The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-06-26


Napoleon, the author Of the saying, "God is
on the side Of the heaviest artillery lived
to find out his mistake, for at Waterloo the
16O guns OF the English overcame the 25o
guns Of the French. God is on the side OF
the right, and ono man in the right Will
eventually he found stronger than 600 men
in the wrong. In all estimates OF any KIND
Of Christian work do not make the mistake
every day made Of leaving out the head OF
the universe.
Again, my subject springs upon US the
thought that in Gods service it is best to use
weapons that are particularly suited to US.
Shamgar had, like many OF us, been brought
up on farm. He knew nothing about iave-
lins and bucklers and helmets and breast
plates and greayes OF brass and catapults
and ballista and iron scythes fastened to the
axles Of chariots. But he was familiar with
the fail the thrashing floor and knew how
to pound with that, and the ak Of the woods
and knew how to hew with that, and the
oxgoad of the plowman and knew how to
thrust with that. And you and I will do
best to use those means that we can best
handle; those weapons with which we can
make the most execution. Some In Coos
service will do best with the pen; some with
the voice; some by extemporaneous speech,
for they have the whole vocabulary OF the
English language half way between their
brain and tongue, and others will do best
with manuscript spread out before them.
Some will serve God by the plow, raising
wheat and corn and giving literally OF what
they sell to churches and missions some as
merchants. and out Of their profits will dedi-
cate tenth to the Lord; some as physicians,
prescribing for the worlds ailments; and
some as attorneys, defending innocence and
obtaining rights that cthewise would not be
recognized; and some as sailors, helping
bridge the seas; and some as teachers
and pastors. The kingdom OF God
Is dreadfully retarded by so many OF us
attempting to do that which we cannot do;
reaching up for broadsword or falchion or
bayonet or scimeter or Enfield rifle or Pai1-
hans gun, while we ought to be content
with an oxgoad. thank God that there are
tens of thousands OF Christians whom you
never heard Of and never will hear Of until
you sec them in the high places OF heaven,
who are now in quiet way in homes and
schoolhouses and in praying circles and by
sick beds and up dark alleys saying the saw
ing word and doing the saving deed, the ag-
gregation Of their work oyerpowering the
most ambitious statistics.
In the grand review Of heaven, when the
regiments pass the Lord Of Hosts, there will
be whole regiments of nurses and Sabbath
school teachers and tract distributors and
workers, before whom as they
pass the kings and queens OF God and the
Lamb will lift flashing coronet and bow
down in recognition and reverence. The
most of the. Christian work for the worlds
and salvation will be done by
people Of one talent and two talents, while
the ten talent people are up in the astronom-
ical observatories studying other worlds,
though they do little or nothing for the re-
demption of this world, or are up In the
rarefed realms OF "hiGher criticism" trying
Pentateuch or to prove that the throat OF
the whale was not large enough to swallow
the minister who declined the call to Nine
yah and apologizing for the Almighty for
certain inexplicable things they have found
in the Scriptures. It will be found out at
the last that the Krupp guns have not done
so much to capture this world for God as the
oxgoads.
Years ago was to summer In the Adiron-
dacks, and my wealthy friend, who was
great hunter and fisherman, said, II am not
going to the Adirondacks this season. and
you can take my equipment and will send
1t up to Paul Smiths" Well, 1t was there
when arrived in the Adirondacks, splen-
did outfit, that cost many hundreds OF dol
lars, a gorgeous tent, and such elaborate
exquisite make and reels and pouches and
bait and torches and lunch baskets and
many more things that I could not
even guess the use of. And my
friend OF the big soul had even writ
ten on and engaged men who should &C.
company me into the forest and carry home
the deer and the trout. II the mountains
could have seen and understood 1t at the
time there would have been panic among
the antlers and the fms through all the
John Browns Tract" Well, I am no
hunter. and not roebuck or game fish
did I injure. But there were hunters there
that season who had nothing but a plain
gun and rug to sleep on and a coil Of fish
who came in ever and anon with as many OF
the captives Of forest and stream as they
and two or three attendants could
carry. Now. I fear that many Chris
tlan workers who have most elabo-
rate educational and theological and profess
sional equipment, and most wonderful wea-
ponry, sufficient, you would think, to cap
ture whole community or whole Nation
for God, will In the last day have but little
except their fine tackling to show, while
some who had no advantage except that
which they got in prayer and conservation
will, by the souls they have brought to the
shore OF eternal safety, prove that they have
been gloriously successful as fishers Of men,
and in taking many who, like the hart, were
painting after the water brooks.
What made the Amalekites run before
Gideon's army2 Each one OF the army knew
would make. So 800 men that night took
800 pitchers and lamp inside the pitcher,
and at given signal the lamps were lifted
and the pitchers were violently dashed
down. The flash Of light and the racket Of
the 300 demolished pitchers sent the enemy
into wild flight. Not much OF weapon.
you would say, Is broken pitcher, but
the Lord made that awful Crash Of
crockery the means Of triumph for His
people. And there is yet to be battle
with the pitchers. The night Of the
worlds dissipation may get darker and
darker, but after awhile, in what watch OF
and the wine pitchers, and the beer pitchers,
and the whisky pitchers Of the earth will be
hurled into demolition by converted inebri.
ates and Christian reformers, and at Tint
awful crash of internal crockery the Amale-
kitish host Of pauperism and loaferdom and
domestic quarrel and cruelty and assas-
sination will fly the earth. Take the
first weapon you can lay your hands on.
Why did David choose the sling when
he went at Goliath and Goliath went
at him2 Brought up in the country, like
every other boy. he knew how to man
age sling. Saul's armor was first put on
him, but the giants armor was too heavy.
The helmet was clapped on him as an ex-
tinguisher, and David said, ~ cannot go
with these, for have not proved them"
And the first wise thing David did atter put
ting on Saurs armor was to put it of. Then
the brook Elah, the bed OF which was dry
when saw it and one vast reach Of pebbles,
furnished the five smooth stones of the brook