Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1888-08-02
Talmage to the Soldier.


Chaplain T Dewitt Talniage preached to
Tho 18th regiment Of the New York state ma
tional guards, encampod at Peekskill, n. Y
The regiment assembled at 3 ?. m, when PEG
ple from the neighboriDg country, towas and
cities weFp preeeHt in immense numbers. A
military band conducted the musical part d
the service Chaplain Talinagss's sermon
which was on the Uses OF stratagem.. was
based on Joshua. chapter vii. verse Z. Then
ye shnn rise mp from tlse ambush, and seize
upon the city" lie said:
Men of the 18th resimeat, and their friends
here gathered. Of all occupations and profis
sions men Of the city and men Of the fields,
herr ID a theme iit for all ofus.
One Sabbath evening with my family around
me, we were talking ever the scene ofthetext.
In the wide-open eyes and the quick inter
rogaiions and the blanclieJ checks / 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, T-M Joshua aEd HIS men want
Go take it, How 20 take it is the question.
/ On a former occasion, in q straightforward,
face 10 face eight, they had been defeated:
but now they are going TO take II by tanbUs-
cade. General Joshua has two divisions in
his army-the one division the hattle-NorH
commander viii lead himself. the other divi
sion he sends OF 20 eiteamp in ambush on
/ the west side of the city Of Al No torches,
no lanterns. no heavy battilioRs but 30,oo0
swarthy warriors moving in I'll snee, speaking
only in whisper; no clicking Of swords
/ against shislds, Hest the Waterman OF All dis
/ cover il and the stratagem he i5iure. II a
/ registering soldier IN the lsraeiitish army for
/ gets himself, MI along the line the word Is
/ "Hush," Joshua takes the other division.
the one With which he Il TO march. and puts IL
/ on the side Of the city of Al, and then spends
the night in accommodating in the valley.
/ There he il. thinking over the fortunes Of the
coming day. with something Of the feelings
/ Of Wellington the night before Waterloo, or
/ of Meade aud Lee this night before tiettys-
burg. There be stands in the night. aud
\ Eays 20 himself .Yon,lrr Is the division in
ambush on the west side Of Al Here IL the
| division have under my ,sPrcial cole nand
on the nerth eide Of Al. Their Is the old cit y
/ siumlrering in it's sin. TomoTrox nlli be the
battle. Look the morning already begins
to tip the halls. The military officers OF Al
look out into the morning very early, aud
/ while they do not s..e the division in ambush.
| they behold the other division ofJosbua. and
/ the cry, ITO armsi ToarmsH rings through
/ all the eireets Of the obi town, and every
sword. Whistler hoeked aud bent or newly
/ welded. " brought out. and all the inhabit-
ants Of the city of Al pour through the gates,
AN infuriated torrent. aud their cry rs;
| Come well Iuake quick work with Joshua
and his troops" No sooner had these pco-
| pie Of Al come out against the troops OF
| loshun. than Joshua gave such n command
/ as Do s-ldom gave. Fall backi' Why,
they could not believe their own ears. IL
Jushua's courage failing him1
The retreat is beaten. and the lsraelite,
\ ore flying throwing blankets and cauteens
on every side under this worse than Bnil
Run defeat. Aud you ought to hear the sol
| diers Of Al cheer asd ehcrr and cheer. But
they huzza too sooR. The men lying in am
bush arc struiniHg their vision 10 get some
signal from Joshua that they may know
what time to drop upon the city. Joshua
| takes his FURNISHED spear, Rlttering in the
sun Ike shaft of doom, and points il to-
ward the city; aud when he men up yoHder in
the ambush see il: with hawkIike swoop they
| drop upon Al, and without stroke Of sWors!
or tap ~ spear take TIE city and put it Ia
the torch. SO much for the division that
was in ambush. How about the division un-
der Iushua's eommand3 No sooner does
Joshua stop in the fight than al his men
stop with him, and as he wheels they wheel.
| for in a voice Of thunder he cried 'Hnltl''
One strong arm driving bsrk a torrcut
uf flying troops. And thru, az he
points biz spear through the golden light to-
ward that fatal city bis troops know that
| they are 10 start for IL. What a s4ene it
was when the division in ambush which had
taken IA. city marched down against the men
| ~ Al ON the one side and the troops under
Joshua doubled up their enemies from ilse
ether side, and the Bleu OF Al were caught
between two hurricanes of lsraelitisn courage
thrust before and behind. stabbed in breast
Il a. I. 4
! neither millsiones Of Gods Indignation. Woe
10 the city Of All Cheer for the triumph Of
israeli
Lesson the first. There Is such a thing as
victorious retreat. JOshua's falling back was
the iirt chapter in his successful lsesiegvment.
And there are times in your life when the best
thing Won can do II 20 run. You
were once the victim Of strong drink. The
dcmijohn and the decantcr We're your fierce
foes They came down upon you With great
I rF fury than the men Of 81 upon the men Of
Joshua. Your only SAFETY is 30 get away
from them. Your dissapating companions
will come around you for your overthrow.
Run for your life FAN back Fall back from
| the drinking saloon. Fall back from the
wine party. Your fight il your advance.
Your retreat Is yVnr victory. There Is a sa-
/ loon down the next street that has almost
| been the ruin Of your soul Then why do you
| go along TINT street, Why do you not pass
through some other strtst rather than by
/ the place of your calamity spoonful
Of brandy taken for medical purposes by
man 20 years before had bcen reformed
| from drunkenness, huFlssl into inebriety and
| the grave one Of the best friends ever had.
/ Your retreat is your victusy. Here is a con-
verted iHiidel. He is so strong now in bis
! faith in the 3ospel be says be can read any
thing. What are you reading! Boiling.
| breke7 Andrew Jackson Dayiss tracts!
| Tyndail's Glasgow University address,
| Drop them end run. You viii be an iHiidei
before you de unless you quit that. These
men OF Al will be too much for you. Turn
| your back ON the rank and file Of
| unlelief. Fly before they cut you with
their swords and transiix you with their
| jayrlins.
There are people who have been well nigh
ruined because they risSej foOlhardy eNpe-
dition in the presence Of mighty an over
wbelmiug teptations, and the men Of Al mHae
| q morning meal 81 them. So also there u
| sueh thing ar victorious retreat in the re-
/ lilious world. Thousands of times the king
| dom Of Christ has seemed to fall back When
/ the blood Of the Scotch eovenanters gave "a
deeper dye TO the heather of She Highlands,
when the Ns'.dois Of France chose exteT-
niuatiun rather than make an unchristian
surrender, when on St. BaTthoiomcwis day
mounted 8ssassiRs rode through the STREETS
Of Paris crying: XIII Blood letting Is good
/ Kill When Lady Jane Grey's head rolled
| from the e1ccutiupsT's block, When Calvin
was imprisoned in the castle. when John
Knox died for Che truth; when John Bunyan
| lay rUtting in the Bedford jail saying: III
God will help me and my physical life CON
tinues win stay here until the moss grows
on my eyebrows rather than give up my
faith. the DAVIS Of retreat for the church
were daysof victory
The Pilgrim Fathers fen back from the
| other side Of the sea 10 Plymouth Rock. but
are marshaling acoutinent for the Christian
/ ization of the world The church Of Chris,
4 filling back from Piedmont falling back
| from Rue st Jarqncs. falling back from st.
Denis, falling back from WuTtemhUrg castles,
| falling hack from the Brussels market place,
/ yet al The time triumpbiDg. Notwitlisiand.
| ing all the shocking rcycnsT which the
| Church Of CHRIST suffers what do we sse TO.
1 day? Three Thousand niissionuriss Of the
/ erpss on hca.hen ground; sixty Thousand
| ministers OF JeSBs thirst in his baud: at least
| two hundred millions Vf ChristianssoH the
\ earth. All nations to-day kindlinx in a
blaze of revival Falling hack, yet advaue.
| ing until the old Wesleyan hymn viii prove
/ true:
The lion Of Judah shall break the chain,
| And give us the victory again and againl
| But there is n more marked iilustration Of
| victorious retreat in the life Of our Joshua
| the Jesus Of the age-- First falling bl.ck from
| the appalling hri;sh' TO appalling depth.
falling from celestial bills so terrestrial val
| icys. from thence to manaPr, yet that did not
ssem to- saiiire Him as retreat Falling
| back still further from Beihlehsm TO Nuz3-
| reth. from Sa1anth 10 Jerusalem, back iron
| Jeriisal,m to Golt,otha, back from Gol-othn
| Ia the nausol..um IN the rock. back down
over the preipiers fpcrdition until he walked
amid the cayerns III the eternal eaptiVss and
drank 81 the wine 81 the wrath Of Almighty
GOd amid the Al,,lIs aud the BelshazzaTs.
| O men Of the pulpit aud men Of the pew.
I lhlisi la-ct.Iil frtIn l.. sa.lrIh lrn..