If you cannot engage in any active work yourselves you can do a good
deal by cheering on others. Some people not only do nothing, but they
are all the time throwing discouragement on others, in every forward
step they take. If you meet with them they seem to chill you through
and through. I think I would as soon face the east wind in Edinburgh
in the month of March, as come in contact with some of these so-called
Christians. Perhaps they are speaking about some effort that has been
made, and they say: "Well, yes, a good deal of work was done, but then
many were not reached at all." Such and such a thing ought to have
been done in a different way, and I know not what. They are all the
time looking at the dark side.
Let us not give heed to these gloomy and discouraging remarks. In the
name of our great Commander let us march on to battle and to victory.
There are some generals whose name alone is worth more than a whole
army of ten thousand men. In our army in the Civil War there were some
whose presence sent a cheer all along the line. As they passed on
cheer upon cheer went up. The men knew who was going to lead them, and
they were sure of having success. "The boys" liked to fight under such
generals as that. Let us encourage ourselves in the Lord, and
encourage each other; then we shall have good success.
We read in the book of First Chronicles that Joab cheered on those who
were helping him in warfare. "Be of good courage, and let us behave
ourselves valiantly for our people and for the cities of our God; and
let the Lord do that which is good in His sight." Let us go forward in
this spirit, and the Lord will make us to triumph over our foes. If we
cannot be in the battle ourselves let us not seek to discourage
others. A Highland chief of the M'Gregor clan fell wounded at the
battle of Sheriff-Muir. Seeing their leader fall, the clan wavered,
and gave the foe an advantage. The old chieftain, perceiving this,
raised himself on his elbow, while the blood streamed from his wounds,
and cried out, "I am not dead, my children; I am looking at you to see
you do your duty." This roused them to new energy and almost
superhuman effort. So, when our strength fails and our hearts sink
within us, the Captain of our salvation cries: "Lo, I am with you
alway, even to the end of the world. I will never leave nor forsake
thee. Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of
life."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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