Milford chronicle., 1888-07-27
USES OF STRATAGEM.
Or. TALMAeE ADDRESSES HIS CON-
RADES OF THE THIRTEENTH.

Victorious Retreat-The Triumph of tho
Wicked Is short-Theatrr. md Drink
ing saloons to Be Turne,. Asylums,
Art Galleries and Churciio,
PEEKsKILL, N. Y, July 22-Chaplain T.
De Witt Talmage preached today to the
Thirteenth regiment Of the New York state
national guards, now encamped here. The
regiment assembled at 5 p m, when people
from the neighboring country, towns and
cities were present in immense numbers. A
military band conducted tho musical part Of
the service. Chaplain Talmages sermon,
which was on "Uses Of Stratagem," was
based on Josh. viii, z; "Then We shall rise
up from the ambush, and seize upon the city"
He said;
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 fit for 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 interrogations and the blanched cheeks,
l 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, I-Ai. Joshua and his men want
to take it. How to do this is the question. On
Q former occasion, in a straightforward face
10 face fight, they had been defeated; but
now they are going to take it by ambuscade
General Joshua has two divisions in his army
the one division the battle worn commander
will lead himself, the other division he sends
off to encamp in an ambush ON the west side
of the city of All. No torches, no lanterns,
no sound of heavy battalions, but $4,000
swarthy warriors moving in silence,
speaking only in a whisper; no click
ing of swords against shields, lest
the watchmen of All discover it and the
stratagem be a failure. If a registering
soldier in the Israelitish army forgets him
self, all along the line the word is "Hush y
Joshua takes the other division, the one with
which he is to march, and puts it on the
north side of the city of Al, and then spends
the night in accommodating in the valley.
There lie 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 Gettysburg
There he stands in the night and says to him
self: "Yonder is the division in ambush on
the west side Of Al Here is the division 1
have under my especial command on the
north side of All. There is the old city slum-
bering in its sin Tomorrow will be the
battle. Look the morning already begins
to tip tine hills The military officers of Al
look out in the morning very early, and while
they do not see the division in ambush they
behold the other division of Joshua, and the
/ cry, so arnsl To aIms" 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 inhabitants of the
city Of Al pour through the gates, an infuri-
nted torrent, and their cry is: "COme, Wen
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 rs he seldom
gave, Fall backW Why, the, could not be-
/ lieve their own cars. Is Joshua's courage
failing hims
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 soldiers
Of All cheer, and cheer, and cheer But they
huzzah too soon. The men, lying in ambush,
are straining their vision to get some signal
from Joshua that they may know what time
TO drop upon the city. Joshua takes his
i FURNISHED spear, glistening in the sun like a
shaft of doom, and points it toward the
/ city; and when the men up yonder
in the ambush see it, with hawk like
swoop they drop upon Al, and without
stroke of sword or stab of spear take the city
! and put it to the torch. So much for the di-
/ vision that was in ambush. How about the
/ division under Joshuas commando No sooner
docs Joshua stop in the flight than all his
men stop with him, and rs he wheels they
/ wheel, for in a voice of thunder he cried
/ ''Haltm One strong arm driving back a tor
| rent of flying troops And then, as he points
his spear through the golden light toward
| that fated city, his troops know that they are
to start for it. What a scene it was when
/ the division in ambush which had taken the
city marched down against the mer
! Of Al on the one side, and the
troops under Joshua doubled up their enc
mics from the other side, and the men of Al
we're caught between these two hurricanes Of
Israelitish courage, thrust before and behind
stabbed in breast and back, ground between
the upper and the neither millstones Of God.
indignation. Woe to the city OF All Cheer
for the triumph Of Israeli
Lesson TIE first: There is such thing as
victorious retreat. Joshua's falling bach
was the first chapter in his successful besiege
ment. And there are times in your life wher
the best thing you can do is to run. You
were once the victim Of strong drink. The
demi John and tho decanter were your fierce
foes. They came down upon you witt
greater fury then the men Of Al upon the
men of Joshua. Your only safety is to gel
away from them Your dissipating com
panions will come around you for you
overthrow. Run for your lifei Fall back
Fall back from the drinking saloon. Fal
back from the wine party. Your flight L
your advance. Your retreat is your victory
There is saloon down on the next STREE
that has almost been the ruin Of your soul
Then why do you goalcng that street, Why
do you not pass through some other STREE
rather than by the place of your calamity
A spoonful Of brandy taken for medicina
purposes by man who twenty years befor'
had been reformed from drunkenness, hurleC
into inebriety and the grave one Of the bes
friends ] ever had. Your retreat is you
victory Here is a converted infidel. He
so strong now in his faith in the Gospel h
says he can read anything. What are yol
readingl Bolingbrokel Andrew jackson
Davis tractsi Tyndalrs Glasgow Univer
sity addressi Drop them and run. You viii
he an iniidel before you die unless you qui
that. These men OF All will be too much 70
YOU. Turn your back on the rank and I'll
of unbelief Fly before they cut you wit
their swords and transix you with thei
iavelins
There are people who have been well mig
ruined because they risked foolhardy eS
petition in the presence Of mighty and over
whelming temptations, and the men Of A
made a morning meal Of them. Soalso ther
Is such a thing as victorious retreat in the II
ligious world. Thousands Of times the king
dom Of Christ has seemed to fall back. Whe
the blood Of the Scotch covenanters gave
deeper dye to the heather Of the highland.
When the Vaudois OF France chose extermini
tion rattar than make an unchristian SUI