The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1888-08-01

H. and Robespierre, and with blistering
and disappearing and ashen lips hiss out
''The triumph of the wicked is short"
Alas for men of Al when Joshua stretches
out his spear toward the city!
Lesson the third: How much may be
accomplished by lying in ambush for op-
portunities. Are you hypercritical of
Joshua's maneuver? Do you say that it
was cheating for him to take that city by
ambuscade? Was it wrong for Washing
ton to kindle campfres on the New Jersey
heights, giving the impression to the OPP
posing force that a great army was en-
camped there when there was none at all
l answer, if the war was right then
Josiah was right in his stratagem. He
violated no flag or truce. He broke no
treaty, but by lawful ambuscade cap
tured the city OF Al. Oh, that we knew
how to lie in ambush for opportunities TO
serve God. The best of our opportuni-
ties do not lie on the surface, but
are secreted; by tact, by stratagem,
by Christian ambuscade, you may take al
most any castle of sin for Christ. Come
up toward men with a regular besiege-
ment of argument and you will be de-
feated; 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 divine revelation,
his pen scimetar flung into the heart of
theological opponents, who, nevertheless,
has been discomftted and captured for
God by some little 3-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.
Oh, make flank movement; steal
march on the devil; cheat that man into
heaven. A s. treatise that will stand all
the laws of homiletics may fail to do that
which.a penny tract of Christian entreaty
may accomplish. Oh, for more Christians
i'll ambuscade; MT lying in idleness, but
waiting for a quick spring; waiting until
just the right time comes. Do not talk TO
a man OF the vanity OF this world on the
day when he has bought something at
twelve" and is going to sell il at ''lif-
teen" But talk TO him about the vanity
of this world on the day when he has
bought something at Fifteen" and is COM
PEELED to sell at twelve" Do not rub
mans disposition the wrong way. Do not
take the imperative mood when the sub
junctive mood viii do just as well. Do
not talk in perfervid style to a phlegmatic
nor try to tickle a torrid temperament
with an icicle. You can take any man
for Christ if you know how to get at him.
Do not send word to him that tomorrow
at 10 o'clock you proprose to open your
batteries upon him, but come on him by
a skillful, persevering, God-directed am
buscade.
Lesson the fourth: The importance of
taking good aim. There is Joshua, but
|
der to know when they are to drop on the
| city? and how are these men around
Joshua to know when they are to stop
their fight and advance? There must be
some signal-a signal TO stop the one di-
vision 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.
| 1t was much as to say: There is the
city. Take it. Take Il now. Roll down
from the west. Surgeup from the north.
1t is ours. The city Ct Al" God knows
and we know that n great deal of Chris
! tian attack amountsp 7lothing, simply
/ because we do not takegood aim. No
oU Un oT Which ana po u we nQ Want dnG to
! take, when we ought 10 make up our
4 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 pulpitS and
| peWs, and Sunday schools and prayer
meetings, we want to get reputation for
| saving pretty things, and so we point our
spear toward the flowers; or we want a
reputation for saying sublime things, and
| we point our spear toward the stars: or
we want to get reputation for historical
! knowledge and We point our spear toward
! the past; or we want TO get reputation
] for great liberality, so we swing all
around; and it strikes all points of the
! horizon, and you can make out OF it what
| ever YOU please; while there is the old
world, proud, rebellious and armed
/ against all righteousness; and instead of
running any further 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 direction of
! the worlds conquest till the redeemed OF
| earth, marching up from one side and the
| glorifed OF heaven marching 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.
l have heard it said: 'Look out for
man who has only one idea; he is irresist-
| ible." l say: Look out for the man who
| has one idea, and that a determination for
soul-saving. l believe that God would
strike me dead if l dared to point the
/ spear in any other direction. Oh, for some
OF the courage and enthusiasm of Joshua
He flung two armies from the tip of that
spear. 1t is sinful for us to rest, unless it is
! to get stronger muscle and fresher brain
and purer hearts for Gods work feel
on my head the hands of Christ in a new
ordination. Do you feel the same omnip-
otent pressure? There is work for all of
us. Oh, that we might stand up side by
side and point the spear toward the city
| 1t ought TO be taken. 1t will be taken.
| Our cities are drifting off toward loose re-
lgion or what is called "'liberal Christi
anity," which is so liberal that it gives up
all the cardinal doctrines of the bible; so
| liberal that it surrenders the rectitude of
the throne of the Almighty. That is lib
| erality with a vengeance. Let us decide
upon the work which We, as Christian
men, have to do, and, in the strength OF
God, go TO work and do it.
1t is comparatively easy to keep on
parade amid shower of bouquets and
hand-clapping and the whole street full OF
huzzas, but it is not SO easy to stand up in
the day of battle, the face blackened with
smoke, the uniform covered with the earth
| plowed up by whizzing bullets and burst
ing shells, half the regiment cut to pieces,
| and yet the commander crying, For
| r,orI p,orob ~ Than ~ rauuirac old