The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-04-25
DIR. TALMAGES SERMON.
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE NOTED
DIVINE.
Subject: Victory In Retreat-The Tri-
umph of the Wicked is short-flee
From Temptation-Cnlamjtv May lie
Averted by Running Away From Evil.
copyright l?uu.l

Averted by Running Away From Evil.
copyright l9Oo.l
WASHINGTON, D. C.--From an old time
battle sccne DR.. Talmage in this discourse
makes some startling slggestions'as to the
best styles of Christian work aud points out
the reason OF 80 many pious failures; texs,
Joshua viii, 7, Then shall ye rise up from
the ambush and seize upon the city,
Ono Sabbath evening, with my family
around me, we we're talking over the scene
Of the text. In tho wide open eyes and the
quick interrogatious and the blanched
cheeks I realized what thrilling drama
it was. There is the old city, shorter by
pnme than any other city 10 the ages,
and his men want to take 1t. How to do
it Is the question. On former occasion,
in q straightforward, face to face fight, they
had been defeated, but now they are going
to take 1t by ambuscade. General Joshua
has two divisions in his army. The one
division the battle-worn commander will
lead himself, the other division he sends
off to encamp In an ambush on the west
side OF the city OF All. No torches. no
lanterns, no sound OF heavy battslions.
but 30,0S0 swarthy warriors moving In
silence, speaking only In a whisper; no
clicking OF swords against shields, lest the
GEM be q failure. II the rolsterlng soldier
in the Israelitish army forgets himself, all
along the line the word Is "Hush!'
Joshua takes the other division, the one
with which he Is to march, and puts 1t on
the north side OF the city Of Al and then
spend the night in reconnoitering In the
valley. There he Is, thinking over the for
tunes OF the coming day with something OF
the feelings OF Wellington the night before
Waterloo or. Of Meade and Lee the night
before Gettysburg. There he stancs 10 the
night and says to himself: "Yonder is the
division In ambush on the west side OF AL.
Here is the division have under my espec-
iRl command on the north side OF Al. There
is the old city slumbering In Its sin. To-
morrow will be the BATTLE" Look! The
morning already begins to tip the hills. The
military officers Of Al look out In tue morn
ing very early, and, while they o'not see
ths division in ambush, they behold the
otberdiyisions OF Joshua, and the cry ITO
armsl. To arms" rings through all the
streets OF the old town, and every sword,
whether hacked aud bent or newly welded I,
is brought out, and all the Inhabitants OF
the city OF Al pour through the gates, an
iniuriated torrent, and their cry is, Come,
we'll make quick work with Joshua and
his troops!"
No sooner had these people OF Al come
ont against the troops OF Joshua than
JoshuS cave such command as lie seldom
gave-"Fall back" Why, they could not
believe their own ears! Is joshua's cour-
ape falling him? The retreat Is beaten,
aud the Israelltes are flying, throwing
blankets and canteens oa every side under
this worse than Bull Run defeat. And you
ought to hear the soldiers Of Al cheer and
cheer and cheer. But they huzza too soon.
TIE men lying in.anbush are straintng
their vision to get some 81. nal from Joshua
that they may know what time to drop
upon the city. Joshuatakes his FURNISHED
spear, glItterlng In the sun like shalt OF
doom, and points 1t toward the city, and
when the men up yonder In the ambush see
II with bawklike swoop they drop upon AL
aud without stroke OF sword or stab OF
spear tuke the city and put 1t 20 the torch.
So much for the division that was in
ambush. How about the division under
Joshua's command? No sooner does
Joshua stop In the flight than oil his men
stop with him, and rs he wheels they
wheel, for in Il voice Of thunder he cried
"Haltl'' one strong arm driving back a
torrent OF fying troops. Aud then, rs he
points his spear Though the golden light
toward that fated city, hls troops know
that they are to start for 1t. What q scene
it was when the division In ambush which
had taken the city marched down against
the men OF Al on tine one side, and the
troops under Joshua doubled up thelr
enemies from tho other side, and the men
OF Al were caught between these Two hurri-
canes OF T-eaelltish courage, thrust before
and behind, stabbed In breast and bnck.
ground between the upper aud the neither
miI!stones OF Gods Indignation! Woe to
the city OF All Cheer for Israeli
Tas,or Ia Th q auph q thing AZ
victorious retreat. Joshua'5 falling back
was the first chapter in his successful be.
siegement. Aud there are times In your
life when the best thing you can do Is to
run. You were once the victim OF strong
drink, The demijohn and the decantor
were YOUR fierce foes. They came down
upou YOU with greater fury than the men OF
All upon tue men oi Joshua. Your only
snfety is to get away from them. Your
fdisstpating companions will come around
YOU for your overthrow. Bun for your
Sllfel Fall backl Fall back from tue drink
sing saloon! Fall bnck from tue wine
sHSrtyl, Your flight is your advance; your
fetfeat Is your victory. There ts saloon
SioWn on the next street that has almost
Sheen the ruinyor your soul. Then why do
k6n 20 along that street? Why do you not
Sass through some other street rather than
Z the plaessof your calamity? Aspoon-
f1i Of brandy taken for medicinal pur-
poses by 8 man who twenty years before
had been fsformed from drunkenness
hurried into faebriety and the grave one OF
zthe Ast friends I eyer had. Retreat Is
ia q converted inadsl. He is so
! Stt0nE now ffn his faith In the Gospel lie
SssSs}fi6 fanreni anything. What nre you
q YS dt19 q 36liiigbroke Andrew Jackson
Il {f5cts? Tyndall's Glasgow Uni
IssfsfS3 adHEssso Drop them and run. You
fsihhdel before you die unless you
! GiIjs 3haf Ihese men OF AL will be too
muck 34n34u Turn your back on tho rank
and f3iHs 81 dnbelIef. Fly before they cut
yons X tlJ fheir swords and transn1 you
wifi fhsl e {slins.
S0 f5iAre Is victorious retreat IN the
,erefigi6 i6dS #Afid Thousands OF times the
kfnFd nilS0f sGhtlst has seemed to fall back.
When 81 Ei1Sdso the Scotch Covenanters
COVE shs se18r lie to tue heather OF the
! shIghlapd R69h the Vaudpls OF France
/; chose 36rniinHt ION rather chan make an
sunchffsti1H surrender, when on st. Bartho-
lomeW.s Ssd,l ~ mountet assasstns rode
thfough the strsHts OF Paris, crying "Kill!
Bloodietttng Is Eood In AnRnstt Kill!
u eat hs I'D tho. HHRae otsl KffiI,' when
LADY Jane Grey hend rolled from the
SexeedtIonets55b 5blotk, when Calvin was I'm
sSpfjs66ed IN the eaBtle, when John Knox
: dfad Tor the truth hen John. Bunyan lay
Fling In Beifoid jail, saying, "It God
swlli hell me ard niysphysical life con-
3 Stinues, / Will stay Shese. until the moss
/ grows on my eyebroWsratber than give up
my faith,n the days solf retreat for the
Church were days OF victory, d.
The pilgrim fathers ytell back from the
6 other side Eot tiis sea fg Plymouth Rock,
i sbnt now ARE nsarshulinK n continent for
tha Chrlstianizationlo OF she world. The
Church Of Christ falling hack from Pied.
mont, falling Buck from Rue 81. Jacques.
failing back from .St.sHenis falllngr back
from Wurtembsrg castles, falling back
from the Brussels market placs, yet all the
IL tma trIumphing. Notwithstanding all the
fsSerses which the Church OF Christ sui
.sfers, what do We see to-daya Twelve thou
sand missionaries Of the CROSS on heathen