Bradford County telegraph. (Starke, Fla.) 1888-current, 1895-10-11


drive out the Midianites. suppose some
wiseacres were there who said: ''That Is not
military tactics. The idea OF 800 men I'M
armed conguering such great host of Mid
tan1tes9 1t was the best way. What sword,
!, spear or cannon ever accomplished such q
victory rs the lamp. pitcher and trumpet
Gods way is different from mans way,
but 1t Is always best. Take, for instance,
! the composition OF the Bible. II we had had
the writing Of the Bible, we would have saidI
! LET one man write IT. II you have twenty
( or thirty men to write q poem, or make a
| statute. or write p history, or make an argu-
/ ment, there wilt be flaws and contra tic
TONS" But God says: "Let not one man do
1t bat forty men shall do it." And they
did. differing enough to show there had been
| no collision between them, but not contra
dieting each other on any important point,
| while they all wrote from their own stand
point and temperament, so that the matter
| OF fact man has his Moses, the romantic ma
| ture his Ezekiel, the epigrammatic his Solo
mon. the warrior his Joshua. the sailor his
Jonah, the loving his John, the logician his
Paul. Instead Of this Bible, which now
can lift in my hand-instead Of the
| Biole 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 II would have been
thousand volumes. judging from the
amount Of ecclesiastical controversy which
has arisen. Gods way g different from
mans. but 1t ia best, infinitely best.
So it is in regard to the Christians life.
II we had had the Planning Of Christians
life. we would have said: "Let him have
eighty years OF sunshine, fine house to live
in. Let his surroundings all be agreeable.
| Let him have sound health Let no chill
shiver through his limbs, no pain ache his
brow or trouble shadow his SOUL"
enjoy the prosperity OF others 80 much
| would let every man bave as much
| chlldren's cheeks and fountains OF SlRdness
gIancing in their large round eyes. But
that is not Gods way. 1t seems rs IL man
must be cut, hit and pounded just in proper
| ton as he Is useful. His child falls from
I 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 Bull Run defeat. Instead OF
! 81. 900 advantages he has onlv 10000. Aye,
! only 30i-aye, none at all. How many good
people there are at their wits end about
! their livelihood, about their reputation? Bct
| they will find ont it is the best way after
awhile. God will show them that He de-
| pletes their advantages Just for the same
| reason He depleted the army OF Gideon
L
! selves on His mercy.
! A grapevine says in the early spring:
| Chow glad am 10 get through the winter!
| I shall have no more trouble now. Summer
| weather will come. and the garden will be-
| veTy beautiful" But the gardener comes
and cuts the vine here and tbers with his
| knife. The tYigs begin to fall. aud the
| YOU cutting me fOr?" "Ah" saws the garden
! er, 81 don't mean to kill you. II / did
| not do this, you would be the laughing
| stock OF all the other vines before the season
! is over" Months go on, and one day the
| gardener comes under the treliiS, where great
clusters OF grapes hang, and the grape vine
says: "Thank you, sir. You could not have
done anything so kind as TO have cut me
| with that knife" "Whom the Lord loveth
He chasteneth." No pruning, no grapes; no
grinding mill, no -four; no battle, no VIC
tory; no cross, no crown.
So Gods way, in the redemption OF the
| world, is different from ours. II we had our
| way, we would have had Jesus stand in the
door of heaven and beckon the Nations up
to light, or we would have had angels flying
| around the earth proclaiming the unssarch-
able riches of Christ. Why is it that the cause
goes on so slowly? Why is il that the chains
stay on when Got could knock them
of? Why do thrones OF despotism stand
| wheE God could SO easily demolish them?
1t is His way in order that all generations
may cooperate and that all men may know
they cannot do the work themselves. Just
In PROPORTION as these pyramids OF sin 90
up In height will they come down in ghast-
illness of ruin.
Ilearn from this nbject that the overthrow
of Gods enemies will be sudden and terrific.
There Is the arnv OF the Midianites down in
the valley OF Jezreel. I suppose their
mighty men are dreaming o. victory. Mount
Gilboa never stool sentinel for so large n
host. The spears and the shields OF the
Midianites CLEAN in the moonlight and
glance on the eye OF the ISraelites. who
hover like battle OF eagles, ready TO swoOp
from the cliff. Sleep on, o army or the
Midianites! With the night to hide them
and the mountain to guard them and strong
arms TO defend them. let no slumbering foe
man dream of disaster. Peace to the cap
tains and the spearmer.
Crash go the pitchers! UD fare the lamUs!
To the mountainsi Fly,fl TrOoprunning
against troop, thousands trampling upon
thousands. Har6 to the scream and groan
OF the routed foe, with the Lord God Al
mighty after themI How sudden the onset!
How wild the CONSERVATION! How utter the
defeat 1 do not care so much what Is
against me il God is not. You want better
sword or car5ine than have ever seen to go
ont and fight against the Lord Omnipotent.
Give me God for my ally. and you may have
| all the baitlements and bartalions.
saw the CeIrauder in his splendid house.
It seemed rs il he had conquered God as he
| stood amid the blaze OF chandeliers and pier
mirrors. in the diamonds OF the wardrobe
I saw the tears Of the widows whom he had
| robbed aud in the snowy satins the pallor oil
| the white checked orphans whom he had
wronged. The blood OF the oppressed
gIowed in the deep crimson OF the i'm
| ported chair. The music trembled vita
the sorrow OF unrequitted toll. But the
wave Of mirth dashed higher on reefs OF
! coral aud pearl. The days and the nights
went merriIy. No SICK child dared pull that
silver doorbeIL. No beggar dared sit on thai
marble step. No voice OF prayer hoateC
amid that tapestry. No shadow OF a judgment
dav darKened that fresco. No tear O:humaI
| sympathy dropped upon that upholstery
Pomp strutted the hall, and dissipation
filed her cup. and all seemed safe as tn
Midianite5 IN ths valley ofJez-eel. But Go
! came. Calamity smote the money T1arke:
/ The partridge left its eggs unmatched. Crasr
went all the porcelain pitchers! BUN. rout
dismaY and woe in the valley OF JezreeE
Alas for those who fight against Goil Onl.
two sides. Man immortal, which side ar
! | YOU on? Woman immortal. which side ar
You on? Do you belong to the so that ar
going to win the day o. to the great host o
: MidianiteS asleep in the valley, only to De-
! | reused up in CONSERVATION and ruin? Sue
l ! denly the golden bowl of life will be broker
. and the trumpet blown that will staCtls on
: soul into eternity. The day OF the Lor;
u cometh as a thief in the night AMI a
the God armed Israelites upon rhe sleePinj
!, ! foe. Ha, Canst thou pluck up courage TO
y the day when the trumpet which nath never
I. been blown shall speak the roll cali OF tn