Connecticut western news., 1895-10-03
GODS WAY OF WORK.
IT IS NOT MANS WAY, BUT IT IS
 THE BEST WAY.
Rev. Dr. Talmage's Eloquent Plea For Christian Strstegem-He Uses Gideon's Battle as . 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 Gilbos. The text chosen was Judges vii, 20, 2l "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 fled. |"
 That is the strangest battle ever fought. God had told Gideon to go 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 go home may go, and 22, 900 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 stream and commands Gideon to notice in what manner these men drink of the water as they pass through 1t. 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 on they are to be the men selected for the battle.
 Well, the 0,000 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 800 men who, instead of stooping. just dip the palm of their hands in the water and bring it to their lips, Tapping it as a dog lappeth." Those 300 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 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.
 It is night I see 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 a 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 ly 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 it 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-sometimes falling back to draw out the foe, some times breaking out from ambush, some times crossing river on unheard of rafts, 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 I think it is high time we had this art sanctified and spir- itualized. In the church, when we are about to make 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 artil- 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. It 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 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 50 years. 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 a man to be saved through a brilliant ar gument You cannot hook men into the kingdom of God by the horns of di- lemma. There is DO grace in syllogisms- Here is man armed on the subject of perseverance of the Gaints. He does not believe in it. Attack him at that point, and he will persevert. to the very last in not believing it. Here is man armed on the subject of baptism He believes in sprinkling or immersion. All your discussion of ecclesiastical hydropathy will not change him. I remember when I was boy that with other boys went into the river on a summer day to bathe, and we used to dash water on each oth- CT, 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 mans soul at the point at which he is especially intrenched. But there is ill every mans heart bolt that can be easily showed. A little child years old may touch that bolt, and it
 will spring back, and the door will swing open, and Christ will come in. l 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
 fin the kingdom of God today enough
 troops to conquer the whole earth for
 Christ if we only had skillful maneuver-
 ing. I would rather have the 800 lamps and pitchers of Christian stratagem than 100, ,000 drawn swords of literary and ecclesiastical combat.
 Hope In . Few.
 learn from this subject also that a