The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1895-10-25

M BOO men went down nrd took the wos'th /
0f the Mldnnite1. aud oui Oi the cuuf ans /
paiter oi thoir enemies they ieasiod. Ard /
the limo win come. my dear hroihrels |
when tho hosts OF darkness will he routed. /
and Christ will Say TO Ula troops "Well /
done. my brave men. Go zap ana take ih-
fpoIf Bo more than c0nquor0rl forever
And in that day on doserieu will hH SHOT.
Again, J learn from this subject that Gods
way 81 different from mans. but !, alWlW
the best way. 10 wo had the planning OF tht
battle. we would have tuker those $1,000
men that originally belonged 90 the army.
and we would have drilled them and
marched them mp and down by the day nn1
week and month, and we would have had
them equipped with swords orapear ,go'orl-
Ing ta the way of nrming in those times
and then we would have marched them
down in solid column upon the Zoe
But That IS not the way. God dcploica the
army. and takes away an their weapons. aud
gives them o. lamp. and q pitcher, and
trumpet, nnd tells them 60 90 down and
drive out the Mdiunites. suppose some
wlseacrcs were there who said; "Thar is not
military tactics. The idea OF 300 mon uu-
armed conuueung such q great host OF Nif-
lanltes" IL was the best way. Wha. sword,
smear or cannon ever accomplished such .
Victory as the lamp. pitcher and trumpet
Gods WAY "a different from mans way,
but Il Is always best. Take, for instance.
the composition OF the Bible. m we had hal
tho writing OF the Bible. wo would have said;
'Let one man write Il. n you have twenty
or thirty men % write q poem. or make
statute. or write q history. or make an argu-
ment, there will be- flaws and contra lie
tons" But God suys; "Let moi one mau DO
It but forty men shall do q" Andthoy
did, differing enough 30 shOwthers had been
no collision between them. but not contra
dieting each other on any important point,
while they al 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 epi-rlmmatic his Solo
mon. the warrior his joshua the slilor his
Jonah, the loving his John. the loyician his
Paul Instead OF this Bible which now
/ can NE In my hand instead of the
Bible the child can carry 30 Sunday-sch0ol.
/ instead OF the little Bible the sailor can nut
/ IN his jacket when he goes 10 sea-ii It had
been left TO men TO write Il would have bean
th9TFsoPd y9Em5 gdSaS from vb iaS
/ has arisen. Gods way is different from
! mans. but IL Is best infinitely best.
! So IL Is IN regard 70 the Christians life.
/ II we had had the planning OF q Christians
/ life. we would have said; 'Let him have
/ eighty years OF sunshine, q fine house TO live
/ I'm. Let his surroundings an be agreeable.
Let him have sound health. Let no chill
SILVER through his limbs. no pain ache his
brow or trouble shadow his SOUL I
enjoy the prosperity Of others so much I
| would let every man have as much
money as he wants and roses for his
children's cheeks and fountains Of gladness
glancing in their large round eyes. But
that is not Gods way. II seems as II man
must be cut, hit and pounded justin proper
tlon as he is useful. His child falls from r.
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 gravitadOn in taking him down.
His life is n Bull Run defeat Instead Of
$4,000 advantages he has only 10000. Aye.
only 300-aye, none at all. How many good
people there are at their wits end about
their livelihood, about their reputation? But
they will find out it is tho best way after
awhile God will show them that He de-
petes their advantages just for the same
reason He depleted the army OF Gideon
that they may be induced to throw them,
selves on His mercy.
grapevine says in the early spring.
allow glad / am to get through the winter
shall have no more trouble now. Summer
weather will come. aud the garden will be
very beautiful But the gardener comes
and cuts the vine here and there with his
knife. The twigs begin to fall. and the
grapevine cries out: "Murder! What are
you emitting me for?" "Ah," says the garden
er 81 don't mean to kill you. II / dit
not do this, you would be the laughing
stock OF all the other vines before the season
is over" Months 60 on, and one day tn
gardener comes under the trellis, where grea
clusters Of grapes hang, and the grape vim
says: "Ihank you, sir. You could not have
done anything so kind as to have cut m
with that knife" "Whom the Lord lovetl
He chasteneth." No pruning, no grapes; n
grinding mill, no flour; no battle, no vic
tory; no cross, no crown.
So Gods way, in the redemption OF tn
world, is different from ours. If we had on
, way, we would have had Jesus stand in tn
, door OF heaven and beckon the Nations u
to light, or we would have had angels flynn
! around the earth proclaiming the unsearct
, able riches of Christ. Why is it that the caus
goes on so slowly Why is it that the chain
/, stay on when Col could knock theI
of? Why do thrones Of despotism stan
I when God could so easily demolsh then
j 1t is His way in order that all generation
; may cooperate and that all men may kno
they cannot dc the work themselves. Jul
in proportion rs these pyramids Of sin 6
' up in height will they come down in ghas
! illness OF ruin.
thou father OF all iniquity II the
: canst hear my voice above the cracking
= the flames, drive on thy projects, dispatc
thy emissarles. build thy temples aud forj
a thy chains, but know that thy fall froi
/, heaven was not Lreater than thy final owe
! throw shall be when thou shalt be drive
! d1sarmed into thy fiery den, and for ever
/ lie thou hast framed upon earth thou sha
n have an additional hell Of fury poured int
! thine anguish by the vengeance
! our God, and all heaven shall shout ut L
overthrow as from the ransomed earth Il
i song breaks through the skies; "Halloluia
Il for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth! II,
!. leluiah, for the kingdoms Of this world ha
# become the kingdoms OF our Lord 5es
+ Christi" GG3's way in the composition
v the Bible, Gods way in the Christians III