Semi-weekly independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1895-1897, 1896-02-01
HOW TO TAKE A UITY.
ABiMElECH a RASCAL, BUT
KNEW HOW TO FIGHT.
Rev. DIR. TaIuage Shows How God
Sometimes Drives n Straight Nail
with a Poor Ha~mmcr-The Bcsicged
City of Shcchcn.


City of Shechem.
The Lesson.
In his for Sunday Rev. DR.. Tai
mage took for his subject The Power Of
Example," The text selected was Judges
tx, II: And Abimelech took an aN IN
his hand and cut down Il bough from the
trees and took it and laid it on his shout
der and said unto the people that We're
with him. What We have seen me do make
haste and DO as | have done. And all the
people likewise cut down every man his
bough."
Abimclech is a name malodorous in
Bible history and yet full of profitable SUE
g%estion. Buoys are black and ~uncomely.
but they tell where the rocks are. The
snakes rattle is hideous. but II gives time
~ warning. From the piazza of my sum
mcr home, night by night. | saw Il light
house fifteen miles away. not placed there
for adornment. but TO tell mariners 70
stand off from that dangerous point. -
all the ironbound coast of moral danger
is marked with saul and ilerod and Reno
boam and .Jczebcl and Abimelech. These
bad people are mentioned in the Bible not
only rs warnings. but because there were
sometimes flashes of good conduct IN their
lives worthy of imitation. cod sometimes
drives a very straight nail with Il very
poor hammer.
Taking a City.
The city OF Shechem had TO be taken
and Abimelech and his men were To do it..
l see the dust rolling UP from their eN-
cited march. ] hear the shouting of the
captains and the yell of the besiegcrs.
The swords clack sharply on the parryinS
shields. and the vocifcration Of two armies
in death grapple is horrible to hear. The
battle goes on al day. and Is the sun IS
setting Abimelech and his army cry. sur
render to 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. 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 out for the last Offices of kindness
and affection. and a groan rolls across the
city. stopping not. because there Is 10 spot
for it To rest. so full * the place of other
groans. 4 city wounded. y city dying.
A city dead. Wall for Shcchem. All We
who know the horrors of Il sacked town.
As | look over the city | can find only
one building standing. and that Is the
temple of the god Berth. Some soldiers
outside of the city i'll Il tower. finding that
they can 10 longer defend Shechem, now
| begin to look out for their own personal
safety. and they fly To his temple OF
Berth. They go within the door, shut 1t,
and they say, Now We are safe. ADlne-
lech has taken the whole city. but he can
not take this temple of Berth. Here we
shall be under the protection 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 sword? Nay. viii they do it with
spear? Nay, With battering ram, rolled
up by hundred armed strength. crashing
against the walls! Nay. Abimelech
marches bis men to Il wood in Zalmon.
With his Ak he hews off 4 limb of Il tree
and puts that limb upon his W shoulder.
and then he says TO his men, You do the
same"
They are obedient to their commander.
There is Il struggle as to who shall have
axes. The whole wood is full of bending
boughs, and the cracking. and the hack
ing, and the cutting, until every one OF
the host has q limb of Il tree cut down.
and not only that. but has put 1t on his
shoulder Just as Abimelech showed him
how. Are these men all armed with the
tree branch? The reply comes, "Al
armed,' And they march on. On, what
a strange army. with that strange equip
ment. They come up to the foot of the
temple at Berth. and Abimelech takes his
limb of a 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 n pile of tree branches. The Shechemitas
look out from the window Of the temple
upon what seems to them childish play on
the part of their enemies. But soon the
hinis are struck, and the spark begins To
| kindle the brush. and the flame comes up
all through the pile. and the red elements
leap to the easement, and the woodwork
begins To 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 the terror,
and the strangulation, and the doom of
| the ~Shechemitcs. and the complete over
throw of the temple of the god Berth.
Then there went up a shout, long and
loud. from the stout lungs and swartliy
chests of Abimelcch 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, battleaXes, hab-
errnons-aul show me Il single weapon