Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1895-10-12
GODS WAY or WORK,
IT is NOT MANS WAY. BUT IT IS
THE BEST WAY.

Rev. DR.. Tainaaee's Eloquent Plea Fo
Christian strategem-He Uses Gideon
4 Battle as . Lesson-Pointed Question
For Men and Women.
NEW York, Sept 29.-In his sermon
for today Rev. DR.. Talmage discusses {
subject which is of special interest K
Sunday school teachers and scholars al
the present time, being Gideon's battle
with the Midianites near Mount Gilboa.
The text chosen was Judges vii, 20, 2Ii
"And the three companies blew the
trumpets, and brake tho 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 ali
the host ran and cried aud fed.
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 % man. And SO
proclamation is made that all those Of
! the troops who are cowardly and want
to go home may go, and, ~, 900 Of thept
scampored away, leaving only 10, 600
mon. But God says the army is. too
large yet, and SO he orders these 10, 900
remaining to march down through a
streaim and, commands Gideon to notice
in what manner these nen drink Of the
water as they pass through if. II they
get down on all fours and drink, then
! they are to be pronounced lazy and in
competent for the campaign, but if, in
passing through tho stream, they scoop
up the water in the palm of their hand
and drink and pass Oh they are to be-
the men selected fer the battle,
@Well. the 10000 men marched down
in the stream, and Che most Of them
come down on all tours and plunge their
mouths like horse or an OK into the
water and drink, but there are 500 mon
who, instead of stopping, Just dip the
palm Of their hands in tho water and
bring ito their lips, tapping it as a
dog lappeth. Those 400 brisk, rapid,
enthusiastic men are chosen for the
campaign. They are each to take a
tfumpetin tho right hand, and pitcher
III the left hand, and lamp inside The
pitcher, and then at given signal they
are to blow the trumpets, and throw
down the pitchers, and hold up the
lamps. So it was done
1t is night. / see a great host of Mid
ianites sound asleep III the valley of
Jezreel. Gideon comes up with his 800
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, aud
the great host of Midianites, waking
out of a sound sleep, take the ce2sh Of
the croclery and the glare Of the lamps
for the coming On of an Overwhelming
Zoe. and they run and cur themselves
tapieeess and horribly perish.
fThe lessons 81 this subject are very
spirited and impressive. THIS seeming
II valueless lamp of qua tz has the
pure gold in it. The smallest ilewdron
on the meadow at night has star
sleeping in its bosom, and the most in
significant passage Of Scripture has in
it a shining truth. Gods mint coins 10
small change
l learn i'll the fSrsi EGace from this sub
ject the lawfalness CT Christian strata
gem. Yon know very well that the
greatest victories ever gained Try Wash
ington OF. Napoleon were gained through
she fact that they came when and i'll a
way theyWero not expect ed--aometim
falling back TO draw out the foe, some
times breaking out iron amb7sh, sorne-
times crossing 6. river on unhea4d Of
RATS, all the tine keeping tho c pposisg
forces IN wonder ment as to what ngzlld
be aene next
You all know what ssrs'f eev is Su mil
itary affairs. Now u ink it rs high
time we had this art s..nctified and spir-
ituahzed. In the CD arch. when re are
about TO make Christian assault, wo
send T'ord to the opposing force when
we expect to come, how many troops
we Asye. and how .any rounds of shot,
and whether we win como with 'artil-
sry, infantry or csvalry, and Of course
we are defeated. There are thousands
OF men who might DO surprised into the
Kingdom of Goo. We need more tact
and ingenuity IN Christian work. It is
in spiritual affairs as iii military, that
success depends in attacking that part
of the castle which is not armed and
intrenchsd. 81 -
Draw Che Bolt.
For instance, licre is a man all armed
on the doctrine Of election. Nj, his
troops of argument and pre-. odica are at
that particular gate. You ,.lay batter
away attha5 side of tho, ciestle for so
yeaps, and You wifi acs take it. but just
wheel your troops "a, the side gate Of
the hearts Affect as, and in Eve min
utes you captulao nin. never knew a
man to 'bb saSess through brilliant ar
gament, G,eR cannot hook men into the
kingd00 of God by tie he :ns of a, di-
lenma, There is 10 grace in syllogisms.
Here is q man armed OH tho subject Of
perseverance Of the saints He does not
l,eli0ve in it. Alta tx him ut that point,
aud he will persevere 10 the very last in
not believing it. Her is man armed
on the subject of baptism. He believes
in sprinkling or immersion. AL yoar
discussion of ecclesiastical hyduopathy
will not change him. remember when
was boy that with other boys went
into the river on ST MINER day to battle.
and we used to dash water on each 9TH
er, but never got any result except that
our eyes were blinded, and all this
splashing Of water between Baptists
and Pedobaptists never results in any
thing but the blurrirg Of the spiritual
eyesight. In other words. you can never
capture mans soul at the point at
which he is especially intreached. But
there is in every mans heart bolt that
can be easily showed. A little child
years old may touch that bolt, and it
will spring back, and the door will
swing open, and Christ will come in.
/ think that the, finest Of all the fine
arts is the art Of doing good, ard yet
this ant is the least cultured. We have
arf.a = Il