Newspaper Page Text
Wednesday, March 30, 1910.
FORCEFUL SERMON AT BAPTIST CHURCH SUNDAY
REV. E. R. PENDLETON'S SUBJECT
WAS “A GOOD SOLDIER OF
CHRIST.- 2 Tin,. 2:2.
n. lU l of Tarsus lived in martial
tim l s when the Roman legions with
heir brave colors and uniforms were
■unong the most familiar sights which
erected his eye, and they furnish him
with many of his best images
fie himself had been called into a
warfare and the figure is very apt
and easily understood by his hearers,
nerhaps more easily than by us, how¬
ever all of us have some knowledge
0 f the soldier’s life, tho we may not
have lived in the day of war’s fierce
alarms. has been race of , sol¬ .
Our race a
diers, and Americans have never fail¬
ed yet when the country called for
IU en to take up arms in her beahlf.
There are several requirements of
one before he can be called a good
soldier: be enlisted ....... tne right ...
1 He must in
,
cause. with .
He cannot fight an\
amount of earnestness unless he
jieves in his cause. Thrice is he arm¬
ed who hath his quarrel just. Mer¬
cenaries do not make good soldiers.
They may overpower by numbers and
burn and pillage until the dread of
such an army is upon the country,
but, as individuals, hirelings have new
or made good soldiers.
This was demonstrated in the war
of the sixties. The northern army
was filled with foreigners and mercen
aries who had no particular convic¬
tions about the war, but the south
was made up of the best blood, of
men who, thought they were right,
and who fought with desperation for
their firesides.
They were overpowered by number
but the world knows which army con¬
tained the real soldiers.
1 would not engage in any warfare
in which my deepest convictions were
not enlisted. If we had been living
in that time, fifty years ago, could we
have fought under the Confederate
flag? produce
Half heartedness can neve.r
a good soldier.
So the right colors, the right cap¬
tain, the right uniform are essentials
to soldierliness.
This is preeminently true in Christ's
warfare. One must have convictions
that he is fighting in the right army,
under the right captain, on the right
side. If he is enlisted in the wrong
company and has not proper respect
for his own flag and his own leaders
he will not make a good fighter.
2. He must have a certain single
heartedness. Having gone into the
ranks lie must go in to win. As it
is put here, he must not be entang¬
led with other things, so that his
mind is divided, and he is constantly
watching for a chance to desert the
ranks and go back home. This atti¬
tude will ruin an army and turn it
into a cowardly mob.
In the Christian warfare a divided
mind is weakening, in like manner,
*o the soldier of the cross. When on
enlists under the banner of Christ he
is expected to turn his back upon all
else that would hinder his life-tiine
service.
If it be social engagements, Christ
says “Leave all and come foilow me.”
If it be parental affection, Jesus says,
"He that loveth father or mother
more than me is not worthy of me.”
Also, “Let the dead bury their own
dead.” If it be business, “He that
loveth houses or land more than me
is not worthy of me.” Again, “Ye
cannot serve God and Mammon.”
No one can make a good soldier of
Jesus Christ who is so entangled in
society that parties and balls come
ahead of prayer meetings. No one
can make a good soldier whose busi¬
ness demands so much time and at¬
tention that he or she cannot find op¬
portunity for worship, and other things
in his service. #
Bridges must be cut, and there
must be the single eye.
3. Also one must have the right
weapons. It would be only foolhardy
to go to battle today with medieval
weapons, cross bows, sling shots, &o.
Even the old flint-rock rifles would
be grotesque. Those old
SZ Spring and Sum
fes on sa
If anything a litti' hit smart¬
er and more exclusive than
usual. The hind you see
rifles so long used are being super-!
seded. Christ warns against going ot 4
rashly to meet an army without first
calculating upon whether you are pre¬
pared to meet them in battle.
It is foolish today to go to meet
the enemy with certain weapons wlikl
were good weapons even a hundred
years ago. Old time doctrines, and
dogmas, and controversies, have been
superseded.** The world has outgrown
them, and to try to meet the army of
skepticism, and universalism and oth¬
er isms of today, with quotations of
Scriptures texts, and with denials on¬
ly is as foolish as to use old flint¬
locks in a modern battle against
scrapnel and Krupp guns and Marlin
rifles.
The proper weapon for the Christ¬
ian is the Sword of the Spirit, but it
is not sufficient to take it in your
hand and throw it at the enemy. You
must know it. Not only know what
the fathers thought about it but what
has ---------------------........... been found out about it, and what
j s known about it today. A good sol
dier of Jesus Christ is one who is
well informed and one who knows
his manual up to date. Some old
methods, effective in past, not now—
emotional meetings, doctrinal, and
severe preaching.
To underrate the antagonist’s posi¬
tion is to court defeat. Acknowledge
truth wherever it appears. Acknowl¬
edge it in other denominations, in the
most abhorrent sects, and yet be able
to show the superiority of your posi¬
tion and, if you cannot show that, it
is safe to say that your breastworks
will not protect you against the com¬
ing onslaught of truth.
It is a day when earnest men, hon¬
est men, learned men, are engaged
in the search after truth. Join in
this* search with the right lantern,and
be willing to acknowledge error when
it is found out and always ready to
make amends.
Also learn how to use those weap¬
ons on your enemies and not on your
friends. Untrained armies some¬
times suffer the loss of good men in
their own ranks under the blundering
fire of their own men.
Join forces with all who are in the
war, and welcome truth wherever it
is found. Be hospitable to truth,
keep open house to truth, and Bap¬
tists have no need to fear in this
search. Many a church today pre¬
sents the ridiculous spectacle of a
leader pulling one way, one faction
fighting with him, and another oppos¬
ing all
4. A good soldier also must know
how to stand fire. 1 am told that
this is the most trying duty of a sol¬
dier. That men who can make a
glorious charge will sometimes turn
and fly under fire.
This is galling aand deadly and
tries the very best nerve of the sol¬
dier, and yet manytimes the battle
will depend upon a corps of men who
stand the fire.
Of course, the reason this is such
an ordeal is that It may mean many
a poor fellow will never see the faces
ot his loved ones again. But after
all, if he is in the right, and the
cause depends upon every man stand¬
ing by his guns, is it not better o
die at his post than to run?
It is no disgrace to die fighting.
The war will go on. We need in the
army of Christ today more of the mar¬
tyr spirit. Men who are not con¬
stantly trying to save themselves. A
bullet in the back is a disgrace.
There are many snares in the min¬
istry, and many temptations, but none
so general and so dangerous *ns the
temptation to the minister to save
himself, by getting where the battle
Is not so thick, where there is more
of safety and of ease. Keeping off
the battle line. Many things make
it galling to ministers to stand where
llod wants them to stand.
In the pew there is the same dan¬
ger. Men who would like to fight in
the army if the pay was better, the
rations more sumptuous, the danger
less. “If the church were only in
camp, and could dispense with this
everlasting marching, fighting busi¬
ness, I would not mind joining it."
Of, course not, what fool would? But
what good would the church do al
ways camping on its arms? It must
THE COVINGTON NEWS.
march and attack sometimes.
5. A good soldier must know when
to run. It is just as much, the part
of a good soldier to know when to
retreat and save his men as to stand
fire. Here is where judgment comes
in. Poise and mental balance.
It is wise to keep out of battle
when you can, and all good soldiers
have used stratagem which is some¬
times better than force. Paul was
not above this but said he caught
men with guile.
There are some things hopeless in
the warfare of Christ. A situation
must be considered as it is, and
judgment passed upon it. It is no
use to attempt, an impossible feat.
Even Christ spoke of this—Go not
out to meet an army of twenty thous¬
and with ten thousand. Odds are all
against you.
'There is many a hopeless church
because there was not this quality.
There is good material but the
Church is too weak to live. It is
not able to cope with the enemy.
It has allowed itself to be entrapped
by organizing in the outset. It takes
certain strength to make a church,
and this must be recognized.
Certain towns and localities may
seem hopeless for certain denomina¬
tions, in which case the world is too
big to try to set up against such
odds. Counsel can be held with ex¬
perienced leaders and the situation
gone over.
Often it is a case of headliness on
the part of some selfish man or fami¬
ly that just wants a church for its
own use, This is the wrong spirit
and cannot prosper. The same spirit
may lead to church splits and is very
harmful in the cause of Christ. It
is better to acknowledge the facts
and sometimes withdraw forces from
the field and avoid a battle.
6. Enduraance is necessary to a sol¬
dier. “Suffer hardship.”
It is said that heroism is enduring
for one moment, more. Did you ever
put your finger in a vice, and after
jou had turned it until you could
stand it no longer, give it another
twist? That is heroism. That is en¬
durance.
Christ gave us a pattern. He en¬
dured the shame. It was not with¬
out its drops ofb Iood, but he en¬
dured it.
There are times when we may
parley with duty and every thing in
us cries out against, a certain sacri¬
fice but our duty may be there just
the same.
The soldier's life is no dainty lift',
but a life of hardness, and when it
conies to duty.heonly needs to find
what it is to obey, and I think on
his knees he can generally find what
that. is.
Am I a soldier of the cross,
A follower of the Lamb?
And shall I fear to own His cause.
Or blush to speak His name?
Money To Loan.
1 have a considerable amount of
money to loan on farm lands in this
county at a low rate of interest.
W. II. WHALEY,
Covington, Ga.—1m
Schedule of the Covington and
Oxford Street Railway Company
Lv Cov. 7:15 am. Lv Depot 7:45 am
Lv Cov. 8:30 am. Lv Depot 9:00 am
Lv Cov.11:10 am. Lv Depot 11:40 am
Lv Cov. 2:10 pm. Lv Depot 2:20 pm
Lv Cov. 3:50 pm. Lv Depot 4:30 pm
Lv Cov. 6:10 pm. Lv Depot 6:45 pm
Lv Cov. 6:55 pm. Lv Depot 7:00 pm
Lv Cov. 7:50 pm. Lv Depot 8:10 pm
Cars will leave Covington on time
and will wait at Depot for delayed
trains.
Lv Oxf. 7:10 am. Lv Depot 7:50 am
Lv Oxf. 8:20 am. Lv Depot 9:05 am
Lv Oxf.ll:00 am. Lv Depot 11:45 am
Lv Oxf. 1:55 pm. Lv Depot 2:15 pm
Lv Oxf. 3:45 pm. Lv Depot 4:30 pm
Lv Oxf. 6:00 pm. Lv Depot 7:00 pm
Lv Oxf. 7.30 pm. Lv Depot 8:10 pm
Cars will leave Oxford on time and
will wait at Depot for delayed trains.
E. W. FOWLER, President.
R. C. GUINN, Sec. and Treas.
GET THE BEST.
MERRY WIDOW is a rich
man’s tobacco, but you can get it
at a poor man’s price from Fowler
Bros.
Watches and Clocks
Repaired.
I am prepared to repair your fix
Watches and Clocks and can
them so they will run, for less mon¬
ey than my competitors and guar¬
antee all my work. When you are
eady for your work give me a
trial.
J. SIEGEL
At Dr. J. A. Wrights Drug Strre
A PRETTY LINE OF JEWELRY
AND STANDARD WATCHES.
Dr. J. B. Watkins, Jr
. Veterarian
Treatment of Deseases of Animals
Surgery A Specialty
All Calls Promptly Attended to
Office King & Leach’s Stables.
Bell Phone, Res. 131 Office 44
JACKSON, GA.
PAGE THREE.
—
Spring Spring
CLOTHING
Had you thought that just a few days more and Spring will be here? And have you
made up your nund what kind of suit you intend to buy? We have one of the best stocks of
clothing for Men, Youths and children, to select from, that has ever been brought to Covington
and at prices to suit everybody’s pocketbook.
Mens Suits, $7.50 to $18.00
Youths Suits, $5.00 to $12.50
Childrens Suits, $1.00 to $6.00
Give us a look and we can please you.
HANDSOME HATS FOR SPRING
You will need a new bat to top off your new suit. Let us show you just the hat to
suit your face. Prices, $1.50 to $2.50.
LOW CUT SHOES
Our stock of low cut shoes for Men, Ladies and Children is complete and can fit all
at reasonable prices. In our Ladies Dress Goods and ready to wearjdepartment we are getting
in new goods every week.
MILLINERY
Mrs. Harper’s Millinery this season is the newest to be found anywhere and she will
have on display all this week, some designs copied from the most exquisite patterns.
Covington,
Georgia.
FARMERS CASH SUPPLY XX HR XX
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XX
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XX
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Is ready to supply you with all your needs in corn,
oats, meal, shorts, bran, (lour, hay, rock salt, sugar,
coffee, tobacco, cotton seed meal and hulls, chick
feed and alfarina. Mr. Parmer we can save you
money on the above goods and give you the best.
We ask that you call agd see us and get our prices.
Wq buy and sell strictly for cash and buy in car lots.
XX All goods delivered in the city. Phone 257.
XX
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HR XX Farmers Cash Supply Co.
HR S Opposite D. A. Thompson.
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