The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1888-08-03
Talmage to the Soldier.
"Then Ye Shall Rise Up from the Ambush ana
Seize Upon the City.

~ ma
Seize Upon the City.
Chaplain r. Dewitt Tallaage preached 10
the 18th regiment of the New York state ma,
tional guards, encamped at Peekskill, N. "
The regiment assembled at 8. p. m, when peo.
pie from the n~eighboring country, towns and
cities we're present in immense numbers. A
military band conducted the musical part Of
the service. Chaplain T~almages's sermon.
which was on the Uses of Stratagem," was
based on Joshua, chapter viii, verse Z: 's1rheD
ye shall rise up from the ambush, and seize
upon the city" He said:
Men of the 18th regiment, and their friends
here gathered, Of all occupations and profes.
sions men Of the city and men Of the fields.
here is a theme fit for all of us.
One Sabbath evening with my family around
me, we were talking over the scene ofthetext.
In the wide-open eyes and the quick inter
rogations and the blanched cheeks / realized
what a thrilling drama it was. There is
the old city, shorter by name than any
other city in the ages, spelled with two
letters-A, IA. Joshua and his men want
to take it. How to take it is the question
On a former occasion, in a straightforward,
face to face fight: they had been defeated;
but now they are going to take it by ambus.
cade. General Joshua has two divisions in
his %army-the one division the b~attle-worn
commander will lead himself. the other diyi.
sion he sends off to eneamp in ambush on
the west side of the city Of All. No torches.
no lanterns, no heavy battilions but 10000
gun ~ NJ M wpinHr TanVfprn l.. ILL., - t.
only III q whisper; no clicking Of swords
against shields, lest the watchman of All dis.
cover it and the stratagem be a failure. If a
registering soldier in the Israelitish army for
gets himself, all along the line the word is
"HushF' Joshua takes the other division,
the one with which he is to march, and puts It
on the side of the city Of Al, and then spends
the night in accommodating in the valley.
There he is, thinking over the fortunes Of the
coming day, with something of the feelings
of Wellington the night before Waterloo, or
Of Meade INT Lee the night before Gettys-
burg. There he stands in the night, and
says to himself: "Yonder is the division in
ambush IN the west side of All. Here is the
division I have under my especial command
slumhering in its sin. Tomorrow win be the
battle. Look the morning already begins
to tip the hills. The military officers Of All
look out into the morning very early, and
while they do not zee the division in ambush,
they behold the other division ofJoshua, and
the cry, ITO armsl To armsl' rings through
all the streets Of the old town, and every
sword, whether hacked and bent or newly
welded, is brought out, and all the inhabit-
ants of the city of All pourthrough the gates,
an Infatuated torrent, and their cry is:
Come, wen make quick work with Joshua
and his troops" No sooner had these peo-
pie Of All come out against the troops Of
Joshua, than Joshua gave such a command
as he seldom gave: "Fall back" Why,
they could not believe their " ears. Is
Joshua's courage failing him?
The retreat is beaten, and the Israelites
are flying, throwing blankets and canteens
on every side under this worse than Bull
Run defeat. And you ought to hear the sol
diers of All cheer and cheer and cheer. But
they huaza too oon The men lying in ann
bush are straining their vision to get some
signal from Joshua that they may know
what time TO drop upon the city. Joshua
takes his FURNISHED spear, glittering In the
sun ike a shaft of doom, and points it to-
ward the city; and when the men up yonder in
the ambush see ii; with hawk-ike swoop they
drop upon All, and without stroke OF sword
or tap Of spear take the city and put it to
the torch. So much for the division that
was in ambush. How about the division I'M
der Joshua's commando No sooner does
Joshua stop in the fight than all his men
stop with him, and as he wheels they wheel,
for In q voice of thunder he cried Haiti
One strong arm driving back a torrent
Of flying troops. And then, as ne
points his spear through the golden light to-
ward that fatal city his tro ops know chat
they ore to start for it. What a scene it
wcs when the division in ambush which had
taken the city marched down againstth men
Of All on the one side and the troops under
Joshua doubled up their enemies from the
other side, and the men Of al were caught
between two hurricanes Of lsraelltlsmc courage
thrust before and behind, stabbed in breast
and back, ground between the upper and
neither millstones Of Gods indignation. Woe
to the city OF All Cheer for the triumph Of
Israeli
Lesson the first: There is such a thing as
victorious retreat. Joshua's falling back was
the first chapter in his successful besiegement.
And there are times 10 your lite when the pest
thing you can do is to run. You
were once the victim Of strong drink. The
demijohn and the decanter were your nerce
foes. They came down upon you with great-
er fury than the men of All upon the laen oi
Joshua, Your only safety is to get away
from them. Your dissapating companions
win come around you for your overthrow
Run for your lfei Fail back Gan back ron
tic drinking saloon. Fall back from the
vine party. Your fight y your advance.
Your retreat is your victory. There y g az
loon down the next street that has almost
been the ruin of your soul. Then Why aoyoN
30 along that street2 Why do You not pass
through some other street rather tnan py
the place of your calamity a apooninl
of brandy taken for medical purposes oy
q man 20 years before had been reformed
from drunkenness, hurled into inebriety ana
the grave one of the best friends 1 eyer had.
Your retreat is your victory. Here y y tqn-
verified infGS, He is 80 strong ~ W.
faith in the Gospel he says ne can reaa any
thing. What are you readingl Dothhs,
broker Andrew Jackson Davisas trssetss
TyndaIPs Glasglow University address,
Drop them ana run. You will be an innaei
before you die unless you quit taaN 1880
men Of raj will be too much Tor you. 1uL9
your back on the rank Rnd ME ~
unbeIief. kg before they cut YOU WI
their swords and tfansax you with 1ne'f
javelins.
There are people who have been sell nlgn
ruined because they risked 9 fooihardy ezpe-
dition III the presence Of mlghNy ~ 49,,
whelming teEtations, and the men q ~ Maes
d morning meal cfsthoms 70 ALSO tnere =
such d thing as victorious retreat ~ We n
lieious world. Thousands 81 I'm she 1 w.
dom Of Christ haa seemed 70 fall BACK Mnen
the blood Of the Scotch c~0venanIers gaSs &
deeper dye to the heather Of the highianas'
when the Vaudois Of France close skseI.
mination rather than make an unenFe1san
surrender. when on st. Bartholomew ! Qay
nar44WfaI ~oaaas4%u rNHn through the ttlEtNo