Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1904-02-01
TALMAGE
SERMON
By Rev.
FRANK DE WITT TALMAGE, DID,,
Pastor Of Jefferson Park Presby-
terrain Church. Chicago

churches and religious communities
weakened by discord and detection this
sermon conveys a powerful and inspir-
ing lesson, showing how even a small
company Of Christians, acting as a har-
mOnious unit, may win great spiritual
victories. The text is Judges vii, 6,
And the number Of them that Tapped,
putting their hand to their mouth, was
three hundred men,"
No sinecurist is the army's recruiting
officer In most cases, whether in peace
or war, the problem which must be
solved by the war department is not
How can we reject our volunteers"
but How can we persuade or even
compel men to enlist in the ranks?"
During Americas great civil war all
healthy men in the south between the
ages of eighteen and sixty were forced
to shoulder a muslet if unwilling TO go
as volunteers, while in the north, after
the volunteers had ceased to respond to
LincOln's repeated calls for troops, the
draft officers went everywhere.
The story of Gideons campaign is
unique in history. Here was general
about TO march against n powerful in
vader, well armed and equipped, whom
he must meet with a raw and undis-
ciplined force, actually reducing by q
CapriciOus test the number of his fol-
lowers. Under Gods command he dis
pensed with nine-tenths of his men.
When General Gideon raised his stand
ard to repel the invasion of the Mid
ianites and Amalekites $4,000 vOlun-
teers answered the call to arms. But
God said to Gideon, better quality than
quantity. Better a few loyal and de-
voted men to repel the invasion than a
great host made up of disgruntled and
fault finding Indifferent recruits Gid
con. as directed by God, cut down the
numbers of that Israelitish army. He
cut them down and down and down
and down until there were left only
three hundred men-Only three small
companies to follow their intrepid lead
er. But they won the victory. So it
may be in the great conflict between
good and evil in this world. Conse-
Grated, loyal. earnest men are needed
I'm the struggle for righteousness. The
falling away of the half hearted, the
quaTelsOme, need occasion no alarm.
The fight is the Lords, and he can ac-
cOmplish more with a few brave souls,
inspired with the Holy Spirit and de-
voted to him, than with a host of nomi-
nal Christians disloyal to him and an
tagonistic to one another.
The Church Army.
The church should be a harmonious
ly organized army. The loyalty with
which one soldier holds to another in
the national army decides to a great
extent the aggregate strength of that
army. When going into battle it is
just as important for a soldier to know
that he is standing shoulder to Shout
der with friends as to realize that he is
standing face to face with attacking
foes. Civil war veterans have told me
that the affection which bound the
men of each company together was like
bands of Unbreakable steel. If sol
der out foraging found food hidden
away in a barn or if he found n desert
ed pile of blankets or an extra pile of
dry wood to be cut into kindling, the
first persons he thought of were those
of his company. There the mem
bers shared each others joys. They
sympathized with each other in their
sorrows. If one of their number did
wrong or got into trouble, the different
members of his company would always
come to his assistance So, my friends
the members of each separate Chris
tan church ought TO be linked together
by gospel love. They should try t
shield each other and pray for eacl
0nher and care for each other and hell
each other. They should never before
the world expose each others weak
nesses any more than wife should b'
a willing to publish before q cynica
neighborhOod the weaknesses anC
shortcomings of her husband. Churcl
members. in other words. should b.
kndIy affeetioned toaone another. wit
brotherly love, in honor preferring on
another"
Not True Christians.
The church a harmonious gospe
company? @Oh, no." says one. "Tha
ideal is mot always a possibility.
know 1t is not possible for me TO liv
Al sympathy and love with all tn
- members of my church. Some of then
have been too mean and have done N
too many injustices. l can truly sa.
/ do not want to harm them, but
certainly desire thatthey should lea~
me entirely alone. | certainly inten'
to leave them entirely alone. do no
wish to keep them out of heaven. bu
/ do not wish some of them to sit be
side me iE d celestial mansion or b
any common earthly fireside made G
brick and stone" My friend, by sue
an answer you are proving the Hol
Spirits power .inefticacious. You N
demonstrating that you are unwlihn
10 become one of Gideons band an
live in faithful harmony with ID
chosen three hundred. God IS willin
rerl1 To n