Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1900-04-13

less and stripped. Methinks that the city
OF AL was not so emptled OF Its inhabitants
when they went to pursue Joshua rs per.
dition was emptied OF devils when they
started for the pursuit of Christ, and Ho
fell back and back, down lover down
lower, chasm below chasm, pit below pit,
until He seemed to strike the bottom OF OBJ
jurgation and scorn aud torture. Oh, tho
long, loud, jublant shout Of hell mt the de-
feat OF the Lord God Almighty
Lesson the second The triumph oil tho
wicked is short. Did you ever see au army
In n panic? There is nothing so uneon-
troliable. II you had stood at Long Bridge,
Washington, during the opening OF our
sad Civil War, you would know what 1t IL
to see an army run. Aud when those men
of Al looked out and saw those men OF
Joshua in stampede they expected easy
work. They would scatter them as the
equinox tho leaves. Oh, the gleefni and
| ubilant descent OF the men Of Al upon tho
men Of Joshua But their exhiaration was
brief. for tho tide Of battle turned, AMI
| these quondam conquerors lett their miser-
able carcasses In the wilderness % Betha-
ven. So it always is. The triumph OF tho
wicked is short. You make $40, 600 at tho
gambling table. Do you expect TO keep 1t?
You will die in the poorhouse. You'make
fortune by Ubiquitous tralllc. Do you ex-
pect to keep iti Your money will scatter,
| or 1t will stay long enough TO curse your
| children after you are dead
Call over the roll Of bad moo VINO pros
| pered aud sec how Short was their prosper
| ity. For awhile. like tho men ~ Al, they
| went from conquest to conquest, but alter
awhile disaster rolled back upon them, and
| they were divided into three parts. Mis-
fortune took their property, the grave took
their body and the lost world took their
soul. am always interested In the built
ing OF palaces OF dissipation. | like to have
thom built Of the best granite and have the
rooms made large and to have the pillars
made very firm. God Is going 30 conquer
them, and they will bo turned into asylums
aud arr galleries and churches.
How long will 1t tako your boys to get
through your ill gotten gains? The wicked
10 not live out half their days. For awhile
they swagger ind strut aud make great
splash in the newspapers, but after awhile
it all dwlndies down into a brief paragraph:
"Died suddenly, April! 8, 1900, Mt thirty-ilye
years OF age. Relatives and friends of tho
family arc invited TO attend the funeral on
Wednesday at o'clock from his late resi-
dence on Madison square. IDterment az
Greenwood or Oak HILL" Some or them
jumped off the docks. Some Of them took
prussic acid. Some OF them fell under the
snap Of q Derringer pistol Some OF them
spent their days In a lunatic asylum.
Where are William Tweed and his asso.
ciates? Where are James Fisk, the liber-
tine, and all the other misdemeanants:
The wicked do not 1.-Two out half their days.
Disembogue, o world of darkness! Come
up. Hildebrand aud Henry ii and Robes
pierre. and with blistering and blasphem
ing and ashen lips. hiss out, The triumph
OF the wicked is short"
Lesson the third: How much may be ac
complished by lying in ambush for oppor-
:unities. Are you hypercritical OF Joshua's
maocuver? Do you say that 1t was cheat
ing for him TO take that city by amDus-
cade? Was it wrong for Washington to
klndle camp6res on Jersey heights, giving
the impression to the opposing force that
a great army was encamped there when
there was none at all? l answer, If the
war was right, then Joshua was right IN
his stratagom. He violated no flag oil
truce. He broke no treaty. but by a lawful
ambuscane captured the city OF Al.
Oh, that we all knew how 10 lie IN am
bush for opportunities TO serve Cod Tlc
best OF our opportunities do not lie on the
surface, but are secreted. BY tact. by
stratagen, by Christian ambuscade, you
may take almost any castle OF sin fer
Christ. Come up toward men with reg
ular besiegement OF argument, and you
will be defeated, but just wait until the
door Of their hearts is set aiar, or they are
off their guard, or their severe caution is
away from home, and then drop Ia on them
from Christian ambuscade.
There bias been many q man up TO bis
chin In scientific portfolios which proved
there was no Christ and no divine revela-
toD, his pen scimeter flung into the
heart OF theological opponents, who. never.
theess has been discounted and captured
for God by some little three-year-old child
who has got up and put her snowy arms
around lis sinewy neck aud asked some
simple question about God.
Oh, make flank movement! Steal
march on the DEVIL Cheat that man into
heaven A IS treatise that will stand all
the laws Of hoTiletics may fail to do that
which penny tract OF Christian entreaty
may accomplish.
Ga, for moro Christians in ambuscade
not lying in ideness, but waiting for Il
quick spring, waiting until just the right
time comes! Do not talk to man about
the vanity OF this world on the day when
he has bought something at '12" and is
going to sell it at "15." Bat talk to him
about the vanity OF the world on the day
when he has bought something at ia" and
is compelled to sell it at "12."
Lesson the fourth: Tho Importance OF
taking good aim. There is Joshua but
how are those people i'm ambush up yonder
10 kuOW WAou tuCy ulO W NlOp Ot thO Wy
and how are these men around Joshua to
know when they arc to stop their light
and advance? There must be some signal
"a signal to stop the one division and to
start the other. Joshua, with a spear OIL
which were ordinarily hung the colors OF
battle, points toward tho city. He stands
In such a consL icuous position. and there
is so much of the morning light dripping
from the spear tip, that all around the
tl,D., .ol In,
say: "There Is the city. Take iti'
God knows and VIC know that great
deal OF Christian attack amounts to moth
ing simply because we do not take good
aim. Nobody knows and we do not know
ourselves which point We want to take
when we ought TO make up our minds what
God will have US TODD and point our spear
III that direction and then burl our body
mind, SOUL time, eternity ct that one tar
get.
In our pulpits' and pews and Sunday
schools and prayer meetings we want to get
q reputation for saying pretty things, and
so we point our speardoward the flowers,
or we want q reputation for saying sublime
things, and we point our spear toward the
stars, or we want TO get reputation for
historical knowledge and we point our
spear toward the past or we want to get
reputation for great liberality, 30 we swing
our spear ell around, while there is the
old world, proud, rebelllous and armed
against all Righteousness, and Instead OF
running any further away from It's pursuit
we ought to turn around. plant our foot In
the strength of the eternal God, lift the old
cross and point 1t in the direction Of the
worlds conquest till, the redeemed OF
earth, marching up from one side and the
gloriled OF heaven marching down from
the other side, the last battement Of sin
Is compelled to swing ous the streamers OF
Emanuel. o church Of God, take aim ana
con0uerl