Gideon ordered his men to do two things: covering up a torch
in an earthen pitcher, he bade them, at an appointed signal,
break the pitcher and let the light shine, and then sound with
the trumpet, crying, "The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon!
the sword of the Lord, and of Gideon! "This is precisely what
all Christians must do". First, you must shine; break the pitcher
which conceals your light; throw aside the bushel which has
been hiding your candle, and shine. Let your light shine before
men; let your good works be such, that when men look upon
you, they shall know that you have been with Jesus. Then
there must be the sound, the blowing of the trumpet. There
must be active exertions for the ingathering of sinners by
proclaiming Christ crucified. Take the gospel to them; carry it
to their door; put it in their way; do not suffer them to escape
it; blow the trumpet right against their ears. Remember that
the true war-cry of the Church is Gideon's watchword, "The
sword of the Lord, and of Gideon! ". God must do it, it is His
own work. But we are not to be idle; instrumentality is to be
used ;The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon!; If we only cry,
The sword of the Lord! we shall be guilty of an idle
presumption; and if we shout, & The sword of Gideon! alone,
we shall manifest idolatrous reliance on an arm of flesh: we
must blend the two in practical harmony. The sword of the
Lord, and of Gideon! We can do nothing of ourselves, but we
can do everything by the help of our God; let us, therefore, in
His name determine to go out personally and serve with our
flaming torch of holy example, and with our trumpet tones of
earnest declaration and testimony, and God shall be with us,
and Midian shall be put to confusion, and the Lord of hosts
shall reign for ever and ever.
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