Connecticut western news., 1900-04-12

uypartumucs Are you nypercrlIical of Joshua'S maneuver? Do you say that it was cheating for him to take that city by alnbuscade? Was it wrong for Washington to kindle camptires on Jersey heights. giving the impression to the opposing force that great army was encamped there when there was none at all? l answer, if the war was right, then Joshua was right in his stratagem. He violated no flag of truce. He broke no treaty, but by a lawful ambuscade captured the city of Ali. Oh, that we all knew how to lie in ambush for opportunities to serve God! The best of our opportunities do not lie on the surface, but arc secreted. By tact by stratagem, by Christian am buscade. you may take almost any cas- tie of sin for Christ Come up toward men with a regular besiegement of ar- gument. and you will be defeated, but just wait until the door of their hearts is set ajar, or they are off their guard, or their severe caution is away from home, and then drop in on them from Christian ambuscade. There has been many man up to his chin in scientific portfolios which proved there was no Christ and no divine revelation, his pen a scimeter flung into the heart of theological opponents, who neverthe- less has been discomfited and captured for God by some little 3-year-old child who has got up and put her snowy arms around his sinewy neck and ask ed some simple question about God.
 Oh. make flank movement! Steal march on the devil! Cheat that man into heavenl A $5 treatise that will stand all the laws of homiletics may fail to do that which a penny tract of Christian entreaty may accomplish. Oh, for more Christians in ambuscade not lying in idleness, but waiting for a quick spring, waiting until just the right time comes! Do not talk to a man about the vanity of this world on the day when he has bought some thing at "12" and is going to sell it at "15.' But talk to him about the van ity of the world on the day when he has bought something at '15' and Is compelled to sell it at ''12v' Do not rub a mans disposition the wrong way; do not take the imperative mood when the subjunctive mood will do just as we'll; do not talk in perfervid style to a phlegmatic nor try to tickle a torrid temperament with an icicle. You can take any man for Christ if you know how to get at him. Do not send word to him that tomorrow at 10 o'clock you propose to open your bat teries upon him, but come on him by a skillful, persevering, God directed am- l buscade.
 Lesson the fourth: The importance ] of taking good aim. There is Joshua, | but how are those people in ambush up | yonder to know when they are to drop | on the city, and how are these men ] around Joshua to know when they | are to stop their flight and ad- ! vance? There must be some signal-a | signal to stop the one division and to | start the other. Joshua, with a spear 1 on which were ordinarily hung the I colors of battle, points toward the city. ! He stands in such conspicuous posi- | ton, and there is so much of the morn I ing light dripping from that spear tip. ! that all around the horizon they see it. | It was as much as to say: There is the | city. Take it!'
 Take Good Aim.
 \ God knows and we know that a | great deal of Christian attack amounts to nothing 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 to do and point our spear in that direc- ton and then hurl our body, mind, 1 soul, time, eternity at that one target.
 In our pulpits and pews and Sunday schools and prayer meetings we want to get reputation for saying pretty
 things, and so we point our spear to-
 ward the flowers, or we want reputa-
 tion for saying sublime things, and we point our spear toward the stars, or we want to get a reputation for his
 torical knowledge, and we point our spear toward the past. or we want to get a reputation for great liberality, so we swing our spear all around, while there is the old world, proud, rebellious and armed against all righteousness,
 and instead of running any farther 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 it in the direction of the worlds conquest till, the redeemed of
 earth, marching up from one side and
 the glorifed of heaven marching down from the other side, the last battlement
 of sin is compelled to swing out the
 streamers of Emanuel. O church of
 God, take aim and conquer!
 I have heard it said, Look out for a
 man who has only one idea he is ire
 sistible." I say look out for the man
 who has one idea, and that a deter
 imitation for soul saving. believe God
 would strike me dead if I dared to
 point the spear in any other direction
 Oh, for some of the courage and en-
 thusiasm of Joshua. He flung two
 armies from the tip of that spear. It is
 sinful for us to rest unless it is to get
 stronger muscle and fresher brain and
 purer heart for Gods work. I feel on
 my head the hands of Christ in a new
 ordination. Do you not feel the same
 omnipotent pressure? There is a work
 for all of us. Oh. that we might stand
 up side by side and point the spear to-
 ward the city! 1t ought to be taken
 It will be taken. Our cities are drift
 ing off toward loose religion or what
 is called Liberal Christianity which
 is so liberal that it gives up all the car
 dinal doctrines of the Bible; so liberal
 that 1t surrenders the rectitude of the
 throne of the Almighty. That is fiber
 ality with vengeance. Let us decide
 upon the work which we as Christian
 men have to do and in the strength oi
 God go to work and do it.
 It Is comparatively easy to keep on {
 parade amid a shower of bouquets anC