Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1896-02-01
HOW TO TAKE A CITY.
AelMELEcA WAS A RASCAL. BUT He
KNEW HOW TO FIGHT.
Rev. DIR. Taimage shows How God Some
times Drives n Straight Nail With . Poor
Hammer ThcGiesicg-d City of shechsm
and Its Lesson.

times Drives n Straight Nail with Poor
Hammer The1,esicg.d City of shechsrs
and Its Lesson.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 26.-In his sermon
for today Rev. DIR. Talmagc took for his
subject Tine Power Of Example" Tho
text selected was Judges tx, IS: And
Abimolcch took an ax in his hand and cut
down n bough from the trees and took IL
and laid IL ON Ais shoulder and said unto
the people that were with him, What We
have seen me Ito make haste and do rs
have done And all the people likewise
cut down every man his bough"
Ahimclcch Is name malodorous In
Bible history and yet full of profitable
suggestion. Buoys are black and un-
comcly, but they tell where the rocks are.
The snakes rattle Is hidcous. but IL gives
timely warning. From the piazza Of my
summer home. night by night, l saw .
lighthouse IL miles away. not placed there
for adnrnmcni, but To tell mariners to
stand off from that dangerous point so
all the ironbound coast of moral danger Is
marked with saul and Hcrod and Rcho-
beam and .Iczebcl and Abimelcch These
bad people are mentioned in the Bible 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 very
poor hammer.
Taking "a City.
The city of Shcchem had to be taken,
and Abimclcch and his men were To do H.
i SEQ the dust rolling up from their excited
march. l hear the shouting Of the cap
tains and tie yell Of the bcsiegers. The
swords clack sharply on the parrying
shields. and the yocifcration of two armies
In death grapple is horrible to hear. The
battle goes ON all day, and rs the sun Is set
ting Abimelcch and his army cry, "Surrcn-
der" 10 the beaten foe and. unable Ion
ger to resist, the city of Shechcm falls,
and there are pools of blood and discovered
limbs and glazed eyes, looking up beg
gingly for mercy that war never shows,
and dying soldiers. with their head on the
lap Of mother or wife or sister. who have
come ont for the last offices of kindness
and affection. and groan rolls across the
city. stopping not, because there Is no spot
for IL 10 rest 50 full Is the place of other
groans a city wounded, \ city dying
\ city dead Vail for Shechem, all ye
who know the horrors Of a sacked town.
As look over the city / can find only
one building standing. and that is the
temple 81 the god Berth. Some soldiers
outside Of the city in tower. finding that
they can no longer defend Shechem, now
begin 10 look out for their own personal
safety, and they fly to this temple Of
Berth. They go within the door, shut it.
and they say. Now we are safe Abim-
elcch has taken the whole city, but he
cannot take this temple Of Berth. Here
we shall he under the protection of the
gods. o Berth, the god, do your best
now for these refugees! If you have eyes.
pity them; il you have hands, help them:
If you have thundcrbolts strike for them.
But how shall Abimelech and his army
take this temple Of Berth and the men
who are there fortified: Will they do it
with swordy Nay. Will they do 10
with spear? Nay! With battering ram,
rolled up by hundred armed strength,
crashing against the walls? Nay Abim-
elcch marches his men to wood in Zal-
mon. With his ax he hcws off limb Of a
tree and puts that limb upon his own
shoulder. and then he says to his men,
lyon do the same
They are obcdient to their commander
There is struggle as 10 who shall have
axes. The whole wood is full of bending
ing and the cutting, until every one OF
the host has a limb Of tree cut down,
and not only that, but has put It on his
shoulder just as Abimclcch showed him
how. Are these men all armed with the
tree branchy The reply comes, IAN
armcd,' And they march on. Oh, what
l. strange army. with that strange equip
ment They come up To the foot of the
temple OF Berth. and Abinclech takes his
limb Of u tree and throws IL down, and
the first platoon Of soldiers come up, and
they throw down their branches, and the
second platoon. and the third. until all
around about the temple Of Berth there
H. pile Of tree branches. The Shechemites
look out from the window of the temple
upon what seems To them childish play on
the part Of their enemies. But soon the
ilints are struck, and the spark begins to
kindle the brush, and the flame comes up
ali through the pile, and the red elements
leap TO the easement, and the woodwork
begins 10 blaze, and one arm Of flame Is
thrown up ON the right side of the temple,
and another arm of flame 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 FIRE. within
and FIRE." without announces tho terror,
and the strangulatinn, and the doom Of
the Shechcmites, and the complete over
throw Of the temple of the god Berth.
Then there went up shout, long and
loud, from the stout lungs and swarthy
chests of Abimclcch and his men as they
stood amid the ashes and the dust crying,
"Victory, victory
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, battleaxcs, haber-
geons-and show moi single weapon with
which Ahmelcch and his men could have
gained such complete triumph Ii Is no
easy thing to take IA temple thus armed.
! have seen house where, during Revolu-
tiunary times, man and his wife kept
back "A whole regiment hour after hour be-
cause they were inside the house and the
assaulting soldiers were outside the house.
Yet here Ahimclcch and his army come
up, they surround this temple, and they
! capture IL without the loss Of single man
+ on the part of Ab.mrcch although / sup
pose some of the DID lSraclitish heroes told
+ Abimelcch. You are only going up there
To be ctlt Ia niccns = Vet van arc willing