The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1895-10-09
4 STRANGE BATTLE,
DR.. TALMAGE ON GlDEON'S ARMY
AND GODS WAY.

AND GODS WAY.
The Lawrulness of Christian Strategem.
Gideon's Depleted Army The Ireat
Lesson ofIIis Wonderful Victory.
NEW YORK, Sept. 29.-In his SER
mon for today Rev. DR.. Talmage dis
cusses a subject of special interest TO
Sunday school teachers and scholars
at the present time, being Gideon's
battle with the lIidianites near Mount
Gilboa. The text chosen was Judges
vii, 20, 21: and the three compan-
les 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 the proclamation is made that
all those Of the troops who are cow
ards and want to 60 home may go,
and $4,000 of them scampered away,
leaving only 10000 men. But God
says the army is too large yet, and so
he ordered these 10000 remaining to
march down through stream and
H. tN q
manner these men drink of the water
as they pass through it. If they get
down on allfours and drink, then they
are to be pronounced lazy and incom-
petent 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 10000 men marched down
in the stream, and the most of them
come down on all fours and plunge
their mouth. like a 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.
tapping it as dog lappeth. Those
800 brisk, rapid, enthusiastic men are
chosen for the campaign. They are
each to take trumpet in the right
hand and pitcher in the left hand
and lamp inside the pitcher, and
then at a 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. 1 see a great host of
Midianites 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 Midian-
ties. 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 hor-
ribly perish.
The lessons of this subject are very
spirited and impressive. This seeming
lv valueless lump of quartz has the
pure gold in it. The smallest dewdrop
or, the meadow at night has star
sleeping in its bosom, and the most
Insignificant passage of Scripture has
in ii shining truth. Gods mint coins
no small change.
learn in the first place. from this
subject, the lawfulness of Christian
stratagem. You know very well that
the greatest victories ever gained by
Washington or Napoleon were gained
through the fact that they came when
and in a way they were not expected
sometimes falling back to draw out
the foe. sometimes crossing river
on unheard of RATS; all the time keep
ing the opposing forces in wonder
ment as to what would be done next.
You all know what strategy IS IN
military affairs Now I think it is
high time we had this art sanctified
and spiritualized. In the church, when
we are about to make Christian as
sault. we send word to the opposing
force when we expect to come, how
many troops we have and how MAN.
rounds of shot, and whether we will
come with artillery, infantry or caval-
ry, 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 al
fairs as in military, that success de-
pends in attacking that part of the
castle which is ~; armed and in
trenched.
Eor instance, here isa man all armed
on the doctrine of election. all his
troops of argument and prejudice are
at that particular gate. You may bat
ter away at that side of the castle for
so years, and you will not take 1t, but
just wheel your troops to the side gate
of the hearts affection, and IN five
minutes you capture him. l never
knew man to be saved through bril-
liant argument. You cannot hook
men into the kingdom of God by the
horns of dilemma. 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 in it. Here is man armed
on the subject of baptism. He believes
in sprinkling or immersion. Ali your
discussion of ecclesiastical hydropathy
will not change him. I remember
when was boy that with other boys
I went into the river on a summer
day to bathe, and We used to dash wa
ter on each other, but never got any
result except that our eyes were blind
ed, and all this splashing of water be-
tween Baptists and Pedobaptists never
results in anything but the blurring
of the spiritual eyesight. In other
words, you can never capture mans
soul at the point at which he is espe-
cially intrenched. But there is in
every mans heart a bolt that can be
easily showed. \ little child / 4years
l l>o1t o,l -