The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1895-10-12

Rev. Il. DeWltt TnlmaRe In his ser
mon for this week discusses Gideon'i
battle with the Midianites The tex
Is:
And tho three companies blew the trumpets
and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps II
their left hands, and the trumpets in theil
right hands TO blow withaL And they stood
every man in his place round about the camp
and all the host ran, and cried. and fed
Judges vii, 20-2i.
That is the strangest battle ever
fought God had told Gideon to &c
down and thrash the Midianites, but
his army is too large; for the glory
must be given to God, and not to man
And so proclamation is made that al
those of the troops who are cowardly,
and want to so home, may go; and
twenty-five thousand of them scamp
cred away, leaving only ten thousand
men. But God says the army is too
large yet, and so He orders these ten
thousand remaining to march down
through n stream, and commands Gid
con to notice in what manner these
men drink of the water as they pass
through 1t. II they get down on all
tours and drink, then they are pro-
nounced 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 ten thousand men
marched down in the stream, 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 three hundred men who, in
stead of stopping, just dip the palm
4 OF their hands 10 the water and bring
il to their lips. Tapping it rs dog
! lappeth" These three hundred brisk,
rapid, enthusiastic men are chosen for
the campaign. They are each to take
trumpet in the right hand and a
/ 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 il was done.
/ 1t is night. l see great host of
/ Midianites, sound asleep in the valley
/ of Jezreel. Gideon comes up with his
! three hundred men, and when every
/ thing is ready, the signal is given, and
/ they blow the trumpets, and they
4 throw down the pitchers, and hold up
\ the lamps, and the great host OF
l Midianites, waking out of sound
! sleep. take the crash OF the crockery
I and the glare of the lamps for the
coming on of an overwhelming foe;
! and they run, and cut themselves to
! pieces. and horribly perish.
The lessons OF this subject are very
/ spirited and impressive. This seem
ingly vagueless lump of quartz has
the pure gold in il. The smallest dew
| drop on the meadow has a star sleep
! ing in its bosom, and the most insig-
! niticant passage of Scripture has in it
! a shining truth. Gods mint coins no
small change.
learn in the first place, from this
! subject, the lawfulness OF Christian
stratagem. 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 a way they were not expected
sometimes falling back to draw out
the foe, sometimes breaking from am
bush. sometimes crossing river on
unheard-of RATS; all the time keeping
! the opposing forces in wondermcnt as
to what would be done next.
You all know what strategy Is in
military affairs. Now l think 1t is
high time we had this art sanctified
and spiritualized. In the church. when
We are about to make Christian as
sault, we send word to the opposing
force when we expect to come. how
many troops we have, and how many
rounds of shot, and VIII ether we will
como with artillery, infantry or cav
airy, and of course we are defeated.
There are thousands of men who might
be surprised into the kingdom of God.
We need more tact and ingenuity in
Christian work. 1t is in spiritual af-
fairs as in military, that success de.
ponds in attacking that part of the
cattle which is not armed and in
trenched.
For instance, here is man all armed
on the doctrine of election; all his
troops of argument and prejudice are
at that particular gate. You may
batter away at the side Of the castl,
fifty years and you will not take it
but just wheel your troops TO the sld'
gate of the hearts affections, ant
, in FIVE minutes you capture him.
never knew a man to be sayet
through n brilliant argument. Yol
can not hook men into tn
kingdom of God by the horn
OF q dilemma. There is no grac
: in syllogisms. Here is a man nrIne,
on the subject of perseverance of tn
saints; lie does not believe in it. AT
tack him ut that point, and he will
: persevere to the very last in not be
lieving it. Here is a man armed Of
the subject of baptism; he believes il
. sprinlxling or immersion. All you
5 discussion of ecclesiastical hydro
! pathy will not change him. reniem
! Der, when was boy. that wit
D other boys went into the river o
3 summer day to battle, and W
!, used to dash water on each Other
: but never got any result except tina
8 our eyes were blinded; and all TIL
n splashing of water between Baptist
o and Pedo-Baptists never results !
Z: anything but the blurring of til
a spiritual eyesight. In other words