The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1900-04-12
REV. Or. TALMACE,
TIKI EMINENT pIvINE's SUNDAY
DISCOURSE.
Subjcr.i Victory in Retreat-The Tri-
umph OF the Wicked u Short-FIeo
From Temptations Calamity May ne
Averted by Running Away From Evil.

ouhJccsi victory in Retreat-ghe Tri-
umph OF the Wicked is Short-t'Iec
! From Tcmptotion--C Calamity May ne
Averted by Running Away From Evil.
tCopyright 1901
NAsTfNGroS, ". C.--Froni an old time
battle scene Or. Talmage in this discourse
makes some startling suggestions as 10 the
| best styles OF Christian work and points out
the reason ot so many pious failures. tox:
| Joshua Will, Z, Then shall 20 rise up from
ibe ambush and seize upon tho city,
Ono Sabbath evouing. with my family
! around me. we were talking over the scune
OF the text. In tho wide opcn eyes and the
quick interrogations and tue bHuched
cheeks reaiiaed what q thrilling drama
1t wns. There Is the old city, shorter by
name than any other city Ia the ayes
spelled with two letters, A, I, A. Joshna
and his men want TO take it, How to DO
II Is the question. On u former occasion,
Ia straightforward, face to face fight, they
hnd been defeated, hut now they nro going
to t0kc 1t by ambuscadu. General Joshuu
has two divisions Ia his army Tho Onp
division tho battlc.worn commander VIII
lead himself the other division he sends
oil to encump In an ambush on tho west
side Of the city OF Al. No torches. no
lanterns, no sound of heavy battalions.
but 80 900 swarthy warriors moving in
silence, speaking only in II Whisper no
clicking OF swords against shiolds, lest the
wntchmeu OF Al discover It, and the strata.
gem bo u failure If the roistering soldier
IN the Gsraelitish army forgats himself. all
along tho limo the word is "Gush!"
Joshua takes the other division the one
with which he Il to march and puts Il on
tue north side OF the city Of Al and thon
Hpend the night IN recounoitering ia tho
valley There lie is thnSing over tho for.
tunes o, the coming day with something OF
the feelings uf Wellington the night before
Waterloo or Of Meade aud Lee tin night
hplarN fNhnpn hna 4 9st l,..
night aud says To himself. "Yonder is tho
division In ambush on the west sidc Of Al.
Hero IS the division [ have under my cspec.
ial command on the north side OF Al Thoro
is tho old city s!umberlng in its sln. TO.
morrow will be- the battle" l,ookl The
morning already begins 10 tip tho hills The
military officers Of Al look out In the morn
ing very early, and, while they do not sea
tho division in ambush, they behold the
other divisions of Joshlin, and tho cry ITO
armsl 70 nrms.' rings through all the
streets OF tho old town, and every sword.
whether hacked aud bent ornewly welded
Il brought ont, and all the Inhabitants OF
the city OF Al pour through the gates nu
inFuratod torrent, aud their CRY Is Come,
Wen make quick wosk wiih Joshuu ana
his troopsl"
No sooner ind these peoplc OF All come
out against tho troops Of Joshua thnn
Joshua gave such n command rs he seldom
gave-"Full bHck" Why, they could no,
believe their own ears, Is Joshuais cour.
ago failing him? The retreat is beaten,
and the lsraelites Hrc flying. throwing
blankets and cAntcsns on uvery side under
this worse tiiIn Eull Run defent. And YOU
ought tn hear tho soldiers OF Al cGeer and
cheer and cheer. Hut thDy husSa too soon
Tho mrH ,ylug in ambush are strnining
thelr vision Ia get some signal from Joshua
that thoy may know what time to drop
upon the city. Joshua takes his burnished
spear, Rlittering ia the sun like shaft OF
aooni, and points 1t toward the city, and
when the men up yonder In the ambush see
It with hawkllke swoop they drop upon Al
and without stroke OF sword or stab Of
spear take tho city and put 1t to the torch.
SO much for tho division that was in
ambush. How about the division under
JoshuRs command? No sooner does |
Joshua stop in the Hight than all his mon
stop with him, and as he wheels they |
wheel, for In u voice or thunder he cried |
"Halt?' one strong arm driving back |
torrent OF hying troops. And then, ~ hu |
points his spenr through tho golden light |
toward that fated city, his troops know |
that they are to start FOE 1t. What u scene |
II was when the division in ambush which |
had taken tho city marched down against |
the men OF Al on tho one side, and tho |
troops under Joshua doubled up their |
enemies from tho other side, ard the men |
OF Al were caught between these two hurri- |
canes OF Israeltish courage, thrust before |
and behind, stabbed in breast aud back, |
ground between tho upper and the neither
mllstones OF Gods Indignation! Woe to |
the city of Ai. Cheer for Israol
Lesson the first: There Is such u thing as
victorious retreat. Joshua's falling bnck |
was the first chapter in his successful be.
siegement. And there are times In your
llfa whom the best thing you can do is to
run. You were once the victim OF strong |
drink. The demiohn and tho decantei
were your fierce foes. They came down |
upon you with greater fury than the men oi
Al upon tho men Of Joshua. Your only |
safety Is to get away from them. loui
dissipating companions will come around
YOU for your overthrow. llun for youI
llfei Fall back Fall back from tho drink
ing sRloonl Fan back from tho wine
party! Your flight Is your advance; your
retreat Is your victory. There Is II saloon
down on tho next street that has almost
bee6 tho ruin of your soul. Then why do
you go along that street, Why do you not
pass through some other street rather than
by the place Of your calamity2 spoon.
full OF brandy taken for medicinal pur'
poses by u man who twenty years before
had been reformed from drunkenness
hurled into inebriety and the gravo one OF
the bost friends / ever hUd. Retreat is
YGtoryl
Here is a converted lnndel. Ho is so
strong now In his faith In the Gospel he
says hc can read anything. What are you
readingr Bolingbroke? Andrew Jackson
Dsviss tracts? TyndalPs Glasgow Unl-
versity address? Drop them and run. You
will be an inildel before you die unless you
quit that. These men OF Al will be too
much for you. Turn your back on tho rank
and lllc oil unbelief. Fly before they cut
you with their swords and transnX you
with their javeins,
So, also, there is victorious retreat in tho
religious world. Thousands of times the
kingdom OF Christ has seemed to fail back
When the blood OF he Scotch CoyenanterS
gave u deeper dye to the heather OF tho
highlands, whom the Vaudols " France
chose eXterminution rather than make an
surrender when on st, Bartho.
lomew's day mounted Hssassins rode
IL good in August Kill
d cath to the Hnguenotsl KIM when
Lady Jane Grey's hend rolled from the
executlonor's block, when Calvin was In,
prisoned Ia the castle, when John KNOX
died for the truth, when John Bnnyan lay
rotting IN Bedford jail, saying, III God
will help mo and my physical life con
tinues, l will stay here until tho moss
grows on my eyebrows rather than givoup
my faith" tho days oil retreat tor th,
church were days OF victory.
Tho pilgrim fathers fell back from the
other sido OF the sea to Plymouth Rock
but now are marshHing Is continent foi
the Christlanlaation OF tho world. Tht
Church OF Christ falling back from Pied
mont, falling back from Rue ~. jacques, |
falling back from st. Denis, falling buck
from WurtembGrg castles, falling back
from the Brussels market place, yet ali the
lime triumphlng Notwithstanding all the |