!i
Zion’s
andmark
DEVOTED TO THE PHIxMITIVE BAPTIST CAUSE.
“TO THE L.VW AND TO THE TESIIMOSY.'’
Vol. X.-No. 6.
Wilson, N. €., Februas’j I, 1877.
Whole No. 232.
Zion’s Landmark.
By the help of the Lord, i^iis paper will
(Contend for tlie ancient l indmark, puided by
ilH stakes of truth,and strengthened by its cords
of love.
It hopes to reject ail traditions and
INSTITUTIONS OF MKN, and regard only the
BIBLE AS THE STANJ«AED of TRUTH.
It urges peojiile to search tlie scriptures and
obev .ksus as the only King in the holy hill
wf Zi >n, keeping themselves unspott.d from
die world.
It aims to contend for the mystery of the
ki h in God and .he Katlur, Jesus the Medi-
ato’, an 1 the Holy Spirit, the itlessed Com
forter.
All lovers of gospel truth are invited to
write for it—if so impres.sed.
M IV grace, raercv and peace, be multiplied
to all lovers of Jesus.
HOW
GIBBON’S FAITH WAS
STRENt«THENED.
J'KAOMENTS OF A SKRMOX.-
ES 7 : 15.
-JUDO-
(Publisbed by request.)
“ And it was so, when Gideon heard the
telling of the dream, and the ioterpretathm
'thereof, tliat be worshipped, and returned in
to the host of Israel, ami said, arise ; for the
Lord halli delivered into your band the host
'of iMidian.”
Tim autlior of saving faitli has his
wav of implaiuinv anil strenvtheiiinir
it in his people. 'Theliistory of Gid
eon is an iliustratioM of tlie method.
Tlse bible brings tbi.s man into no
tice m (lark and evil times. Israel,
the strongest people on earth while
obedient, yet bfcomes the weakest
and most wretehed of all peojile in
disobedience. Man never can help
him, blit when obedient God is bis
helper and that rioht early; and
■when disobedient God delivers him
into the hands of men who love to
plague and distre.s.s him. As often
before and since, Israel had
sinned and was overcome, of theMid-
ianitc’s; so, this time, their whole land
was overrun by their venomous horde.
Poor and di.stressed they were. How
ranch like Christians now when they
forget their Maker and Redeemer.
“And Israel was greatly impover
ished because of the Midianites; and
the children of Israel cried unto the
Lord.” The Lord semis them a
prophet to remind them hovv he
Brought them out of Egypt; (does it
look like they would have forgotten
that ?) How much better are we
though? All angel also comes to
Oiileoii who wa.-> til resiling wheat by
the wine press to hide it from the
Midianites. The wim' press is a
good place to thresh at and to glean.
All our precious gleanings come from
this solemn hiding place that Midian
•knows not of. Tlie Angel’s visit is
la wonderful surprise to Gideon, es
pecially his salutation : “The Lord
is with thee, thou mighty man of val
or.” Gideon’s answer i.s Israelitish :
“O my Lord, if the Lord be with us,
Svhy theii is all this evil befallen us ?
arid where be all his miracles which
'otiir fathers told 'us of,” &c, 6 t 13v
III our distress how hard to believe
the Lord is for us. W e think it the
Lord he for us, then why do all these
evils befall us.
“And the [..ord looked upon him,
ami said, Go in this thy might and
thou shalt save Israel from the hand
of the Midianites: have I not called
thee?” Does it not look like that
was enough to revive him ? lie look
ed on kirn. Oh! what a precious
thing for the Lord’s c untenance and
face to lieam on us. Then tlie Lord
semis him. But hear his answer:
“O my Lcrd, wherewith shall I save
Israel ? liehohl my family is poor in
Manasseh and I am the least in my
father’s house.” He was a lowly,
humble man. How different Irom
the generals of military armies ar
rayed ill their plumes. How diffr-
ent from the preaeiier of human in
stitutions, and arrayed in pride.
Does the Lord rebuke him for his
pleas of in.'-uffieiency in himself ami
his nothingness? The Lord never
rebukes for tliat; this is rather pleas
ing to him. “ Anri the Lord said
unto him, Surely I will be with thee,
ami thou slialt smite the Midianites
uiiOine 11140.; ” as if ilmir was only
one of them. But now was not tliat
enough to confirm his faith? But
here am'ther difficulty ari.ses: and
what evil does not confront and op
pose the work of the Lord ? Never,
iill the operations of the Holy Spirit
begin in ihe .soul, does one know
the exceeding corruption of his own
heart : never does he know the
strength of unbelief until faiih be
gins its precious vv'irk : “ The .strong
man arim'd keeps his palace ami his
goods are in peace, until the stronger
comes,” &c. Gideon now wishe.s to
know tliat it is indeed the Lord talk
ing to him. An honest heart does
not want to deceive or bedeo"ived.—
‘H tw often the christia i prays, I f rle-
Ccived, O L'lrd, deliver me from this
deception : se.ireh me and see if there
he any false way in me, ami lead me
in the way everlasting. It was so
strange a thing to Gideon that he
should be choseu to deliver Israel,
be was so small and weak, and Mid
ian was so strong, ami had them al
ready in subj(“Ctioiiw It was too such
a .serious thing to undertake^, and if
he failed their condition, already
wretched, would he even much worse.
So he wanted to he sure it Was the
Lord tliat talked to him, and lie de
sired a sign ; “ And he .said, if now I
have found grace in thy sight, then
shosv me a sign that thou talkest with
me.” Strange that a nlan .should
the
they .said to him deridin^
cross: Come down from the cross
ami we will believe, &e. Their qms-
tioii eariL'd the poi,son of insulting
denial of li s word. But the cliri.s-
tiaii does imt want signs to establish
the truth that Jesus is the Christ.—
He belii'ves tbat already. He could
not be a ehristian unless he believed
that; blit he wants signs and tokens
for good from the Lord to satisfy
liim that he is a chritiiian, or that it
is indeed the Lord that is leading
him. He .sometimes, yea often, fears
that it may he an illiisioii, or work
ofsatan. or something he ha.« taken
up himself. So Gideo.i wanted to he
■satisfied that it W'as the Lord that
spoke to him.
Tlie Lord tarries until
he
brings
offering,
when he has the sub-
want a sign
stance.
The Savior rebuked the Pharisees
for seeking a sign ; but they asked
Jesus to give them a .?ign tJuit he was
the Son of God. They did not be
lieve that he was the Son of God, as
he s&id. Like the same spirit when
liis present. He made an
and the angel touches it with his
staff, and fir3 comes out of the rock
and eonsnmes it, ami he dejiarts.—
But the sign is .so overpowering he
feat’s lie shall die. Poor man, like
all of ns, what are we? But the
Lord remembers we are diisr, and
piiii’s us. He told Gideon he should
not die. Then he Iniilds an altar and
‘ rs i j i f
this v\as written So when the Lord
appiarstons we Iniild an altar and
worship, and it remains to this day.
What he doeth is forever. His work
abides. An old ehristian well re
members his pn^cious deli .erances,
and how, here ami there, the Lord
appeared to him by the way, and
these remembrances remain to this
very day in his soul.
That night he is commanded to
cut down bis father’s altar to Baal,
and cut down the grove (idi.lators
love to worship in cool, sliady, flow
ery places and on high places where
they cm b« seen) and take his father s
.second bullock, and build an altar to
God, and offi r that bullnck. Here a
saciifiee is required. Must be op
pose the religion of his father? Must
he cut down an altar devoted to a
o-od ? A"es ; he must forsake father
and mother, and, more than that, he
must condemn the false religion of
his father, and, more than condemn,
lie must throw down andtranqile un
der foot, and even slay his father’s
Imllock and offer it. Great reform
ers have hard struggles and en-
cennter much opposition, yet no good
would be done witliout it.
Gideon through fear does this in
the night. Was he eowanily ? The
Lord calls liim a mighty man of val
or. When he hid to thre.sh wheat,
was that valorous? When lie cut
down B lal’s altar, &c., in the night,
was that valoroiis ? Nol, as the
world would s.ay. But lie was. He
hated wrong ami hived right so much
he would obey the Lord, if he had to
do so in th^ dark night. Nothing
would keep him from obeying the
Lord. That was valor.
\
Next morning there is a mighty
stir about Baal’s altar. Touch men’s
religion if you want to ofiend them.
But if you attack their religion and
they get mad that i.s no sign it is true
religion, or that tliey are true wor
shippers; for true worshippers have St
humble meek spirit. God moves on
the heart of Gideon’s father, and he
denounces this old Moaliitisli god of
Baal, or Beclzeliuh, and says, will
ye plead for Baal; if he be a god let,
him plead for liimself: This is sen-
si'ole, for surely if be is a god lie can
take care ot himself.
But as the Lord’s time of deliver
ance nears tlie troubh’s increase. Be-
bold tlie Midianites, the Amalekites,
and cliildreii of the,east are gathered
fill- battle, and pitch camp in the val
ley of Jczreel. Bnt the Spirit of tbo
Lord comes on Gideon, .ami be blows
a trumpet, and Israel begins to gatlier
after him, from several tribes.
Is not t'lis sign emtuirli ; Is be not
now ready to fight? Hear him. “And ^
Gideon sat'd unto God, If thou wilt
save by mine band, as thou bast said,
Beliold I will put: a flecec of wVol in
e floor; and if the dew be on the
,«-5v, «t.l if it lrv on all tile‘s
earth I esides, tlien shall I know that
thou wilt save Israel by mine hand,
as tlioti hast said.” Had be not signs
enough before; No, faith had not yet
overcome. See how lie lias if. He
puts the fleece of woo! on the floor,
under a roof, where dew never falls,
and says, now if there he dew on this
onlv, ami none on the earth, then he
would know &e. It i.s so; for next
morning he wring's out a bowlfull of
dew from the flee, o, and iheeanh was
drv. as not this enoiigli; No, he
vvant.s to jirove it. Oh how careful;
Shall we eomlcmn him ; The Lord
does not. I do not mean to justify
unbelief or doubts. Perhaps no one
ever doubts but a cliristiaii, and yet
1 do not justify or encourage doubt-
ina:. A ciirlstian need.s no enoonr-
o
ageraent to doubt. He doi s tliat nat
urally. The scripUne.s do not en
courage it, but, on the contrary, en
courage faith. But I think this ; that
a mail, who has never felt that he h.as
an evil heart of unbelief; has never
groaned over Ids vile lieart, knows
nulhiiig of himself aS he ought to
know; and that the preacher, who
says one cannot be a chri.stian if he
has any doubts, knows nothing of
Gideon or his anny; But, on the
other hand, as a e^iristian sees how
such a man as Gideon wants signs
and t('els his weakness, and sees how
gracious the Lord is to him, it will
be a sweet morsel of food to his own
soul. As Gideon had to cut down
his father’s false altar before he built
the true one, so faith is i stablished as
unbelief is .slain, or sinks dway; but
much work is done id feardnd in the
dark before this strtsngly hntrenche^
idol of unbelief id hewn down.