The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1907-05-07
Caln1age
Sermon
BY Rev.
Frank De Witt TalmaGe, ID. ID.

is assured of victory, Is the lesson OF
this sermon. The text Is Numbers IL,
xxxiii, And there we saw the giants,
the sons of Anak, which come of the
giants"
The most dangerous and yet one OF
the most important duties assigned to
soldier in time of war Is that of
SOY. No soldier but the bravest and
the most intelligent is ever selected by
commanding general for this danger
Gus mission. After the retreat from
Long Island, George Washington need
ed information in reference to the num-
bers and the geographical position OF
the enemy. SO he selected the brilliant
Nathan Hale to penetrate the British
lines and scan the Notifications of Sir
William Howe We ali know the trag<
ic end of that journey. Nathan Hale
died uttering the words, IL only regret
that | have but one life to lose for my
country" But in the sacrifice of that
one life he bequeathed to the Ameri
| can people the legacy of an example
of beroism and faithfulness which is
q perpetual inspiration for every gem
| Grafton since his day and which will
be perpetual inspiration to all I'M
born Americans to the end of time
When the traitor Benedict Arnold
| was about to betray his trust and sur
| render West Point into the hands of
| the enemy. Sir Henry Clinton, the Brit
| ish commander. had to send spy Into
| the Gibraltar OF Americas fortified
lions. SO he selected the Nathan Hale
| of his army, Major Andre. This officer
was without doubt one of the most
promising young soldiers of King
| Georges army. He entered the Amer
| lean lines. He met the renegade Ar
mold. As spy he was captured at
.Tarrytown and hanged by the neck
| until he was dead, as was the brilliant
young American soldier Nathan Hale.
l am using these two noted historical
| Illustrations to show the risk that a spy
runs In order tlat his general may
| learn the position and the strength of
| the enemy | am also using them to
| prove that only the ablest and the BRAY
est and the best soldiers of an army
are ever detailed by the commanding
officers to perform the duty of spy.
A spy once caught In the enemy's lines
is always executed as soon as court
martial can be summoned.
Spies For Moses.
Moses may not have been an orator
like Aaron. but he had the eloquence of
| action He was one of the wisest lead
ers of men who ever lived With mar
yelous executive skill he led the chill
dren of Israel out from the Egyptian
enslavement. He led them through the
Red sea. Now he was face to face
with his intrenched foes. The prom
ised land was before him. Moses was
like Hannibal about to invade the Ro-
man empire. He was like Xerxes with
his million followers about to cross the
Hellespont or the strait of Dardanelles.
He was like Julius Caesar invading the
land of the Gauls. Moses knew not
what was ahead. Therefore as wise
general and leader of men he selected
his spies and sent them forward to
find out what kind of people lived In
Canaan. He wanted to find out what
were the Notifications of his enemies,
what was their military discipline and
the easiest way for the Israelites to at
tack them He did just what General
James Wolfe did when about to at
tack Quebec. He sent forward his spies
to learn the way up the heights of
Abraham. Then when the British COM
mander knew the way he commanded
the troops to advance to the onslaught.
Now, what did the children of Israel
hear about their foes when these spies
came back with their reports? Why
said most of these spies, 1--WE can new
err capturs, those lands. The inhabit-
ants are q race of giants. A little five
year-old child has just as much show
of whipping his father as we have OF
staying those men. Those giants are
also intrenched In impregnable for
tresses. Each city Is a huge walled
town. Then these men are not only
giants, but their numbers are as multi
tudinous as the sands Of the sea. There
are many nations there and all work
ing together Oh, why did we come
oh, why did we leave our homes In
EgyptW Thus did most of the spies
report who went into the promised
e land. Yet forty years afterward ths
sons of these men overcame the giants
and their strongholds, as they them
selves might have done II they hat
put faith In God. So some timid dis
ciples Of Christ In our day shrink from
attacking the forces of sin In their In
trenchments. They think of their owl
weakness instead of the omnipotene'
of God, who will fight for them. Ou
u fault Is that of these ancient Hebrews
!, Instead Of going boldly to the fight w
$ hold back and whimper, 1--WE saw tn
e giants, the sons of Anak, which com'
h of giants"
It They Were Not Pysnies.
h In the first place. these Hebrew spie
4 saw men of tremendous physical pre-
portions. The inhabitants of the prom
ised land were not pygmies, such a
Stanley found In the heart of Africa
e They were the sons Of Anak. The.
/ doomed up before the Hebrew spie