The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1895-10-04

and ecclesiastical combat.
Hope In a Few.
l learn from this subject also that a
small part Of the army of God will
have to do all the hard fighting Gid
cons army was originally composed Of
32, 900 men, but they went off until
there were only 10000 left, and that
was subtracted from until there We're
only 800. 1t is the same in all ages of
the Christian church. A few men have
to do the hard fighting, Take mem
bership of 900, and you generally find
that 80 people do the work, Take a
membership of 500, and you generally
find that ten people do'the work. There
are scores of churches where two or
three people do the work.
We mourn that there is so much use
less lumber in the mountains of Leban
on. l think of the 10000, 900 member
ship of the Christian church today if
5000, 900 of the names were off the
books the church would be stronger
drones there are in any army the weaker
it is. Iwould rather have the 800 picked
men of Gideon than the 80, 600 rnsifted
host How many Christians there are
standing III the way of all progress! /
think it is the duty Of the church of God
to ride over them, and the quicker it
does it the quicker it does its duty.
Do not worry, o Christian, if you
have to do more thaHyour share of the
work. You had better thank God that
he has called you to be one of the picked
men rather than to belong to the host
of stragglers. Would not you rather be
one Of the 800 that fight than the 20,
900 that run? l suppose those cowardly
Gideonites who went off congratulated
themselves, They said: eve got rid Of
all that fighting, did not we? How
lucky we have been! That battle costs
us nothing at all. " But they got none
of the spoils Of the victory. After the
battle the 800 men went down and took
the wealth of the Midianites, and ont
of the cups and platters Of their enemies
they Toasted. And the time will come,
my dear brethren, when the hosts of
darkness will be routed and Christ will
say to his troops: "Well done, my brave
men. Go up and take the spoils Be
more than conquerors forever. And i'll
that day all deserters will be shot.
Again, learn from this subject that
Gods way is different from mans, but
is always the best way If we had the
planning of that battle, we would have
taken those $4,000 men thatsriginally
belonged to the army, and we would
have drilled them and marched them
up and down by the day and week and
month, and we would have had them
equipped with swords or spears, accord
ing 80 the way'of arming in those times,
and then we would have marched them
down in solid column upon the foe.
But that is not the way. God depletes
the army, and takes away all their
weapons, and gives them lamp, and
pitcher, and trumpet, and tells them
to go down and drive out the INDIAN
ties. / suppose some wiseaeres We're
there who said: "That is not military
tactics. The idea of 300 men unarmed
GOhiISl ing SuCh d BltaU iitSb VI 4hiullu-
ties !" 1t was tho best way. What
sword spear or cannon ever accomplish
ed such victory as the lamp, pitcher
and trumpet?
Gods way is different from mans
way, but it is always best Take, for
instance, the composition of the Bible.
If we had had the writing Of the Bible,
we would have said: "Let one man
write it. If you have 90 or so men to
write poem, or make a statute, or
write history, or make an argument
there will be flaws and contradictions.
But God says, Let not one man do it,
but 40 men shall do it." And they did
differing enough to show there had been
no collision between them, but not
contradicting each other on any impor-
tant point, while they all wrote from
their own standpoint and temperament,
SO that the matter of fact man has his
Moses, the romantic nature his Ezekiel,
the epigrammatic his Solomon, the war
rior his Joshua, the sailor his Jonah,
the loving his John, the logician his
Paul. Instead of this Bible, which now
l can lift in my hand-instead of the
Bible the child can carry to Sunday
school, instead of the little Bible the
sailor can put in his jacket when he
goes to sea--if it had been left to men
to write it would have been thousand
volumes, judging from the amount of
ecclesiastical controversy which has
arisen. Gods way is different from
man S, but it is best, infinitely best.
No Cross, No Crown.
So it is i'll regard to the Christian S
life. If we had had the planning of
Christians life, we would have said:
Let him have so years of sunshine,
fine house to live in, Let his surround
ings all be agreeable Let him have
sound health. Let no chill shiver
through his limbs, no pain ache his
brow or trouble shadow his soul" |
enjoy the prosperity of others so much
would let every man have as much
money as he wants and roses for his
children's cheeks and fountains of
gladness CHANGING in their large round
eyes. But that is not God s. way 1t
seems as if man must be cut and hit and
pounded just in proportion as he is use
tul. His child falls from third story
window and has it's life dashed ont. His
most confident investment tumbles him
into bankruptcy His friends, on whom
he depended, aid the natural force of
gravitation in taking him down. His
life is Bull Run defeat. Instead of
80, 200 advantages he has only 10, Geo
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 the best way after awhile Go
will show them that he depletes their
advantages just for the same reason hc
depleted the army of Gideon-that the,
may be induced to throw themselves ea
his mercy.
A grapevine says in the early sprin.
How glad ! am to get through III
EnEE ID nHEa mN