The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1896-01-31
POWER OF EXAMPLE.
Subject of the Latest Sermon by
DR.. Talmage.
If the Professor of Christianity Wants
Others to Serve God He lust Set the
Example Himself-Each Must
DO His Share.

In late sermon at washington Kew.
7. Dewitt Talmage took for his sub
ject THE Power of Example" The
text selected was from Judges, iX:4s,
And Abimelech took an ak in his
hand and cut down bough from the
trees, 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 l have
done And all the people likewise cut
down every man his bough." DR.. Tall
mage said:
Abimelech is name malodorous in
Bible history, and yet full of profita BILE
suggestion. Buoys are black and I'M
comely, but they tell where the rocks
are. The snakes rattle is hideous, but
it gives timely warning. From the
piazza of my summer home, night by
night, l saw a lighthouse Is miles
away, not placed there for adornment,
but to tell mariners to stand off from a
dangerous point. So all the ironbound
coast of moral danger is marked with
Saul, and Herod, and Rehoboam, and
Jezebel, and Abimelech. These bad
people are mentioned in the Bible not
only as warnings, but because there
were sometimes flashes of good con-
duct in their lives worthy of imitation.
God sometimes drives very straight
nail with a very poor hammer.
The city of Shechem had to be taken,
and Abimelech and his men were to do
it. see the dust rolling up from their
excited march. l hear the shouting of
the captains and the yell of the besieg-
ers The swords clack sharply on the
parrving shields, and the vociferation
of two armies in death grapple is hor-
rible to hear. The battle goes on all
day; and as the sun is setting Abime-
lech and his army cry, surrender to
the beaten foe. And, unable longer to
resist, the city of Shechem falls; and
there are pools of blood, and dissev-
cred limbs and glazed eyes looking 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 out for theS last
offices of kindness and affection; and a
groan rolls across the city, stopping
not, because there is no spot for it to
rest. so full is the place of other
groans A city wounded! A city dy-
ing city dead. Wall for Shechem,
all We who know the horrors of a
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 in tower,
finding that they can no longer de-
fend Shechem, now begin to look out
for their own personal safety, and they
fiy to this temple of Berth. They go
within the door, shut it. and they say:
Now we are safe. Abimelech has
taken the whole city. but ne cannot
take the 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 thun-
derbolts, 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 il with
sword? Nay. Will they do it with
spear? Nav. With battering ram, rolled
up by hundred-armed strength, era sh-
ing against the walls? Nay. Abimelech
marches his men to wood in Zalmon.
With his AK he news off limb of a
tree, and puts that limb upon his own
shoulder, and then he says to his men:
"You do the same" They are obedi-
emit to their commander. There is a
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 limb of the tree cut down, and
not only that, but has put it on his
shoulder just as Abimelech 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 VI DcTlIh IuCiC 10 o
pile of tree branches. The Shechem-
ties look out from the window of the
temple upon what seems to them child
ish play on the part of their enemies.
But soon the f1ints are struck, and the
spark begins to kindle the brus 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
I'D Cd 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 ''Firer' without, an
nounces the terror, and the strangula-
ton, and the doom of the Shechemites,
and the complete overthrow of the
temple of the god, Berth. Then there
went up a shout, long and loud. from
the stout lungs and swarthy chests of
Abimelech and his men, as they stood
amid the ashes and the dust crying
Victory! victoryr'
Now / learn first, from this subject,
the folly of depending upon any one
form of tactics in anything we have to
10 for this world or for God. Look