does it mean to be a gospel sol
dier? To be assigned to some distinct
part of some distinct command in the
great Christian army, following the
standards of Jesus Christ. To have an
individual place reserved for you in
the gospel ranks, where you are to
fight for the church militant, as each
private American soldier during the
civil war had a place reserved for him
in the ranks, whether he belonged to
the cavalry or the artillery, the in
fantry or the engineering corps. As a
military organization of a great aggre
gation of individuals, so the success
of the army depends upon that mili
tary organization being divided and
subdivided and divided again by or
derly arrangement. The individual,
the private soldier, must have his dis
tinct place just as the general or the
colonel or the major or the captain has
his place.
Let us study for a moment the con
struction of an American army. Take,
for illustration, that which followed
Sherman to the sea. There were in
that host about one hundred thousand
men. These one hundred thousand
men were divided first into three parts,
each commanded by a major general.
Generals Schofield, McPherson and
Slocum had respectively charge of the
right wing, the center and the left
wing of that army. Then each wing
and center was again divided into
corps, under such leaders as Generals
Logan, Howard and Kirkpatrick. Then
these corps were again subdivided into
divisions, and these divisions again
into brigades, and these brigades into
regiments, and these regiments into
companies, and each private soldier
was assigned to a distinct company,
the letter of w’hich was marked on his
hat and the number of the regiment
marked upon the lapel of his coat.
Each American soldier always had
a distinct place reserved for him in
the ranks where he was supposed to
fight. Sometimes in battle an Amer
ican soldier might get separated from
his company. During the two days’
fighting before Santiago an American
lieutenant saw’ a colored trooper of the
Tenth cavalry fighting by the side of
his white men. When the lieutenant
asked the black man why he was there
he replied, "I have lost my command,
and so. sir, if you will, I w’ould like to
fight in your company.” The permis
sion was given. That night, when the
colored soldier was about to hunt up
his command, he asked the lieutenant
to give him a note to his captain to
prove that he had been in battle and
not skulking in the rear. The next
day, when going over the field hunting
for his dead and wounded, this same
lieutenant found upon the bloody field
the same colored trooper, mortally
wounded. The colored soldier beckon
ed to the lieutenant to lean over him.
Then the dying man whispered: “Take
that note and give it to the captain of
L troop, Tenth cavalry, Lawton’s di
vision, and tell him that 1 tried to re
port to my company, but could not find
him. Give him that paper and say
that Williams was not a coward.” Ah,
yes, ’tis true! A United States soldier
always has an individual place re
served for him in the ranks where he
Is expected to be and expected to fight.
A Gomj><*1 Wnrrlor'M Duty.
The United States soldier must be
able to answer roll call in a certain
company, of a certain regiment, of a
< •i!:i hr! : ' •, of a certain division,
of a certain corps. Bo the gospel sol
dier must have a distinct place in
which he has his name upon the mus
ter roll of the church militant. There
should be no “free lances” in tbe gos
pel army, no guerrilla bands. Guer
rilla ranks are filled up for the most
part with iconoclasts and anarchists
and cutthroats. But the gospel soldier
must be a regularly enlisted man, de
tailed for work to some one Bible
class, to some one Sunday school, to
some one prayer meeting, to some one
church. A gospel soldier is a Chris
tian who obeys orders. How can you
obey Christ’s orders unless you have
taken your individual place in the gos
pel ranks of Christ’s great army, called
the church?
The true gospel soldier always con
siders the posts of danger the posts of
honor. He wants to hear the singing
of the shells, even though that martial
song may have to be accompanied by
his own death rattle. He wants to be
ns most of the soldiers were after they
had enlisted for the Spanlsh-American
war. Oh, how anxious the officers and
privates alike longed for the front!
They wanted to have a glorious part
in the liberation of downtrodden Cuba.
Some men had to die for that libera
tion. Then the brave fellows of the
different regiments, by telegram upon
telegram, sent to the governors and to
the officials at Wrshington, practically
said, “We are ready to go to the front
—aye, to sacrifice our lives, if need be.
in our country’s service.” So eager ;
were those soldiers for dangerous serv
ice that when some of their colonels
received the telegrams that switched
them from the transports at Tampa to
Jacksonville, Fla., there were sorrow
and disappointment in many hearts.
Fuat* of Difficulty.
Posts of danger and difficulty are al
ways posts of honor in the United
States army. And yet to hear some
Christian soldiers talk you would sup
pose that the posts in Christ’s army
where there are difficulties are the
posts to be avoided or deserted. Even
some of the ordained ministers of
Jesus Christ feel that ■way. “Oh,”
says a visiting clergyman, “I am so
discouraged. Why, there has been
nothing but friction and trouble in my
church ever since I came to it The
people have fought and misrepresented
every minister who ever occupied this
pulpit, and they have been finding
fault with and misrepresenting me. I
am so discouraged. I wish God would
find me another place.” Well, my
brother. I confess you are having a
hard time of it. I confess that some
churches have a bad record. I know
of one church that for forty years has
made its chief fame in breaking down
its different ministers. One pastor aft
er another has been destroyed in reg
ular order as he came to its parson
age. One minister w r as so tantalized
and attacked that under the persecu
tion of its members he committed sui
cide. But, tell me, you who have been
having a hard time in that church, do
you not think you are getting along
there as well as any one else could?
“Oh, yes!” you answer. “I know I am.
In spite of three balking elders and
two obstinate, fault finding trustees,
we are taking in new members all the
time. Never in the church’s history
has it been doing so much good.”
Then, my brother, instead of complain
ing about your lot you should be con
gratulated. Go ahead and do your
work. God has honored you above all
others. He has put you in a difficult
position. Post of difficulty always post
of honor.
Sunday school teacher, that is a
tough class of boys you have. You
came to me the other day with tears in
your eyes. Some people may think I
am talking about an imaginary case,
but you know’ I am not. Those boys
at times pester you so much that you
have half made up your mind to give
up the class. Do not do it. Those
boys may stick pins into^ach other.
They may come to class ,vith dirty
faces. They may seem to be ungrate
ful. But remember, O Christian sol
dier, if you desert your post now’ and
leave those boys they w’ill not obey the
voice of another teacher. They will
not come to church at all. You must
be to those boys what Dr. T. J. Ber
nardo is to the London newsboy, and
Charles N. Crittenton is to the Flor
ence Crittenton missions, and what
Livingstone was to Africa, and Carey
w’as to India. The gospel heroes of the
past have given up their all to win
their victories. They labored, they
slaved, they sacrificed themselves
among tbe outcasts. “Go thou and do
likewise."
A Fact to Realise.
But there is another great fact which
the good soldier of Jesus Christ should
realize. The duties of the camp right
ly performed are sometimes Just as es
sential for God’s w’ork as duties rightly
performed at the front. The work
which is done by the commissary and
the surgeon has sometimes a greater
part to play in winning martial victo
ries than the spectacular color sergeant
has in leading the charge before the
enemy’s breastworks. What defeated
Napoleon Bonaparte in his famous
Russian invasion? The bayonets of
the haughty czar? No. The conqueror
of Germany and Austria and Italy
could have brushed those guns aside as
he had done in former campaigns. It
was the haversack empty of bread
w’hich made the “Little Corsican” run
like a frightened hare toward home.
It was Moscow’ in flames and his men
with nothing to eat that made the
French commander tremble before the
stony glance of death. And yet to
rend some military biographers you
might suppose the personal worth of a
Grant, a Sherman, a Meade, a Han
cock, was the cause of all the victories
achieved by the northern armies in the
civil W’ar, and tho mental powers of a
Lee, a Longstreet, a Jackson, a Gor
don, a Johnson, were the cause of all
the victories of the southern armies.
The unrecognized heroes of the civil
war have not had their due. The gen-
ends and the boys who fought at tho
front have been honored as they de
served, but who has had a tribute of
praise to give to the self sacrificing
men who made it possible for the
fighting soldiers to live and die at the |
front? I would sing the praises of the !
muleteers. I would sing the praises of
the army officers who bought the shoes
and the stockings and the trousers and
the coats and the hats and the blan
kets and forwarded them and never let
a dishonest dollar stick to their fingers.
I would sing the praises of the ambu
lance corps, and of the soldiers who
acted as nurses. Did you ever stop to
think that in all the United States,
from the Atlantic to the Pacific, there
is not one, not even one, monument
erected to an army surgeon? Many
memorial stones for McPherson and
Sherman, a magnificent remembrance
to Grant, but not one monument for
one surgeon. In all the United States
not one monument erected to a muster
ing officer who stayed at home to fill
up the ranks. Not one. In all the
United States not one erected to the
faithful paymasters who carried
around the money so essential to the
support of the soldiers’ children at
home. And yet those sacrificing deeds
of the heroes of the civil war made It
possible for their brothers in blue and
in gray to stay at the front and fight
on the picket line.
UnrecoKalEed Heroea.
Christian soldiers, who are the stay
at homes? I have recounted these
deeds of the unrecognized heroes of
war for a purpose. I want to encour
age you in your ordinary duties of
life. It is not possible for every Chris
tian to be a Chinese Gordon or a Have
lock or a O. O. Howard or a Stonewall
Jackson. It is not possible for all
Christian soldiers to stand in the con
spicuous places and win the plaudits
of the Christian w’orld. But remember
that the humble private in Christ’s
army—she who as a mother living in
the home, as a sister working behind
the counter, as a daughter teaching
school to support an aged parent or to
give an education to a young brother— i
is in God’s sight one of the essentials
for his great army. You are the pow’er
behind the main line, making it possi
ble for other Christian soldiers to fight |
in the open. Paul is saying to the sol
dier in the rear as well as at the front,
to the inconspicuous as w’ell as the con- ,
spicuous soldier alike, “Endure hard
ness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”
And why should we all endure hard
ness as good soldiers of Jesus Christ?
For two reasons. First, because it is
possible for every private as well as
Christian officer to receive the highest
of all soldiers’ rewards. What is the
highest? Yea, the very highest? We
have read how the Duke of Marlbor
ough was honored. Not only was he
created a duke, but on account of the
Blenheim victory parliament voted
him the magnificent manor of Wood-
stock and his royal mistress gave him
$1,000,000. We have read how Arthur
Wellesley was raised to be Duke of
Wellington on account of his victory at
W’aterloo. Lord Roberts, recently the
commander of the British forces, and
Viscount Kitchener were raised to the
peerage for their services rendered to
the British crown. But all these offer
ings and honors, these dignities and
fame, given by a grateful country to
faithful sons, will be as nothing com- :
pared to the greatest gift which is giv
en to a Christian soldier. The gift 1
which is the smile of approbation from
a loving Divine Commander. The
“Well done!” which goes to the Chris
tian hero of the name of Adoniram
Judson. The “W T ell done!” which is
given to the humble servant girl and
to the humble clerk and to the humble
nurse and to the humble missionary.
The Soldier’d Sacrifice.
But why, again, should we all endure
hardness as good soldiers of Jesus
Christ? Because in so doing we are
following his blessed example. He
who spared not himself, but suffered
freely for us, has the right to expect
fortitude from us. From none of us
does he ask such service as he himself
rendered to us. W’hen the army of
Alexander the Great was scaling a j
noted mountain pass the strength of
the soldiers became exhausted. Many
threw themselves upon the ground to
die. The great commander saw the
condition. He did not curse or up
braid. He quietly dismounted from
his war charger. He threw aside his
heavy cloak. He lifted a private sol
dier’s pickax, then vigorously went to
work digging away at the ice. Ills
soldiers saw him. They knew he was
as tired us they. Then they jumped to
their feet. By the power of a brave
example they arose and went again
to work, and again won a new victory.
Christian soldiers, wherever we go, we
can find our Divine Leader ahead. Our
backs may ache, but he is carrying
our burden of sin. Our feet may grow
tired, but from his feet and hands and
head and heart are flowing streams of
blood. In olden times a soldier was
said to have gathered an armful of
pointing spears and pressed them into
his own breast, that over bis prostrate
body his comrades might find a breach
in the enemy’s ranks and charge to vic
tory. So over Christ’s body wo may
win eteru:: 1 life. And here and now
upon the foundation stones of a Christ’s
mausoleum may we build the great
“white temple of a Christian soldier’s
saci ifice.”
[Copyright. 1904, by Louis Klopsch.]
Rv« Physicians had done their best to core Janies Wilkes, of Dillon,
8. C., who had one of the most terrible cases of RHEUMATISM on
record. They all failed until ooa doctor prescribed—
IT CURED HELPLESS CRIPPLE.
Mr. Wilkei write* In the coarse of t Ion* letter, dated Auguit 18. 1902:
My leg* were drawn b*ck until my feet touched my hip*. I wa* as helplet* ** * baby
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I began to get better. I uted 5J bottle* and wa* completely cured.’’
Dr. I. P. Ewing confirm* Mr. Wilke*’ statement in every particular.
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