The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-02-12
REV. DIR. TAIMAGE
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE
NOTED DIVINE.
Subject: "The Power Of Example" /"

and took it and laid it on his shoulder and
said unto the people that were with him
What We have seen me do make haste and
do as I have done And all the people like.
wise cut down every man his bough."-
Judges tx. 49,
Abimeiech is name malodorous in Bible
history and yet full OF profitable suggestion.
Buoys are black and uncomely, but they tell
where the rocks are. The snakes rattle is
hideous. but 1t gives timely warning. From
the piazza OF my summer homo night by
might saw lighthouse fifteen miles away,
not placed there for ado-nment but to tell
mariners to stand of from that dangerous
point. So all the iron-bound coast or moral
danger is marked with Saul and Herod and
lRehoboam and Jezebel and Abimelech.
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.
The city Of Schechem had to be taken, and
Abimelech and his men were TO do it. see
the dust rolling up from their excited march.
I hear the shouting of the captains and the
yell Of the besiegers. The swords clack
sharply on the parrying shields. and the vo-
ciferation OF two armies In death grapple is
horrible to hear. The battle goes on all day,
and as the sun is setting Abimelecb and his
army cry 'sSurrenderi" 10 the beaten foe,
and, unable longer to resist, the city OF
Shechem falls, and there are pools Of blood
and discovered limbs and glazed eyes look
ing up beggingly for mercy that war never
shows, and dying soldiers with their head on
the lap of mother or wife or sister, who nave
come out for the last offices OF kindness and
affection, and groan rolls across the city,
cta nofh O n cnnf
to rest, so full is the place of other groans.
A city wounded! A city dying! Acity dead!
Wall for Shechem, all ye who know the hor-
rors Of sacked town.
As I look over the city find only one
building standing, AMI that is the temple o!
the god Berth. Some soldiers outside OF
the city in tower, finding that they can no
longer defend Shechem, now begin to look
out for their own personal safety, and they
fly to this temple Of Berth. They 60 within
the door, shut it. and they say: "Now we
are safe. Abimelech has taken the whole
city, but he cannot take this temple of
Berth. Here we shall be under the protec-
ton Of the gods" o Berth, the god, DO
your best now for these refugees. If you
have eyes, pity them. If you have hands.
help them. If you have thunderbolts, 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
the sword? Nay. VIII they do it with the
spear? Nay. With the batterinc ram rolled
up by hundred armed strength crashing
against the walls? Nay. Abimelech marches
his men to wood in Zalmon. With his ak
he hews off limb of tree and puts that
limb upon his shoulder, and then he 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 the hacking, and the
cutting. until every one OF the host has q
limb Of tree cut down, and not only that,
but has put it on his shoulder Just as Abb
melech showed him how. Are these men all
armed with the tree branch? The reply
comes, "All armed" And they march on.
oh, what a strange army, with that strange
equipment! They come up to the foot OF
the temple at Berth, and Abimelech takes
his limb OF tree and throws it 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 is a
pile of tree branches. The Shechemites look
out from the window of the temple upon
what seems to them childish play on the
parts OF their enemies. But soon the hlnts are
struck, and the spark begins to kindle the
brush. and the fame comes up all through
the pile, and the red elements leap to the
easement, and the woodwork begins to blaze,
and one arm of fame 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
the terror, and the strangulation. and the
doom of the Shechemites, and the complete
overthrow OF the temple Of the god Berth.
Then there went up shout, long and loud,
from the stout lungs and swarthy chests Of
Abimelech and his men Us they stood amid
the ashes and the dust crying, "Victory,
victory!''
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, habergeons, and
show me single weapon with which Abime-
lech and his men could have gained such
complete triumph. Its no easy thing to take
a temple thus armed, have seen house
where, during Revolutionary times, a man
and his wife kept back whole regiment
hour after hour, because they were inside
the house and the assaulting soldiers were
outside the house. Yet here Abimelech and
his army come up, they surround this tenn
lple, and they capture 1t without the loss Of a
single man on the part Of Abimelech, although
u suppose some OF the old Israelitish heroes
told Abimelech. "You are only going up
there to Be cut to pieces" Yet you are will
ling to testify to-day that by no other mode
certainly not by ordinary modes-could that
temple 50 easily, so thoroughly, have been
taken. Fathers and mothers, brethren and
sisters in Jesus Christ. what the church most
wants to learn this day is that any plan is
right. Is lawful, is best. which helps
to overthrow the temple OF sin and
capture this world for God. We
are very apt to stick to the old modes OF at
tack. We put on the old style coat Of mail.
We come up with the sharp, keen, glittering
steel spear Of argument, expecting in that
way to take the castle, but they have
Thousand spears where we have ten. And so
the castle o; sin stands. Oh, my friends,
we will never capture this world for GOD by
any keen saber Of sarcasm. by any glittering
.lances OF rhetoric. by any sapping and min
ing OF profound disquisition, by any gun
Ipowdery explositions Of indignation. by
isharpshootings of wit, by howitzers OF
mental strength maze to swing shell five
miles, by cavalry horses gorgeously capari-
-soned paving the air. In vain all the at
Etempts on the part of these ecclesiastical
foot soldiers, light horsemen and grenadiers.
My friends, propose different style OF
TACTICS. Let eacn one 60 10 the forest OF
Gods promise and invitation and hew down
q bransh and put it on his shoulder, and let
us all come around these obstinate iniquities,
and then with this pile kindled by the fires
Of holy zeal and the flames ofa consecrated
life we will burn them out. What steel can
not do, fire may. And announce myself in
favor OF any plan OF religious attack that
succeeds-any plan of religious attack, how
ever radical. however odd, however unpopu-
lar. however hostile to all conventionalities
of church and state. If one style of PRAYER
does not do the work, let us try another
style. II the church music of to-day does