Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1885-09-28
A Bibls Lesson by Rev. Or. Tai
mage.
TAKING OF THE TEMPLE OF BERTH
BY AbmeIeCb and His Army With Fire.
The Bonfire Of the Cos
pei,
The SPIRITUAL BATTLE OF LIFE.
Sascinl 10 The R.li.,er


The hymn before the sermon:
"Hark he TocC Of Jesus calling
Who will 80 and work to day:
Field, are white, the harvest waiting,
Who will bear the sheaves away"
Read and expounded the parable Of the
Il lents in the 2jih chapter Of Matthew,
Bl owing that the man who received one
talent received $500, and that the man
with smallest equipment for usefulness has
great responsibility.
Subject OF sermon: "Stormed and Taken. >
"And Abimelech got him up TO Mount
I4lmon, he and al the people that were with
him; and Abimolech took an axe in his
hand, and cut down d b0ugh from the trees,
and took it and laid it on his shoulder and
said unto the people that were with him;
Y bat ye have seen me DO, make haste, and
DO as have done And ali the people like
wise cut down every man his bough, and fol-
lowed Abimelech, and put them to the hold,
aad set the hold on fire upon them; so that
al the men OF the tower of S1echem died
JUDGES iX, IS, A..
| AbimcleCh
is a name maladorous in Bible history, and
yet full of profitable suggestion. Buoys are
back and uncomely, but they tell where the
rocks are. The snakes rattle
is hideous but it gives
timely warning From the piazza Of my
s.maer home night BY night, | saw q
lighthouse fifteen miles away, not placed
Il ire FOR adornment, but to tell mariners to
sand Of from that dangerous point So all
the iron. bound coast OF moral danger is
marked with Saul, and Herod, and Rahc-
| bOam, and Jezebtl, and Abimelech These
| bad people are mentioned in the Bible not
only as warnings, but because there were
sometimes flashes Of good conduct in their
! Ii Is worthy of imitation. God sometimes
drives very straight nail with a very poor
hammer.
The city Of
| Shehem Had to BE Taken,
suj Abimeiech and his men were to do it.
SEE the dust rolling up from their excited
march hear the shouting of the captains
3 nd the yell of the besiegers. The swords
! lack sLarply or the parrying shields, and
| ,ae yocitera,ion of two armies in death
s rapple is horrible 10 hear. The battle
N5:me!ecEE and end Lis .r.ny cry: 5aFFsl aii;s
Ger" to tie beaten foe. And unable longer
| 70 resist, the city OF SheChem falls; and there
ire pools of blood, and discovered limbs,
snd glazed eyes looking up beggingly for
| mercy that war never shows, and dying
soldiers with their head on the lap OF mother,
Or wife or sister. who have come oattor the
last clTces Of kindness nud affection, and
orosn rolls across the city, stopring not
| l,c.uss there is no spot Tor it TO reot 50 full
IS the place Of other groan5, A city wound,
ID, 4 city dyin-! a city dead! "aii
iog Shechcm al sc who know he horrors OF
sacked town
As lcok over the ci,y | can find only
,uc building standing, ..d that Is
The Temple of the God Berth.
Some soldiers outside Of the city in tower,
tndiug that they can no longer defend She
chem. now begin 10 look out for their own
,ersOral safety, aud they '.y to this temple
4 Berth. They get within the door, smut
I and they say: Now. We are safe. Ablm
clech has taken the whole city, but he can
not take this temple Of Berth. Here We
shsl be under the protection Of the gods
Oh Berth, the god, co your best now
Tor hese refugees. If you have eyes. pity
rem. If you have hands, nelp them. II
gou have rhunderbolts, strife for them. But
now shall Abimelech and his army
skc this temple OF Berth and
! lc men who are there fortified? WlIl
hey do it with sword? Nay. Will they do ii
y,,f sroer? Nay With battering ram roll
d 10 bv hundred armed strength crasalug
grelusr The wais2 Nay. AbiInelech marches
l.s men 10 a wood ia Igin,on: With MS axe
fp l-ws Of limb OF trce aud puts tha,
,:uD upou his own shoulder. and then he
avs 70 his men: "Iou DO the same. They
.!e a.. dent to their commander. There Is
, s,r,rgle as to who shall have axes. The
alple wood is full OF bending bouRhs, and
h, cracking and the hacking and the cut
.i~r rri,l very one o. the host has limb
4 a t.ec cut down, and not only that bat
has put it upon his shoulder Just as Adj
rae,ech showed him Row. Are these men
..,w ell armed with the tree branch? The
reply comes: "All armed. And
They March on.
Gb. what strange army, with
what strange equipment. They come
I'd 10 the loot OF tae temple Of Berth,
and AOimelech takes his limb OF tree and
trows it down; and the first platoon Of
soldiers came up and they throw down their
-arches; and the second platoon, and toe
third, uuil ali arUuLd about the temple OF
ierirh there is pile OF tree branches. The
Ehcchemites look ont from the window OF
the temple upon what stems to them child
in p!ay on the part Of their enemies, But
| soon the Nints are struck, and the spark be-
rims to kiadlc the brush, aud the flame
comes up all through the pile. and the red
clements leap TO he easement and the wood
.gc-k begins 70 blaze, and one arm OF lame
5 thrown up on tha right side Of the temple
and another arm Of lame is .hro Fn up On
be left side Of the temple, until they clasp
heir lurid palms under the will night 'ky
and the CRY OF Fire within and Ere
without, announces the terror, ana the
s,rapgulation, and the doom OF the Sh5cie
nites aud the complete
Overthrow of tho Temple
Of the god Berth. Theu there went up
. shout long ana loud, from tue lungs "A1
swarthy chests of Aoimelech and his meD
as they stood amid the ashes ald the dlst
cryipg Victory victory Or, as the text
has i: And Abimeiech gat him up tc
2 Mount Zalmon, he and all the people tn''
were with him; and Abimelech took 81 az
in his hand and cut down bough from the
trees, and took it and laid it on his shoulder
aud said unto tie people that were |'tn
. him: What We have seen ne do make ta't
= snd DO "a | have done. And oil the P''
e ple likewise cut down every man his o>lGh
d and followed Abimelech, and pat 'n-1 ID
!. the hold and set the hold on tire uoon item
S so that all the men OF the OF SheAsn
g died.
Now, learn first from this subject, tn.
tollv of dependiug upon any one to7l o
Is tactics in anything We have to do Tor tut
/, world or for God Look over the weaFolnr.
,t Of cldeu tires-iavehns, bAttle,aXes, hho
h ben reons and show ms a single wap D
b. Will which A5ime,ech aud his men 'o4'
1 bevs .-sineT srcN cnuple:e victory. I !