Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1888-08-03

opportunities. Are you hypercritical of
Joshuas vancouver? Do you say that it
was cheating for him to take that city
by ambuscade? Was it wrong for Wash
ington to kindle camp fires on New Jer
sey Heights, giving the impression to
the opposing force that a great army was
encamped there when there was none ut
all? answer, if the war was right then
Joshua WAS right in his stratagem. He
violated no flag of truce. He broke no
treaty, but by q lawful ambuscade cap
tured the city of All. Oh, that we all
knew how to lie in ambush for oppor-
tunities to serve God. The best of our
opportunities do not lie on the surface,
but are secreted; by tact, by stratagem,
by Christian ambuscade, You may take
almost any castle of sin for Christ.
Come up toward men with regular be-
siegement of argument and you will be
defeated; but just wait until the door of
their hearts is set ajar, or they are off
their guard. or their severe caution is
away from home, and then drop in on
them from Christian ambuscade.
There has been many man up to his
chin in scientific portfolios which
proved there was no Christ and no di-
vine revelation. his pen scimetar flung
into the heart of theological opponents,
who, nevertheless, has been discounted
and captured for God by some little g.
year-old child who has got up and put
her snowy arms around his sinewy neck.
and asked some simple question about
God and Heaven.
Lesson the fourth: The Importance of
taking good aim. There isJoshua, but
how are those people in ambush up yon-
der to know when they are to drop on
the city, and how are these men around
| u tn wi 70 CT
their flight and advance? There must
be some Signal signal to stop the one
division and to start the other. Joshua,
with spear on which were ordinarily
hung the colors of battle, points toward
the city. He stands in such conspicu-
GUS position, and there is SO much of
the morning light dripping from that
spear tip, that all around the horizon they
see it. 1t was as much as to say: There
is the city. Take it. Take it now. Roll
down from the west. Surge up from the
north. 1t is ours, the city of All" God
knows and we know that great deal of
Christian attack amounts to nothing
simply because we do not take good aim.
selves which point we want to take,
when we ought to make up our minds
what God will have us to do, and point
our spear in that direction and then hurl
our body, mind, soul, time, eternity at
that one target. In our pulpiss and
pews and Sunday schools and prayer
meetings We want to get reputation for
saying pretty things, and SO we point
our spear toward the flowers; or we
want reputation for saying sublime
things, and We point our spear toward
the stars; or we want to get reputation
for historical knowledge, and wepoint
our spear toward the past; or we want to
| get reputation for great liberality, SO
we swing our spear all around; and it
| strikes all points of the horizon, and
you can make out of it whatever you
please; while there is the old world,
proud, rebellious, and armed against all
; righteousness; and instead of run ming
any farther away from its pursuit, we
) ought to turn around, plant our foot in
the strength of the eternal God, lift
| the old cross and point it in the direc-
ton of the worlds conquest till the re-
| deemed of earth, marching up from one
r side, and the glorifed of Heaven march
ing down from the other side, the last
, battlement Of sin is compelled to swing
) out the streamers of Emanuel. Oh,
church of God, take aim and conquer
a man who has only one idea; he is ire
, sistible." I say: Look for the man who
{ has one idea, and that a determination
for soul saving. Ibelieve God would
strike me dead if dared point the spea,
, in any other direction. Oh, for some OF
5 the courage and enthusiasm of Joshua!
He flung two armies from the tip of that
f spear. 1t lis sinful for us to rest. unless
3 it is to get stronger muscle and freshe1
, brain and purer heart for Gods work.
t feel on my head the hands Of Christ il
9 a new ordination. Do you not feel the
| same omnipotent pressure? There is 6
l work for all of US. Oh, that we might
| stand up side by side and point the
/ taken. Our cities are drifting out
toward loose religion or what is called
f liberal Christianity, which is SO lib
]! eral that it gives up all the cardina
doctrines of the Bible, so liberal that il
D surrenders the rectitude of the throne
$ of the Almighty. That is liberality with
t q vengeance. Let us decide upon the
| work which we, as Christian men, have
: to do, and, in the strength Of God, go tt
+? work and do it.
Il 1t is comparatively easy to keep on {
. parade amid q shower OF bouquets ant
V hand clapping, and the whole street full
Of enthusiastic huzzas; but it is not Sc
/. easy to stand up in the day of battle, the
: face blnckened with smoke, the uniform
: covered with the earth plowed up b.
/, whizzing bullets and bursting shells
). half the regiment cut to pieces, and We
k the commander crying: Forward
o march," Then it requires old fashioned
+ valor. My friends, the great trouble Of
d the kingdom of God in this day is thu
n towards. They do splendidly on {
: parade day, and at the communion whel
g they have on their best clothes of Chris
+ tian profession; but put them out in the
S great battle of life, at the first sharp
e shooting of skepticism they dodge, the!
r fall back, they break ranks We confron
: the enemy, we open the battle agains
). fraud, and 10! we find on our side q grea
o many people who do not try to pay thei
: debts. And we open the battle agains
+ intemperance, and we find on our owl
) side great many people who drink too
much. And we open the battle agains
S profanity, and we find on our own sid.
t a great many men who make hare
speeches. And we open the battle agains
t infdelity. and lo we find on our Owl
e side great many men who are not quit
). sure about the Book of Jonah. Ant
d while we ought to be massing ourtroops
J, and bringing forth more than the unitet
n courage Of Austerlitz, and Waterloo, ant