The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-08-08
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIvINE'S SUM-
DAY SERMON.
Subject: uses of Stratagem.
Preached to the 18th Regi-
ment, N. Y. s. N. G., at
the Peekskill IN. w.
State Camp.

TEXT: "7nen ye shall rise up from the
ambush and seize upon the city."-Joshua,
viii, ~
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, realized what thrilling drama ii
was There is the old city, shorter by mama
than any other city in the ages, spelled with
want to take it. How to do it is the
question. On former occasion, in
a straightforward, face to face fight
they had been defeated: but now they are
going to take it by ambuScade. General
Joshua has two divisions in his army-tha
one division the battleworn commander will
lead himself the other division he sends of
to encamp in an ambush on the west side oil
the city Of All No torches, no lanterns, no
sound Of heavy battalions, but 3O,OO1
swarthy warriors moving in silence,
eiicEing e of p swords against Shields
lest the watchmen of Al discover it, and the
stratagem be q failure. If registering
soldier in the Israelitish army forgets himi
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
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 Getty
burg. There he stands in the night and says
to himself: "Yonder is the division in am
hy1cb ha 0f
division have under my especial command
on the north side Of Al. There is the old city
slumbering in its sin. Tomorrow will be the
battle. Look the morning already begins
to tip the 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,
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 in
furiated torrent, and their cry is: "Come,
we'll make quick work with Joshua and his
troops" No sooner had these people Of All
Joshua gave such command as he seldom
gave: Fall back!' Why, they could not
believe their own ears Is Joshua's courage
failing him?
The retreat is beaten, and the Israelites are
flying, throwing blankets and canteens on
every side under this worse than Bull Run de-
feat. And you ought to hear the soldiers Of
Al cheer and cheer and cheer. But they huzza
too soon. The men lying in ambush are strain.
Joshua that they may know what
time to drop upon the city. Joshua takes his
FURNISHED spear, glistening in the snn like
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
All, and without stroke Of sword or stab Of
spear take the city and put it to the torch.
So much for the division that was in am
bush. How about the division under Joshua's
command? No sooner does Joshua stop in
the flight than all his men stop with him and
as he wheels they wheel, for in voice Of
thunder he cried: ''Halt!" One strong arm
driving back torrent Of flying troops. And,
then, as he points his spear through the
golden light toward that fatal city, his
troops know that they are to start for it.
What scene it was when the division in am
bush, which had taken the city marched down
against the men Of All on the one side, and
the troops under Joshua doubled upon their
enemies from the other side, and the men Of
All were 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 Gods indignation, Woe to the city OF
Al! Cheer for the triumphs of Israel,
Lesson the first: There is such thing as
victorious retreat. Joshua's falling back
was the 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 the victim of strong drink. The
demijohn and the decanter were your fierce
foes. They came down upon you with greater
fury than the men OF Al upon the men of
Joshua. Your only safety is to get away
will come around you for your overthrow.
Run for your 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 down on the next street that
has almost been the ruin of your
soul. Then why do you 60 along that
some other street rather than by the place of
your calamity! A spoonful of brandy taken
for medicinal purposes by man who twenty
years before had been reformed from drunk
enness, hurled into inebriety and the grave
one of the best friends ever had. Your re-
treat is your victory. Here is converted
infdel He is so strong now in his
Issh in ne+,o the Gospel whst he says he
readings Bolingbrosea Andrew jackson
Daviss tracts! Tyndalls Glasgow Univers-
ity address! Drop them and run. You will
be an infidel 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 unbelief. Fly before they cut you with
their swords and transix you with their
javelins.
ruined because they ri>ked fool-hardy exps-
dition in the presence Of mighty and over
whelming temptations. and the men Of Al
made morning meal Of them. So also there
IS such thing as victorious retreat in the
religious world. Thousands Of times the
kingdom Of Christ has seemed
to fall back. When the blood Of
dye to the heather of the Highlands, when
the Vaudois of France chose determination
rather than make an unchristian surrender,
when on St Bartholomew Day mounted as
sassins rode tie streets Of Paris, crying;
"Killl Blood-letting is good in August
Kill! Death to the Huguenots! KILL"
when Lady Jane Grey's head rolled from the
executioner's block, when Calvin was i'm
prisoned in the castle, when John Knox died
in Bedford Jail, saying: 'If God will help
me and my physical life continues I will stay
here until the moss grows on my eyebrows
rather than give up my faith, !" the days of
retreat for the church were days Of victory.
The Pilgrim Fathers fell back from the
ether side Of the sea to Plymouth Rock, but
now are marshaling continent for the
Christianization Of the world. The Church
or Christ falling back from Piedmont,
falling back from Rue St. Jacques. falling
back from st. Denis, falling back from
Wurtemburg castles, falling back from
the Brussels market place, yet all the
time triumphing. Notwithstanding all
the shocking reverses which the Church Of
Christ suffers. what do we see to-dayl Three
thousand missionaries Of the cross on heather
ovrn svfx ~ 80