The Nicodemus cyclone. [volume] (Nicodemus, Graham County, Kan.) 1887-1888, 1888-08-10
TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE IN CAMP.
He Discourses to Troop and Civilian on
the Uses of Stratagem,

PEEKsKnL, N. Y, July 22-Chaplain 7.
Dewitt Talmage preached to-day to the Thita
teenth Regiment of the New York State Ma
tional Guards, now encamped here. The reg
1ment assembled at p. H., when people trort
the neighbOring country, towhs and cities
were present in immense numbers A militia
ny band conducted the musical part of the
service. Chaplain Talmage's sermon, which
was on "Uses of Stratagem,'' was Based on
Joshua, Oh. s, V. 4 Then We shall rise up
from the ambush, and seize upon the city"
He s&ids
Men of the Thirteenth Regiment and their
friends here gathered, of all occupations and
professions, men of the city and men OF the
fields, here is a theme lit fer all of us.
One Sabbath evening with my family around
me, we were talking over the scene of the
text In the wide.open eyes and the quick
tnterrogations and the 'blanched cheeks, re-
allied What thrilling drama it was. There
is the old city. shorter by name than any
other city in the ages, spelled with two letters
"a, I-Ak Joshua and his meh want to
take it. How to do It IL 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 ambuscase:
General Joshua has two diyisione ia his
army-the one division the batteworn COM
mander will lead himself, the other division
he sends OFT to encamp in an ambush on the
west side of the city of All No torches, no
but 1900 swarthy warriors moving in
silence, speaking only in whispers nc
| clicking of swords against shields,
lest the watchmen of Al discover it and the
| Stratagem be a failure. If registering sol
der in the Israelitsh army forgets himself
all along the line the word is 'HushW
Joshua takes the other division, the one with
| which he is to march, and puts 1t on the
north 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 and Lee the night before Gettys-
| burg, There he stands in the night, and says
to himself: 'YOnder is the division in am
bush on the west side of Al Here is the
| division | have under my especial command
on the north side of All. There is the Old city
slumbering in its sin. Tomorrow will be the
| battle. LOOkl the morning already begins to
tip the hills. The military officers of All look
out in the morning very early, and while they
do not see the division in ambush, they be-
hold the other division of Joshua, and the
cry, "TO arms To arms !" ring through all
the streets of the old town, and every sword,
whether hacked or bent or newly welded, is
brought out and all the inhabitants of the
city of All pour through the gates, an infuri.
Rted torrent, and their cry is: Come, we II
make quick work with Joshua and his troops"
No sooner had these people Of Al come out
against the troops of Joshua, than Joshua
gave such a command as he seldom gave!
Fall backW Why, they could not believe
their own ears. Is JOsuua's courage failing
hint
The retreat is beaten, and the Israelites are
Aging, throwing blankets and canteeDt
on every side under this worse than Bull
Run defeat. And you ought to hear tn
soldiers Of Al cheer and cheer ant
cheer But they hazza too soon. The mei
living in ambush are straining their vision tC
get some signal from Joshua that they may
know what time to drop upon the city.
Joshua takes his Furnished spear, glitterins
in the sun like shaft of doom, and point
| it toward the city; and when tue men u
yonder in the ambush see 1t, with hawk-lik
swoop they drop upon All, and without strok
; of sword or stab of spear take the city an
: put 1t to the torch. So much for the divis
4 ion that was in ambush. How about the di
. vision under JOshua's command: No sOone
t does Joshua stop in flight than all his me
stop with him, and as he wheels they vince
for in voice of thunder he cried Halt!
One strong arm driving back torrent {
flying troops And then, as he points n
spear through the golden light toward tia
fatal city, his troops know that they are
: start for it. What a scene it was when To
4 division in ambush which had taken the Gil
! marched down against the me
of Al on the one side, and the trOOI
Q under Joshua doubled up their en-!
e mics from the other side, and the men OF
10 were caught between these two hurricane
- of Israelitsh courage thrust before and b.
hind, stabbed in the breast and back, grour
between the upper and the neither mlllston'
of Gods Indignation. Woe to the city of a
J. Cheer for the triumphs of lsreal
Lesson the first: There is such thing
) victorious retreat. Joshua's falling back WI
10 the first chapter in his successful besieg
l. ment And there are times In your life wht
= the best thing you can do is to run. II
8, were once the victim of strong drink. II
!, demijohn and decanter were your fierce fOt
III They came down upon you with greater tu
le than the men of Al upon the men
N Joshua. Your only safety is to E
IA away from them Your dissipatil
ld companions will come around y
N.Y. for your overthrow. Run for your life! F
y back! Fall back from the drinking salOC
Fall back from the wine party. I our fig
is YOUR advance. Your retreat is your victol
al There is q saloon down on next street I'll
has almost been the ruin OF your soul: Tn
lg why do you go along that street! Why
Ia YOU not pass through some other strt
rather than by the place OF your calamityt
III spoonful of brandy taken for medical p
il poses bv q man who twenty years before
been reformed from drunkenness, hurled IL
Is inebrietv and the grave one OF the
LII 1rleQUS i ever Dau. 1OuT ID NOul
!. tory. Here is a converted intidel. He is
nS strong now in his faith in the Gospel he 81
Id he can read anything What are YOU re
!; ipgl Bolngbroke. Andrew jackson Day
Ia tractsl Tyndal's GLASGOW University
le. dress! Drop them and run. You will be
infidel before you die unless yon quit Il
=, These men of Al will be too much for Y
alu Turn your back on the rank and file OF
be belief Fly before they cut you with II
swords aud transfx you with their Javelln;
fly There are people who have been Welt-n
nv ruined because they riSked foolhardy e1
~ dition in the presence of mighty and o
ne whelming temptations, and the men OF
an made a morning meal Of them. 50 also II
= is such q thing as victorious retreat IN
IN religious world. Thousands OF times
laS kingdom of Christ has seemed 10 IAN o
u When the blood Of the Scotch CoVenan
tnu cave a deeper dye 10 the heather OF the
ate lands. when the Taudois of France chose
-: termination rather than make an
SilS christian surrender, when on 81
in tholomew's Day mounted aSSassins
Though the street of Paris, cry
"Knl! Blood-letting is good In Aug
Kill Death 10 the Hugucnotst n
re- when lady Jane CREWS head rolled from
executioner's block when Calvin was
lon rrisoned in the castle when John Knox
SITS. for the truth; when John Bunyan lay no
in Bedford Jail, saving: IF God will hel
I IT, tfv,tsa VI