Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1895-10-12

than 100, 900 drawn swords Of literary
and ecclesiastical combat.
Hopc In a Few.
! 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 CT
$4,000 men, but they wcnn eff until
there were only 10, coo left, and that
was subiracted from until there were
only 500. Ii is the sa,no in all ages Of
the Christian church. a few mcn have
to do The hard fighting. Take menu
bership Ct 900, aud you generally find
that so 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 mcarn that there is so much use
less lumber i'll the mountains of Leban-
on. think of the 10, 900, coo member
ship, Of the Christian church today if
100000 Of the names were off the
books tho church would be stronger
You know that the moro towards and
drones there are in any army the weaker
it is. lwoLld rather have the 800 picked
men Of Gideon than the $4,000 unsifted
host. How many Christians there are
standing in the way of all progress /
think it is the duty of the church Of God
to'rlde over them, and the quicker IL
does it the quicker it does its iaty.
Do not worry, o Christian, if you
have to do more than your share of the,
work. You had better thank God that
be has called you to be one of the picked
men rather than to belong to the host
OF straggiers. Would not you rather be.
one OF the 900 that fight than the 49,.
eco that run? | suppose those cowardlg-
Gideonites who went or congratulated
themselves. They said: "Wo got raliofs
all that fighting. did not we? How
lncky we have been! That batt1e costs
Us nothing at all y But they got none,
Of the spoils of the victory. After the,
battle the 800 men went dowzt and took
the wealth of the Midiariaas. and out
Of the cups and platters Of their enemies
they Toasted. And tho tsme will come,
my dear brethren. WIEN tho hosts of
darkness will be routed, and Christ WEI
say to bis troops: We'll done, my bri0e
men. Go up and take the spoils.. Be
more than conquerors forever. - endl IN
that day al deserters win be ssos.
Again, learn from this ss1ieet that
Gods way Is different frr,rs, mans, GU;
ls always the best way. r. we had the
planning OF that battle. We would have
taken those 80, 900 mets, that or FINALLY
belonged to the asray, and we would
have drilled them end marched them
up and down by the. cay and week and
month, and ws, would have had them
equipped with; swords or spears, accord
ing to tbs 'aayof ar ming in those times,
and then we would have marched them
down IL. solid. column upon the foe
But thai is not the way. God depletes
the army, and takes away all their
weapons, and gives them lamp, and
pitchers and o trurnpet, and tells them
10 go down ard drive out the indian
ties. / suppose some wiseacres were
there who said "That is not military
tactics. Tho idea of 800 men unarmed
conquering such u great host of INDIAN
itesr' Il was the best way. What
sword, spear on cannon ever accomplish
ed such vic tory as the lamp, pitcher
AMI trEnpeta
COTS way is different from mans
waS, but it is always best. Take. for
instance, the composition of the Bible.
II we had had ;he writing Of the Bible,
we would have said: "Let one man
write it. If you have 90 or 80 men to
w1ite poem, or make statute, or
write a history, or make an argument,
there will be flaws and contradictions. -
But God says, ''Let not one man do il,
but 40 men shall do it," And they did,
differing enough to show there had been
no collision between the1s. but not
contradicting each other. On any impor-
tant point, while they al wrote from
their own standpoint and temperament,
SO that the matter of fact man has his
Moses, the romantic nature his Ezekiel,
the epigrannatic his Solomon, the war
rior bis Jcshua, the sailor his Jonah,
the loving his John, the logician his
Paul. Instead of this Biblo, which now
I can lift in my hand-instead of the
Bible the child can carry to Suaday
school, instead of the little Bible the
sailor can put in his Jacket xhen ne
goes to sea--if it had been, Mft to men
10 write it would have been thousand
volumes, Judging from. the amount Of
ecclesiastical controversy which has
arisen. Gods way, Is different from,
mans, hut it is basbs infinitely best.
No Cross. Ne Crown.
So it is in regard to the Christian s
life. If ye aad had the planning of a
Christians life, we would have said /:
LET him have so years Of sunshine, a
fine house to live in. Let BIS surround
2ngs all 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
would let every man have as much
money as he wants and roses for his
ehildren's cheeks and fountains Of
gladness CHANGING in their large rtsrnd
eyes. But that is not Gods wa. 1t
seems as if man mrst be cut an-l hasand
pounded just in proportion as he. rs use
full His child falls from thiad story
window and has its life dSshed gtit. His
most confident investment tuxssbles him
into bankruptcy. His friends, On whom
he depended, aid the natural force of
gravitation in taking him Sfown. His
life is a Bull Run defesf.. Instead of
$4,000 advantages lie has, only 10, 900
Aye, only 3eo-ayo, mono, at all How
many good people thes,o, are at their
wits end about their livelihood, about
their reputationg Bus eley will find ont
it is the best way after awhile. God
will show them tlasti he depletes their
advantages just for the same reason he
depleted the array of Gideon thar they
may be induced to throw themselves on
his mercy.
A grapevine says in the early spring:
How glad l am to get through the