The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1895-10-26

run2 l suppose those cowardly Gideon
ties who went off congratulating
themselves, 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 h
battle the three hundred men went
down and took the wealth of the
Midianites, and ont of the cups and
platters Of their enemies they Toasted.
And the time will come, my dear breth-
rem, when the hosts OF darkness will be
routed, and Christ will say to His
troops: well done, my brave men,
go up and take the spoils! BE more
than conqueror forever and in that
day all deserters will be shot!
Again: / learn from this subject that
Gods way is different from mans, but
is always the best way. II we had the
planning of that battle, we would nave
taken those t~hirty-two thousand men
that originally belonged to the army,
and we would nave drilled them, and
marched them up and down by the
day, and week, and month, and we
would have had them equipped with
swords or spears, according to the way
of arming In those times; and then we
would have marched them down in SOL
i'd column upon the foe. But that Is
not the way. God depletes the army,
and takes away all their weapons, and
gives them q lamp, and a pitcher, and
q trumpet, and tells them to 60 down
and drive out the Midiauites. I sup
pose some wiseacres were there who
said: ''That is not military tactics.
The idea of three hundred men, In
armed, conquering such . great host OF
Midianitesr' It was the best way.
Gods way Is different from mans
way, but IL Is always besti Take, for
Instance, the composition Of the Bible.
II we had had the writing of the Bible,
we would have said: "Let one man
write it. II you have twenty or thirty
men to write q poem, or make a stat.
ute, or write a history, or make an ar.
gument. there will be flaws and con-
tradictions." But God says: Let not
one man do It, but forty men shall do
It." And they did. differing enough
10 show there had been no collision
between them, but not contra
dieting each other on any Inn
portant point, while they all
wrote from their own standpoint aud
temperament; so that the matter-of-
fact man has his Moses; the romantic
nature his Ezekiel; the epigrammatio
his Solomon; the warrior his Joshua;
the sailor his Jonah; the loving his
John; the logician his Paul. Instead
Of this Bible, which now ] a lift In
my hand-instead Of the Bible the
child can carry to Sunday sohool-in-
stead Of the little Bible the sailor can
put In his jacket when he goes to sea
II Il had been left to men to write, 1t
would have been q thousand volumes,
judging from the amount OF ecclesi-
astical controversy which has arisen.
Gods way is different from mans, but
il Is best, infinitely best
So It Is in regard to the Christians
life. II we had the planning OF q Chris
sian's life we would have said: Let
him have eighty years Of sunshine, q
Ans house to live in; let his surround
ings all be agreeable; let him have
sound health. let no chill shiver
through his limbs, no pain ache his
brow, or trouble shadow his soul" ]
enjoy the prosperity Of others so much,
! would let every man have as much
money as he wants, roses for his chill
dren's cheeks, and fountains of glad
ness glancing in their large round eyes.
But that IL not Gods gay. It seems as
II man must be cut, and hit, and pound
cd just in proportion a. he is useful.
His child falls from q third-story win
dow, and has its life dashed out; his
most confident Investment tumble
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 twenty tnousana adVan-
tages. ne mas oniy Yen tnousenoEaye'
only three hundred-aye none as ali.
HOW many gooa people there are 81
their wits ENDS ABOUT their iiveiinooa,
soout their. reputat,on. BUT they WIZ
out u is the ISL way arter WINE
20 VIII snow them snst ne aePie1es
sneir saventHges !uss Ior tae -.
reason ne osP'oSeo sr"y VI ",oeon
-tnst tney may Do 70 tnro"
themselves on ms mercy.
craps vine again '"e ea''y spring
"How glad l am to get through the
winter! l shall have no more trouble
now! Summer weather will come and
the garden Will be very beautifulf"
But the gardener comes and cuts the
vine here and there with his knife.
The twigs begin TO fall, and the grape
vine cries out, "Mhrderi what sre you
cutting me fOfq' "AhI' says the gar.
dener, II do not mean to kill You; II !
did not do this you would be the laugh
ing stock of all the other vines before
the season II over." Months go on,
and one day the gardener comes under
the trellis, where great clusters of
Qrapes hang. and the grapevine SAYS:
THANK you sir; you could not have
done anything SO kind as to have cut
me with that knife. .sWhom. the
Lord loveth He chsstepeth." No
pruning, NO grapes no grinding mill,
NO -four; NO battle, NO victory, no
cross. no CROWN
So Gods wav. in the redemption Of
the world. IA different from ours. II
we had our way we would have had
Jesus stand In the door of Heaven and
beckon thu nations m to lieht or we
would hays had angels fiyinR around
the earth proclsiminp the unsearchs-
BILE riches of Christ. WHY Is Il that
the cause goes ON so slowiyP Why is
Il that the chains stay on. when God
could knock them Off Why do thrones
of de.potism stand. when God could SO
l--a U 3: u;. u.u