Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1888-07-28
REV.DR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIvENE's SUNDAY
SERMON.
Subject: Uses osstratascm.' Preach
cd to the 18th Regiment. n. y. S.
\. G., atthc Pcckckill IN. W
State Camp.

TEXT: "Then nc shall rise up rom inc
ambush aud seize upon the city"-JoShaa.
viii, ~
ilen of the Thirteenth Regiment. and their
friends here gathered. of all occupations. ana
professions. men of the city and men OF the
Geds, here is n theme tit tor all OF lis.
One Sabbath evening with my family
lround me. wc we're talking over the scene
of the text In the wide open eyes and the
quick interrogat;onS and the D!ancheI
checks realized what thrilling drama II
WAS. There is the old city, shorter by name
two letttrs-A, Ali Joshua and his men
want to take it. How to do it is the
question. On former occasion, III
a straightforward face to face fight
they had been defeated; but now they are
gong to take it by ambuscade. General
Joshua has two divisions in his army-tho
one tliviSion the hattle-worn commander will
lend himself, the ether division he sends or
to ems amp IN an ambush on the west SIDE OF
the city of All. no torches, no lanterns no
SQUAD OF heavy Lattaiions, but $1,000
Swarthy warriors moving in silence,
speaking ony in whisper; no
clicking of swords against shields,
les. the watchmcn of All discover it, anil the
stratagem he a failure. Ii Il registering
soldier in the Israelitish army forsets him
self all o e the line tile word is "Hush!"
whi he is to march, and puts it on the north
side of the city OF Al, and then spends the
night i'll accommodating in the valley. There
he is. thinking over the fortunes OF tho
ccm:ng day, with something of the feelings
Of Wellington the n ght before Waterloo, or
OF MolGo and Lee the night before Getty
hurc. There lie stands in the II sht and says
10 himself: "Yonder is the division in am
tu h Oh thu west side OF Al. Here is the
division hive under my especial command
OIL the north side OF Al. There is the old city
sumtcring in It's sn. To morrow will be lho
hatt.e Look: tie moruIg already begins
TO tip the hills. The military officers OF All
look out in the morning very ea;ly. and
while they lo not see the division in ambush,
t:cy tchod the other division of Joshua,
all the cry: 40 arms! To arms
rnSs through all the streets of the
Old town and every swcrl, whether
hackci and bent or new:y welded, is
brought out. aud all the inhabitants OF
the city of Al pour through the gates. an III
fGrinted torrent and their cry is: Come,
we'll make quick work with Joshua and II 5
trccrs. No sooner had these leople o: Al
come out against the troops OF Joshua than
Joshua gave su II command as he seldom
gave: Fall back Why. they could not
b leve their own ears Is Joshua'S courage
fail az him:
Tgc retreat is beaten, and the Israelitas are
every side under this worse thar Bull Run de-
feat. And You ought to hear the soldiers OF
al cheer and cbe.r and cheer. But they huz:a
100 soon. Tie meE lying i'll ambush are strain
ing their vision In get some signal from
Joshua that they may know what
time 70 drop u?on the city. Joshua takes his
FURNISHED spear, gl.sen;ny in the SIN like n
shaft OF doom, and points it towari the city;
ami when the men NJ yonder in the ambush
sect, with hawk-lis'e sw'aop they drop upon
a.. ana without stroke Of sword or stub of
s-'ea: take the city ana put it 10 the torch
So much for the division that was in am
bush. How about the division under Joshua's
command: 40 sooner docs Joshua stop III
tie fight than all his men stop with him.anl
a ha wheels they wheel, 70: in IL voice of
Thunder he cried: Haiti One strong arm
driving back 4 torrent of .lying troops. And,
then. rs he points his spear through the
golden light toward that fatal city. his
troops know that they are 10 start for IT,
What scene il was when the division in am,
hush which ha taken the city marched down
az .ins: the men Of Al on the one side. and
the troops under Joshua doubled upon their
enemies from the other side. and the mca OF
y; were caught between these two HURRICANES
OF lsragltiSh courage, thrust before AMI
behind stabbed in breast AMI back, grounl
between the upper and the neither uillStonrs
OF Coils indignation. Woe to the city Of
al. SuScI tOl tuS Ol iSTuSi.
essen the first; There is such q thing as
victorious retreat. Joshua's falling back
was tho first chapter in his successful besiege-
ment. And there are times in your life when
the best thing you can do is to run. You
we're once th. vic. i'm of strong drink. The
deinjohn and the decanter We're your flerce
foes. They came down upon you with greater
fury than the men of Al upon the meu OF
Joshua. Your only SAFETY is to get away
from them. Your disspating companions
will come around YOU for your overthrow.
Run for you: life! Fall back, Fall back
from the drinking saloon. Fall back from
the wine party. Your flight is your advance
Your RETREAT is Your victory. There is
saloon Gown Oil the next street that
has almost been the ruin o; Your
soul. lion why do you go along that
street; Why DO YOU not pass through
scmt osher Stree. rather than by the place o.
yocr ca:aMity: 4 Sroonfu' of brandy taken
for medicinal purposes by man who twenty
years erore had been reforme / fro.n drunk
enness. hur ell into inebristy and the grave
one Of the hest friends ever had Your re-
treat is your victory. Here is converted
in!;del. lie is so strong now in his
faith ii the Gospel ne says he
can read anything. What are you
reading: Bo.in .!roke: Andrew jackson
Dav;S'S tracts: Tyndalls Glasgow Univcrs-
itv I'D res: Drop them aui run. You will
be en- ini;.;el before You die unless you quit
that These men OF Al will be too much for
you. Turn your back on the rank and file
OF nn;elef. Fly before they cut you with
rEeir swords AMI transix you with their
j..veIins.
There are people who have been well-nigh
RUNE: because taev ri-kel foo-harly exp,-
d.tion IN the presence OF mighty and over
whem.n1 temptations and the men OF Al
made morning meal of them. So also there
is sa:h 4 thing as victorious retreat in the
religious world. Thousands of times tho
kingdom of Christ has seemed
to fall back. When the blood of
the Scotch Covenanters gave n deeper
dye to The heather of the Highlands, wien
In. Naulois 0: France chose determination
rather than make an unchristian surrender
wil'n on st. Bartholomews Day mounted as
saSsirs rode TIE streets of Paris, CRYING;
HI !. B.ool-.tting is goo in August!
Xii: Death 10 the Hnguenots: KILL"
w!isn Lady Jane ircys head role from the
executioner's block. when Calvin was i'm
prisoned in the castle, when John Knox died
Tor the truth; when John Bunyan lay rotting
i'll Bedford Jail saying: IF God will help
Inc and my physical life continues will stay
here until the mess grows on my eyebrows
rn;Ecr than give up my faith" the days Of
retreat for tie church were days of victory
The Pilgrim Fathers fell back from the
other side of tie sea TO Plymouth Rock, but
now are malsaaing continent for the
Characterization Of the world The Church
Of Christ falling b1ck from Piedmont,
falling lack from Rue st. Jacques falling
lack from st. Denis, falling back from
WIrtemburg castles. falling back from
Tire Brussels market place, yet all the
time triu:npE:ne Notwithstanding all
the shocking reverses which thu Church OF
Christ suffers. what do We see to-day: Threl
tou;lud missionaries of *':e cros' on hcat,cn
ground; sixty thousand minister; OF 'lesns
Christ in this land; at leist two hundred
millions o. Christians Oh the Garth. a
nations 10 dny kin lin in 4 b'a:a of re"isrl
Fa ling back, yet ad:an linz until the cid
Wesleyan hymn will prora true;
''J he lion Of Judah shall h-cq; the clian.
AMI give ,.s the victory again an'l again."
But there is more mar,el Illustration OF
victorious retreat in the life of oW Joshua,
80 Jesus Of the ages. First falling la.
4,.o-,, ou anp,il;nu haioht tn IN apn,l,ip1