The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-10-16
REV. DIR. TAIlMAGE
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE
NOTED DIVINE.
Subject: sGideon's Battle With the
Midianites."

the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, anc
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 all the host rar
and cried and fled. Judges viii. 70, 2l.
That is the strangest battle ever fought.
God had told Gideon to 80 down and thrash
the Midianites. but his army is too large, fol
the glory must be given to God and not to
man. And 50 proclamation is made that all
those of the troops who are cowardly and
want to 30 home may go. and $4,000 OF
them scampered away. leaving only 10000
men. But God says the army is too
large yet, and so he orders these 10000
remaining to march down through a
stream and command Gideon to notice in
what manner these men drink of the water
as they pass through it. If they get down
on all fours and drink, then they are to be
pronounced lazy and incompetent for the
campaign. but if, in passing through the
stream, they scoop up the water in the palm
of their hand and drink and pass on they are
to be the men selected for the battle.
Well, the 10000 men marched down in the
stream, and the most of them come down on
all fours and plunge their mouths like horse
or an OK into the water and drink, but there
are 300 men who, instead Of stopping. Just
dip the palm of their hands in the water and
bring it TO their lips, "lappinS it as dog
lappeth." Those 800 brisk, rapid en-
thusiastic men are chosen for the
campaign. They are each to take trumpet
in the right hand, and 4 pitcher in 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 1t was done.
It is night. see a great host OF Nidianltes
sound asleep in the valley Of Jezreel. Gid
con comes up with his 300 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.
and the great host Of Midianites. waking out
of sound sleep, take the crash OF the
crockery and the glare of the lamps for the
coming on of an overwhelming foe, and they
run and cut thems elves to pieces and horri-
bly, perish.
tied and impressive. This seemingly value
less lump Of quartz has the pure gold in it.
The smallest dewdrop on the meadow at
night has star sleeping in its bosom. and
the most insignificant passage of Scripture
has in it shining truth. Gods mint coins
no small change.
I learn in the first place from this subject
the lawfulness Of Christian strategem. You
know very we'll that the greatest victories
ever gained by Washington or Napoleon
were gained through the fact that they came
when and in way they were not expected
sometimes falling back to draw out the foe,
sometimes breaking out from ambush, some
times crossing river on unheard OF RATS,
all the time keeping the opposing forces in
wonderment as to what would be done next.
You all know what strategy is in military
affairs. Now think it Is high time We had
this art sanctifled and spiritualized. In the
church, when we are about to make Chris
tian assault, we send word to the opposing
force when we expect to come. how many
troops we have, and how many rounds OF
shot, and whether we will come with artil-
lery, infantry or cavalry, and Of course
we are defeated. There are thousands OF
men who might be surprised into the king
dom Of God. We need more tact and ingen-
uity in Christian work. It Is in spiritual
affairs as in military, that success depends
In attacking that part OF the castle which Is
not armed and intrenched.
For instance, here is man all armed on
the doctrine of election. All his troops OF
argument and prejudice are at that particu-
lar gate. You may batter away at that side
OF the castle for fifty years, and you will not
take it, but just wheel your troops to the side
gate OF the hearts affections, and in five
minutes YOU capture him. never knew
a man to be saved through a brilliant ar
gumet. You cannot hook men into the
kingdom of God by the horns OF dilemma.
There is no grace in syllogisms. Here Is
man armed on the subject Of perseverance
of the saints. He does not believe in it.
Attack him at that point, and he will perse-
vere to the very last in not be-
heving it. Here is man armed
on the subject Of baptism. He believes
in sprinkling or immersion. All your dis
cussion OF ecclesiastical hydropathy will not
change him. remember when / was boy
that with other boys I went into the river on
q summer day to bathe, and we used to dash
water on each other, but never got any re-
suit except that our eyes were blinded, and
all this spashing of water between Baptists
and Pedobaptists never results in anything
but the blurrlng Of the spiritual eyesight. In
other words, you can never capture a mans
soul at the point at which he Is especially
But there Is in every mans
heart bolt that can be easily showed. A
little child four 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. and yet this art Is the
least cultured. We have In the kingdom OF
God to-day enough troops to conquer the
whole earth for Christ if we only had skillful
Iwould rather have the 300
lamps and pitc hers OF Christian Strategem
than TO-, 600 drawn swords of literary and
combat.
learn from this subject also that a small
part Of the army of God will have to do all
the hard fighting. Gideon's army was origin
ally composed Of $4,000 men. but they went
off until there were only 10, 900 left, and that
was substractad from until there were only
300. 1t is the same in all ages OF the Chris
tian church. A few men have to do the hard
fighting. Take a membership OF 1000, and
you generally find that fifty people do the
work. Take membership OF $50, 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 useless
lumber in the mountains OF Lebanon. I
think Of the 10000, 900 membership Of the
Christian church to-day IL 5000, 900 Of the
names were of the books the church would
be stronger. You know that the more
towards and drones there are in any army
the weaker it is. would rather have the
800 picked men Of Gideon than the $4,000
unslfted host. The many Christians there are
standing in the way Of all progress! Think
1t is the duty of the church OF Goi to ride
over them, and the quicker 1t does it the
quicker 1t does Its duty.
Do not worry, o Christian, If you have to
do more than your snare 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 straSglers. Would not
YOU rather be one of the 800 that fight than
the %, 900 that run2 I suppose those COW
ardly Gideonites who went off congratu-
lated themselves. They said: 1--WE 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 300 men went down and took the wealth
of the Midianites, and out of the cups and
platters of their enemies they feasted. Aud
the time will come. my dear brethren.