Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1896-01-30
HOW TO TAKE A CITY.
ABIMELECH WAS A RASCAL, BUT HE
KNEW HOW TO FIGHT.

Rev. DIR. Talmage Shows How God Some
times Drives Straight Nail with Poor
Hammer-The Besieged City of shechcm
and Its Lesson.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 26.--In his sermon
for today Rev. DR.. Talmagc took for his
subject 1.-The Power Of Example" Tho
text selected was Judges tx, 4S: And
Abimelech took an AK in his hand and cut
down a bough from tho trces and took 1t
and laid 1t on his shoulder and said unto
the people that were with him, What yo
have seen me do mako haste and do MS l
have done. And oil tho people likewise
out down overy man his bough."
Abimelech Is q namo malodorous in
Bible history and yet full of profitable
suggestion. Buoys arc black and I'M
comedy, but they tell where tho rocks are
Tho snakes rattle is hideous, but 1t gives
timely warning. From the piazza of my
summer home, night by night, I saw q
lighthouse 10 miles away, not placed there
for adornmont, but to tell mariners to
stand off from that dangerous point. SO
all the iiSnbound coast of moral danger is
marked with Saul and Horod and Reho.
beam and Jezebel and Abmelech. These
bad people arc mentioned in the Biblo not
only as warnings, but because there were
sometimes flashes Of good conduct in their
lives worthy of imitation. God sometimes
drives very straight nail with IL very
poor hammer.
Taking n City.
The city of Shechom had to DO taken,
and Abmeleoh and his mon were to do it.
SEQ the dust rolling up from their excited
march. l hear tho shouting of tho cap
Trims and tho yell of the bcsiegers. Tho
swords claok sharply on the parryinR
shields, and the vociferation of two armies
in death grapple is horrible to hear. Tho
battle goes on all day, and as the sun is set
ting Abimelesh and his army cry, "Surrcn-
der' to the beaten foe and, unable Ion
gor to resist, the city of Shochem fall-,
and there are pools of blood and discover
limbs, and glazed eyes, looking up bca
glngy for mercy that war never show.
and dying soldiers, with their head OH lilo
lap Of mother or wife or sister, who hnvo
como out for the last offices Of kindness
and affection, and groan rolls across tho
city, stopping not, because there Is no SPOT
for it to rest, so full Is tho place of ether
groans. A city wounded A city dyiugl
A city dead Vail for Shechein, all 80
who know tho horrors Of sacked town.
As look over the city can find only
one building standing, and that is tho
temple of the god Berth. Some soldiers
outside of the city in n tower, finding that
they can no longer defend Shechom, now
begin to look out for their own personal
safety, and they fly to this temple of
Berth. They go within tho door, shut it,
and they say, "Now we are safe. Abim-
eech has taken the whole city, but he
cannot take this temple of Berth. Hero
we shall BIO under the protection of the
lie ~ n fhn do 1,p..t
now for these refugeesl If you hGyo eyes,
pity them II you have hands, help them;
If you have thunderbolts strike for ihcn.
But how shall Abimelech and his army
take this temple Of Berth and tho ricn
who are there fortified Will they 60 it
with swordp Nay! Will they do it
with spearp Nay! With battcring ram,
rolled up by hundred armed strength,
crashing against the wallsS Nay Abim.
elech marches his men to wood in Zal
mon. With his ax he hews off limb of q
tree and puts that limb upon his own
shoulder, and then no says to his men,
"You do the same"
They are obedient to their commander
There Is struggle as to who shall have
axes. The whole wood Is full of bending
boughs, and the cracking, and tho hack
ing and the cutting, until every one Of
tnt HOSb llttS u llinD VI u tTcO Clt uDWD,
and not only that, but has put it on his
shoulder just ns Abimolcch showed him
how. Are these men all armed with tho
tree branchf Tho reply comes, IAN
armed" And thoy march on, oh, what
L strange army, with that strange equip
ment They como up to the foot of tho
temple pt Berth, and A bimelech takes his
limb of tree and throws it down. and
the first platoon Of soldiers come up, and
they throw down their branches, and tho
second platoon, and tho third, until all
around about the temple of Berth there
is n pile Of tree branches The Shechcmitos
look out from the window of the temple
upon what soems to them childish play on
the part Of their enemies But soon tho
flints are struck, and the spark begins to
kindle tho brush, and the flame comes up
all through tho pile, and tho rcd clements
leap to tho easement, and tic woodwork
begins to blaze, and one arm of ilnmo Is
thrown up on the right side of the temple,
and another arm OF famo Is thrown up
on the left side of the temple, until they
clasp their lurid palms under the wild
night sky, and the cry of "Fre!" within
and Firer' without announces the terror,
and the strangulation, and the doom of
the Shechemites, and the complete over.
throw of the temple of the god Berth.
Then there went up q shout, long and
loud, from tho stout lungs and swarthy
chests OF Abimelech and his men as they
stood amid tho ashes and the dust crying,
"Viotory, victoryl"
The Tactics Used.
Now learn first from this subject the
folly OF depending upon any one form OF
tactics in anything we have to do for this
world or for God. Look over the weaponry
of olden times-javelins, battleaxes, hnber.
geons-and show me a single weapon with
which Abimelech and his men could have
gained such complete triumph. 1t is no
easy thing to take q temple thus armed
have seen house where during Revolu
tionary times, q man and his wife kept
back whole regiment hour after hour be-
cause they were inside tho house and thC
assaulting soldiers were outside tho house
Yet here Abimelech and his army come
up, they surround this temple, and they
capture 1t without the loss of single man
on the part of Abimelech, although sup
pose some Of the old Israelitish heroes told
Abimeleoh, "You are only going up there
to be cut to pieces. Yet you are willing
to testify today that by no other mode
certainly not by ordinary modes-oould
that temple 80 easily, SO thoroughly, have
been taken, Fathers and mothers breth.
rem and sisters in Jesus Christ what the
church most wants to learn this day Il
that any plan is right, is lawful, is best
which helps to overthrow the temple of sir
L. -