Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1895-10-04

that 90 people do the work. Take a
membership Of 500, and you generally
find that ten people do the work There
are scores of churches where two or
three people do the work.
We mourn that there is so much use
less lumber in the mountains Of Leban-
on. l think Of the 10, 600, 600 member
ship of the Christian church today if
5000, 900 Of the names were off the
books the church would be stronger.
You know that the more towards and
drones there are in any army the weaker
it is. Iwould rather have the 300 picked
men Of Gideon than the 30, 600 unsifted
host. How many Christians there are
standing in the way Of all progress
think it is the duty Of the church Of God
to ride over them, and the quicker it
does it the quicker it does its duty.
Do not worry, o Christian, if you
have to do more than your share Of the
work. You had better thank God that
he has called you to be one Of the picked
men rather than to belong to the host
of stragglers. Would not you rather be
one of the 500 that fight than the %,
900 that run? suppose those cowardly
Gideonites who went off congratulated
themselves. They said: "We got rid of
all that fighting, did not we? How
lucky we have been That battle costs
us nothing at all" But they got none
Of the spoils Of the victory. After the
battle the 300 men went down and took
the wealth Of the Midianites, and out
Of the cups and platters Of their enemies
they feasted And the time will come,
my dear brethren. when the hosts Of
darkness will be routed, and Christ will
say to his troops "Well done, my brave
men. Go up and take the spoils. Be
more than conquerors forever" " And in
that day all deserters will be shot.
Again, learn from this subject that
Gods way is different from mans, but
is always the best way. If we had the
planning of that battle, we would have
taken those 80, 900 men that originally
belonged to the army, and we would
have drilled them and marched them
up and down by the day and week and
month, and we would have had them
equipped with swords or spears, accord
ing to the way Of arming in those times,
and then we would have marched them
down in solid column upon the foe.
But that is not the way. God depletes
the army, and takes away all their
weapons, and gives them a lamp, and a
pitcher, and trumpet, and tells them
TO 20 down and drive out the indian
ties. I suppose some wiseacres were
there who said: "That is not military
tactics. The idea Of 800 men unarmed
conQuering such a great host Of Midian-
ties % It was the best way. What
sword, spear or cannon ever accomplish
ed such a victory as the lamp, pitcher
and trumpet?
Gods way is different from mans
way, but it is always best. Take, for
instance, the composition Of the Bible.
If we had had the writing Of the Bible,
we would have said: Let one man
write it, II you have 20 or 80 men to
write a poem, or make a statute, OF
write history, or make an argument,
there will be flaws and contradictions. y
But God says, LET not one man do it,
but 40 men shall do it. " And they did,
differing enough to show there had been
no collusion between them, but not
contradicting each other on any impor-
tant point, while they all wrote from
their own standpoint and temperament,
so that the matter Of fact man has his
Moses, the romantic nature his Ezekiel,
the epigrammatic his Solomon, the war
rior his Joshua, the sailor his Jonah,
the loving his John, the logician his
Paul. Instead of this Bible, which now
I can lift in my hand-instead Of the
Bible the child can carry to Sunday
school, instead Of the little Bible the
sailor can put in his jacket when he
goes to sea-if it had been left to men
to write it would have been thousand
volumes, Judging from the amount Of
ecclesiastical controversy which has
arisen. Gods way is different from
man S, but it is best, infinitely best
No Cross, No Crown.
So it is in regard to the Christian ::
life. If we had had the planning Of q
Christians life, we would have said
LET him have so years Of sunshine, q
fine house to live in. Let his surround
inQs all be agreeable. Let him have
sound health. Let no chill shivei
through his limbs, no pain ache his
brow or trouble shadow his soul "
enjoy the prosperity Of others so much
would let every man have as much
money as he wants and roses for his
children's cheeks and fountains OF
eladness glancing in their large round
eyes But that is not Gods way. II
seems as if man must be cut and hit and
pounded just in proportion as he is use
full. His child falls from third story
window and has its life dashed out. His
most confident investment tumbles him
into bankruptcy His friends, on whom
he depended, aid the natural force Of
gravitation in taking him down. His
life is a Bull Run defeat. Instead OF
S2, 600 advantages he has only 10, OOO
Aye only 300-aye, none at all. How
many good people there are at their
wits end about their livelihood, about
their reputationg But they will find out
it is the best way after awhile. Goo
will show them that he depletes theil
advantages just for the same reason hi
depleted the army Of Gideon-that they
NAV be induced to throw themselves OF
his mercy.
A grapevine says in the early spring
"How glad l am to get through the
winter shall have no more troubl
now. Summer weather will come, ant
the garden will be very beautiful " Bu
the gardener comes and cuts the vim
here and there with his knife. Th
twigs begin to fall, and the grapevin
cries out: Murder What are you cut
ting me for?" "Ah," says the garden
er, "I don't mean to kill you. II l di
not do this, you would be the laughin
stock of all the other vines before tn
season is over" Months go or, and on
day the gardener comes under the trel
lis, where great clusters Of grapes hang
"a .l,o oranavina saws. "Thank YOU