Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1895-10-09

wiseacres were there who said: ''That is not
military tactics. The idea OF 800 men un-
armed conquering such a great host OF Mid
ianitesp' 1t was the best way. What sword,
spear or cannon ever accomplished such
victory rs the lamp. pitcher and trumpet?
Gods way is different from mans way,
but 1t 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 1t. If you have twenty
or thirty men to write poem, or make
statute, or write n history, or make an argu-
ment, there will be flaws and contradic-
tions." But God says: ''Let not one man do
II but forty men shall do it." And they
did, differing enough to showthere had been
40 collusion between them, but not contra
1icting each other on any important point,
while they all 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 epigrammatic his Solo
mon, the warrior his Joshua. the sailor his
Jonah, the loving his John, the logician his
Paul. Instead of this Bible, which now
can lift in my hand instead OF the
instead Of the little Bible the sailor can put
in his jacket when he goes to sea-if it had
been left to fhen to write 1t would have been
4 thousand volumes. judging from the
amount Of ecclesiastical controversy which
has arisen. Gods way is different from
So 1t Is in regard to the Christians life.
II we had had the planning Of Christians
life. we would have said: ''Let him have
eighty years of sunshine, a fine house to live
IN. Let his surroundings all be agreeable.
Let him have sound health. Let no chill
,hiver through his limbs, no pain ache his
brow or trouble shadow his SOUL" l
enjoy the prosperity of others so much l
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. 1t seems as if man
must be cut, hit and pounded just in propor-
ton as he is useful. His child falls from
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 gravitation in taking him down.
His life is Bull Run defeat. Instead OF
81, 900 advantages he has only 10000. Aye,
only 306-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. God will show them that He de-
pletes their advantages just for the samo
'eason He depleted the army of Gideon
hat they may be induced to throw them
selves on His mercy.
A grapevine says in-the early spring
How glad am to get through the winter!
[ shall have no more trouble now. Summer
weather will come. and 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 cutting me for?" ''Ah," says the garden
er, 81 don't mean to kill you. II I did
not do this, you would be the laughing
stock of all the other vines before the season
is over" Months go on, and one day the
gardener comes under the trellis, where great
clusters Of grapes hang, and the grape vine
says: "Thank you, sir. You could not have
lone anything so kind as to have cut me
with that knife" "Whom the Lord loveth
He chasteneth." No pruning, no grapes; NO
grinding mill, no -four; no battle, no VIC
tory; no cross, no crown.
So Gods way, in the redemption OF the
world, is different from ours. If we had our
way, we would have had Jesus stand in the
door of heaven and beckon the Nations up
to light. or we would have had angels flying
around the earth proclaiming the unsearch-
able riches Of Christ. Why is 1t that the cause
goes on so slowly Why is it that the chains
stay on when God could knock them
off? Why do thrones of despotism stand
when God could so easily demolish them?
1t is His way in order that all generations
may cooperate and that all men may know
they cannot do the work themselves. Just
In proportion as these pyramids of sin go
up in height will they come down in ghast.
iness of ruin.
learn from this subject that the overthrow
Of Gods enemies will be sudden and terrific.
There is the army Of the Midianites down in
the valley Of Jezreel. 1 suppose their
mighty men are dreaming of victory. Mount
Gilboa never stood sentinel for SO large
host. The spears and the shields Of the
MidianiteS CLEAN in the moonlight and
glance on the eye of the Israelites. who
hover like a battle Of eagles, ready to swoop
from the cliff. Sleep on, o army OF the
itn-I thn tDhf re.
and the mountain to guard them and strong
arms to defend them, let no slumbering foe
nan dream of disaster. Peace to the cap
:ains and the spearmen.
Crash go the pitchers. Up flare the lamps!
To the mountains! Fly, fly! Troop running
against troop, thousands trampling upon
thousands. Hark to the scream and groan
Of the routed foe, with the Lord God Al
mighty after them! How sudden the onset!
How wild the CONSERVATION! How utter the
defeat! I do not care so much what is
aSains. me IL God is not. You want a better
sword or carbine than have ever seen to go
out and fight against the Lord Omnipotent.
Give me God for my ally. and you may have
all the battlements and battalions.
I saw the cefrauder in his splendid house.
stood amid the blaze of chandeliers and pier
mirrors. In the diamonds Of the wardrobe
[ saw the tears of the widows whom he had
robbed and In the snowy satins the pallor OF
the white checked orphans whom he had
wronged. The blood of the oppressed
glowed in the deep crimson Of the i'm
ported chair. The music trembled with
the sorrow of unrequitted toll. But the
wave OF mirth dashed higher on reefs Of
coral aud pearl. The days and the nights
went merrily. No sick child dared pull that
silver doorbell. No beggar dared sit ON that
marble step. No voice OF prayer hoated
amid that tapestry. No shadow of a judgment
day darkened that fresco. No tear o: human
sympathy dropped upon that upholstery.
Pomp strutted the hall, and dissipation
filled her cup, and all seemed safe as the
Midianites in the valley of Jezreel. But God
came. Calamity smote the money market.
The partridge left it, eggs unmatched. Crash
went all the porcelain pitchers! Ruin, rout,
dismay and woe in the valley Of Jezreel!
Alas for those who fight against God! Only
two sides. Man immortal, which side are
you on? Woman immortal. which side are
you on? Do you belong to the 800 that are
going to win the day or to the great host of
Midianites asleep in the valley, only to be
reused up in CONSERVATION and ruin? Sud-
denly the golden bowl Of life will be broken
and the trumpet blown that will startle our
soul into eternity. The day Of the Lord
cometh as thief in the night and as
the God armed Israelites upon the sleeping
Zoe. Ha! Canst thou pluck up courage for
the day when the trumpet which hath never
been blown shall speak the roll call OF the
dead, ana the earth, dashing against lost
meteor, have its mountains scattered to the
stars and oceans emptied in the air? Oh,
then, what will become OF you? What will
'ecome of me?
If those Midianites had only given up
heir swords the day before the disaster, all
would have been we'll, and If you will now
surrender the sins with which you have been
lighting against God you will be safe. Oh,
make peace with Him now, through Jesus
Christ the Lori! With tEe clutch OF a drown
Ing man seize the cross. Oh. surrender!
Surrender! Christ, with his hand on his
>ierced side, asks you to.