[Most particularly is this noticed in the Epistle to the Hebrews: " By faith Gideon and the others subdued king- doms"." There came, in obedience to his summons, two-and- thirty thousand men. But God directed him to dismiss from amongst them all who were timid : and instantly was his army reduced to ten thousand men. But even these were more than God chose to employ : and therefore Gideon was ordered to bring them down to a stream, and to separate those who lapped like a dog, from those who bowed down to drink like cattle ; and to reserve the former only for his companions in arms. Of those who lapped, there were only three hundred ; and these were all who were left him to go against the Midianites, who amounted in all to one hundred and thirty- five thousand men. But not even these were to be employed in one compact body : no : scarcely two of them were to be together: they were to occupy an immense tract of ground, surrounding the whole camp of Midian. Nor were they to make a simultaneous attack : but to take, every one of them, a pitcher and a lamp and a trumpet, and to break their pitchers and blow their trumpets, and to stand in their place, crying, " The sword of the Lord and of Gideon." What an armament, and what a disposal of the troops, according to the judgment of sense, was this! It was the direct way to have every soul amongst them slain in an instant : for not one of them could escape through darkness; since every one held his lamp, as it were, for the express purpose of making himself a mark for the spear or sword of his enemy''. But Gideon presumed not to sit in judgment on the directions given him. It was sufficient for him to know what God's appointment was ; and to that he submitted, without hesitation or delay.]
It is also the good fight of faith which you are now called to fight —
[There must be no dependence on an arm of flesh. You must "go forth in the strength of the Lord," and of him only. To overcome through the simple exercise of faith, may appear strange ; but it is the way appointed by God himself, who will have all the honour of your success, and will suffer " no flesh to glory in his presence." " To stand still, and see the sal- vation of God" with you, may appear to savour of pre- sumption : but it is infinitely greater presumption to invade the prerogative of God, and to take on ourselves the work that belongs to him alone. The proclamation of his name, and the exhibition of his light, are doubtless proper, as his appointed means for advancing his own glory; but of them- selves they can effect no more for the subjugation of our
" Heb. xi. 33. '' Judg. vii. 1 — 21.