The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1875-01-13
FoR TIE CENTRAL PRESBYTERIAN.
THE SWORD OF THE LORD AND OF
GIDEON Judges viii

/. 1t is the saO0rd Of the Lord. Tne enc
mics of Church cannot be overthrown b.
the Church in her own strength. They arr
too many and too strong. The old Adam
and the Devil are too mighty to be dispos
sessed by argument or persuasion. The
sinner lying in his grave of trespasses and
sins cannot be argued out of his grave by
any force of logic of man or angel. he
must come out at the voice of Him who
called Lazarus out, after he had been dead
four days, and his body was in state Of
putrefsction. All the ordinances Of The
Church are of such nature as to show that
if any good is effectuslly done, it is done BY
the power of God, and that the faith Of the
Church. therefore, must stand no. in thf
wisdom of man, but in the power OF God.
The ordinances Of presnhipg, prsysr, sing
saer Aueuts and discipline are not
lGos Of grace, but means; not physical
causes having an inherent power to produce
their appropriate effects as fire has the power
to burn. but conditions under which God
exerts HIS power. The blowing of the horns
and the solemn procession of the hosts OF
Israel around Jericho, did not make the
walls of the tower fall; but in the blowing
of the horns and the marching and the shout
ing, God threw down the walls. This is the
lesson taught everywhere in the Bible;-"not
by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit,
saith the Lord" This is the lesson which
the Church is slow to learn, and to keep fast
hold of when learned. In large part of
the Nominal Christian Church, in the Pspsl
body, the Greek body, and in no inconsider
able portions of other communions, saliva
ton has become either mechanical or q
magical process in which the result is deter
mined by the power of God in no other way
than that in which it determines the move.
ment of wheel to which the force of steam
or water is applied, or that in which super
stition imagines it determines the result
which follows the waving of wizards wand
or the utterance of the "Prestol change"
No honor is done to the sovereign power of
the Holy Ghost by these people who yet
profess to be Christians. That ever blessed
and glorious Person is degraded into mere
nexus binding together the antecedent and
the consequent. Let the ministers and mem
bers of more orthodox communions take heed
lest, in the use of man-invented "meaSures"
(the "anxious seal" and what Dot they
should be giving countenance to the same
fatal error-thst men can be regenerated,
and believers be revived without the Spirit
of God.
ii. 1t is the sVord of Gideon, as we'll as
the sword of the Lord Gideon and his
three hundred were as indispensable to the
victory as the Lord; not indeed in the nature
of the case, for God could have destroyed
the host of the Midianites as He afterwards
destroyed the hosts of Sennscherib; but in
dispensable in this case according to the
plan of God. The sword of Gideon, With
his lamps and pitchers, were necessary con-
ditions for the exercise of Gods power
Note, then, the necessity of using the means
of Gods appointment. Ask not, why has
God made the result to depend upon means
which are notOriOusly inadequate to the end /;
the blowing of horns around walled city,
the breaking of pitchers by three hundred
men, in the presence of an unnumbered host !?
Why assail the kingdom Of darkness with
such weapon as preaching, and very often
preaching with stamuering tongue? 1t is
a sufficient answer to all such questions that
God has so ordained; and the highest wisdom
is to obey Him. And yet, paltry as the
means seem to be and are, and unable as We
are to understand the whole case, this much
we can see and thank God for it, that He
gives US something to do, and condescends to
let the bsttle,cry run thus, "The sword of
the Lord and of Gideon" instead of thus,
"The sword of the Lord" He condescends
to use us, our preaching, our praying, our
singing, our money, to do that which He
could do just as we'll without US, because lie
sOiU hare as to enjoy fellowship NTH Himself.
He does not need our working; but we need
it. He does not need the money We give
Him, but We need the giving of it. For our
good, therefore, He condescends to ask fol
it. Aud if we understood more of His wis
dom and love than we do, with how much
entreaty we should pray Him to accept tht
giftI This leads us to notice, lastly, that
III. 1t is the sword of the Lord and o.
Gideon-not swOrds, but swOrd. 1t is bu
one sword. What expression could repre-
sent in livelier way, the union and com
munion of the Lord and His people? Here
is mystery, like the mystery of the Incar
nation of the Goldman. 1t is q union o
the Divine and the human, which will b,
perhaps, mystery for ever; but, neVerthe
less, fact as real as it is incomprehensible
X.