Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1895-10-04
GODS WAY OF WORK.
IT is NOT MANS WAY, BUT 1T is
THE BEST WAY.

Rev. DR.. Talmage's Eloquent Plea For
Christian strategem-He Uses Gideon's
Battle NJ n Lesson-Pointed Questions
For Men and Women.
NEW YORK, Sept. 29.-In his sermon
for today Rev. DR.. Talmage discusses
subject which is Of special interest to
Sunday school teachers and scholars at
the present time, being GideOn's battle
with the Midianites near Mount Gilboa.
The text chosen was Judges vii, 20, 21:
"And the three companies blew the
trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and
held the lamps in their left hands and
the trumpets in their right hands to blow
withaL And they stood every man in
his place round about the camp, and all
the host ran and cried and fed"
That is the strangest battle ever
fought God had told Gideon to 60
down and thrash the Midianites, but
his army is too large, for the glory must
be given to God and not to man. And so
proclamation is made that all those Of
the troops who are cowardly and want
to 90 home may 60, and $4,000 Of them
scampered away, leaving only 10000
men. But God says the army is too
large yet, and so he orders these 10, 900
remaining to march down through a
stream and commands Gideon to notice
In what manner these men drink Of the
water as they pass through it. If they
get down on all fours and drink, then
they are to be pronounced lazy and in
competent for the campaign, but If, in
passing through the stream, they scoop
up the water in the palm Of their hand
and drink and pass oD they are to be
the men selected for the battle.
Well, the 10, 600 men marched down
in the stream, and the most Of them
come down on all fours and plunge their
mouths like horse or an OK into the
water and drink, but there are 300 men
who, instead of STOPPING, just dip the
palm of their hands in the water and
bring it to their lips, "lapping it as a
dog lappeth. " Those 800 brisk, rapid,
enthusiastic men are chosen for the
campaign. They are each to take a
trumpet in the right hand, and pitcher
in the left hand, and a lamp inside the
pitcher, and then at given signal they
are to blow the trumpets, and throw
down the pitchers, and hold up the
lamps. So it was done.
1t is night. see a great host Of Mid
ianites sound asleep in the valley OF
Jezreel. Gideon comes up with his 300
picked men, and when everything IS
ready the signal is given, and they blow
the trumpets, and they throw down the
pitchers, and hold up the lamps, and
the great host Of Midianites, waking
out Of sound sleep, take the crash Of
the crockery and the glare Of the lamps
for the coming on Of an overwhelming
foe and they run and cut themselves
to pieces and horribly perish.
The lessons of this subject are very
spirited and impressive. This seeming
" valueless lump Of quartz has the
pure gold in it. The smallest dewdrop
on the meadow at night has a star
sleeping in its bosom, and the most in
significant passage Of Scripture has IN
1t a shining truth. Gods mint coins no
small change.
learn in the first place from this sub
ject the lawfulness Of Christian strata
gem. You know very well that the
greatest victories ever gained by Wash
ington or Napoleon were gained through
the fact that they came when and IN
way they were not expected-;ometimes
falling back to draw out the foe, some
times breaking out from ambush, some
times crossing a river on unheard OF
RATS, all the time keeping the opposing
forces in wonderment as to what would
be done next.
You all know what strategy is in mil
itary affairs. Now think it is high
time we had this art sanctiied and spir-
itualized. In the church, when we are
about to make a Christian assault, we
send word to the opposing force when
we expect to come, how many troops
we have and how many rounds OF shot,
and whether we will come with artll-
lery. infantry or cavalry, and Of course
we are defeated. There are thousands
of men who might be surprised into the
kingdom Of God. We need more tact
and ingenuity in Christian work. 1t Is
in spiritual affairs as in military, that
success depends in attacking that part
of the castle which is not armed and
intrenched.
Draw the Bolt.
For instance, here is a man all armed
ON the doctrine Of election. All his
troops of argument and prejudice are at
that particular gate. You may batter
away at that side Of the castle for 90
wears. and you will not take it, but just
wheel your troops to the side gate OF
the hearts affections, and in five min
utes you capture him. never knew
man to be saved through a brilliant ar
gument. You cannot hook men into the
kingdom of God by the horns OF d.
lemma. There is no grace in syllogisms.
Here is a man armed on the subject OF
perseverance Of the saints He does not
believe in it. Attack him at that point
and he will persevere to the very last IN
not believing it. Here is a man armed
on the subject Of baptism. He believes
in sprinkling or immersion. All your
discussion Of ecclesiastical hydropathy
will not change him. remember when
was a boy that with other boys l went
into the river on a summer day to bathe,
and we used to dash water on each 9th
or. but never got any result except that
our eyes were blinded, and all this
splashing Of water between Baptists
and Pedobaptists never results in any.
thing but the blurring OF the spiritual
eyesight In other words, you can never
capture a mans soul at the point at
which he is especially intrenched. But
there is in every mans heart bolt that
can be easily showed A little child 4
years old may touch that bolt, and 1t
will spring back and the door will
swing open, and Christ will come in.
think that the finest OF all the fine
arts is the art of doing good, and yet
this art is the least cultured. We have
In the kingdom Of God today enough