Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1896-02-07
TALMAGE'S SERMON
INTERESTING THEME ny
WASHINGTON PREACnE;
Subject: ''The Power Of Example. q"

TIKI: "An Ahimelech took an az IN his
hand and cut down b0uch from the trees
| and took IL and laid il on his shoulder and
I said unto the peOpl- that were with him:
'Nhai We have seen me DO make haste aud
do a. have done Aud all the peonle like
wise cut down every man his bough."-
Judges tx, -
Abimelech Is a name malodorous in Bible
history and Vet iul u profitable suggestion.
BuOys are black and uuc0mely, but they tell
where the rocks are. The snakes rattle Is
hideous. hut IL gives timely warning. From
the piazza 81 my summer home night by
night / saw lighthouse fifteen miles away.
not placed there for adornmrnt. hut to tell
| mariners To stand Of from that dangerous
point. 50 all the iron-bound coast or moral
danger is marked with saul aud Herod and
| Rehoboam and Jrzehel and Abime'e'h.
These bad people are mentioned in the Bible
not only a warnings, but be ause there were
sometimes flashes Of good conduct in their
lives worthy Of imitation. God sometimes
drives very straight nail with 4 very poor
| hammer.
The city Of Sehechcm hal 10 be taken and
Abimelech and his men We're 10 do It. / see
| the dust rolling up from their excited march
] hear the shouting o; the captains aud the
| yell Of the hesicgrrs. The swords clack
| sharply on the parrying shields, aud the va
rileratlon OF two armies in death grupule Is
horrible 10 hear. The battle goes on all dey.
and as the sun is setting Abimplech and his
! army cry Surrender 10 the beaten foe
and, unable longer to resist, the city OF
/ Shechem falls, and there are pools Of blood
and discovered limbs an glazed ewes 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 have
! come ont for the last Df1paa nf LipRpaas opE
| affection, and Il groan rolls across the city,
! stopping not, because there Is no spot for it
| 20 rest, so full is the place Of other groans
A city wounded 4 city dyingi A city deaf!
/ Vail for Shechem, all We who know the hor-
rors of a sacked town.
/ As | look over the city find only one
/ building standing, ami that Is the temple OF
/ the god Berth. Some soldiers outside OF
/ the city in a 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. Abimeech has taken the whole
/ city, but he cannot take this temple of
/ Berth. Here we shall be under the protec-
| tion Of the gods" Berth, the god, do
/ your best now for these refugees. II YOU
/ have eyes. pity them. II you have hands.
/ help them. II 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 sword2 Nay. VIII they do il with The
/ spear? Nay. With the battering ram rolled
up by hundred armed strength crashing
against the walls? Nay. Abimelech marches
! his men to a wood in Zalmon. With his AK
| he hewS of a limb Of tree and puts that
| limb upon his shoulder. and then he says TO
his men. you do the same"
/ They are Ohedient to their commander
/ There IS struggle as to who shall have axes
/ The who wood is full of bending bOugbs,
! an 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 m to the foot of
| the temple at Berth. and Abimetech takes
| his limb OF tree and throws it down, and
! the first platoon Of soldiers come up, AMI
! 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 Shechcmites look
out from the window OF the temple upon
| what seems to them childish play on the
parts oftheir enemies. But soon the ilints are
| struck, and the spark begins to kindle the
| brush. and the fame comes up all through
the pile and the rel elements leap 10 the
| easement and the WOO work begins to blaze
! and one arm Of fame ia tnrown mn an ~.
right side of the temple, and another nrr ~
fame is thrown nm on the lnft side NJ thn
temple until thew cIgsn their luril naIrn.
nler the wild night sky. AM tha rrv ~
j Fire within and Fire without announces
the terror, and the strangulatOn, and toe
doom OF the Shechemites, and the complete
overthrow OF the temple ofthe gol BerIth
Then there went nm a soopt long and Ian1
/ from the stout lungs and swarthv cbasts NJ
| Abimelech and his men 40 tbav stood ariJ
the ashes and the dust cry,ny VICTORY
yictoryr'
Now 7 laarn first from, ss,bia,t tho f,ri,,
| of daraD 1in,, nnnn my, ono fnr9, 80 ton,i,
| IN ANYTHING we have 70 do for This world NJ.
/ for God Too; over The ,vaanonry If nldon
| tines--iavsIins bn,tIsa,as bahar1ag,,s M
show me a single weanon win which Aim.
Iecb and his man rnnil bayr r,ninri s,,,b
complptp triumnh ItfsnonHsv t5inl,to+"l,a
a tnmnIa thns arma5 Ib,,., seon n ~,
wherA dnrIng Ravolutinnar,, tir,as a mo-,
| and his wife Kent hazel n whole ra,irnrt
| hopr after honr heransa trev war, insiIe
| the house md the assoultinc soIdiers warc
! outside tbe house Yet here Abinalarb ma
! his army come nm they enrrnunI tl,is ,on,.
! ME and they cort,,ra II ,viIbort tho .oss ~ n
sin',Ia man On w., nnrt ~ Ahi"ninh oith',,,t,%
| + snppose some ~ the ola Isroe1ittsS heroea
told AhimeIecb s,yon ara onIt rainc ~,
there 70 he ont r. niece = Yat Van or. viii
inc to testify 1o-iat tbot by ra Gtba. made
certainly nGt NV or1inarv m aJng.-corIJ tbot
| tannle % eosiIy 50 tboTonohIy boTe bean
taken Father ana mot1ers hrarhrnn and
sietsrs in Tssns Cbr;s, Nm IL a ,b,I,ob ,,t
wants - lam tbis T1, tbnt nn,t an -
r;I,ht a ianfni os ma NY P ~
r. ovartbrou, tha te,,yjo " .in ' oard
can,nre this world Tor Cod W. W.
arh ,.ar,, o,t 70 sticI, ~ ,bo ia r,odos 81 W.
tacL We my ~ on tho oI ''e stya anot "a oi
W., ,or, W ,,iIh No sbarr boo, r,Iit., 'i.'
s,e " a,nont ectnS, ~, .i
wav t6 take the castie but tbnT Laya n
| Wy ~ '"NN INV N"'''Nt p'I AAlNN huNt IL