The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1882-09-21
MIGHTY HUNTERS.
Sin and Evil the Game for the
Christian Sportsman.
Wickedness and Crime of High and Low
Degree the Wild Beasts Of SOCi-
ety-A Powerful Sermon.
SUBJECT: MIGHTY HUNTERS"

- -TExT-GeneS1S k, 2 HE was a
mighty hunter before the Lord. "--
.ag The autumnal search for game is
about to open. The gun will in many
the eroquet hammer and lawn tennis
racket. In our day hunting Is sport
but in the lands and times infested OF
wild beasts it was a matter of life or
death with the people, 1t was very
different from going out on a sunshiny
afternoon with patent breech-loader to
shoot reed birds on the hats when Pol
lux and Achilles and Dtomedes went out
to clear the land of lions and tigers and
bears NY text sets forth NimrOd as a
hero, when it presents him with broad
shoulders and shaggy apparel and sun
Drowned face and arm punched with
muscle-"a mighty hunter before the
Lord" | think he used the bow and ar
rows with great success prac cticing ar
cherry. have thought, II 1t is such a
grand thing and such a brave thing to
clear wild beasts out OF country, II 1t
is not better and braVer thing to hunt
down and destroy those great evils of
society that are stalking the land with
fierce eve and bloody paw and sharp
tusk and quick spring. The Lord Jesus
in his sermon, used the art of angling
for an illustration when he said, II will
make You fishers of men," and so l
think have authority for using hunt
ing as an illustration of gospel truth;
and pray God that there be many one
in this congregation of whom ii may
after a while be said, "He was mighty
hunter before the Lord" How much
awkward Christian work there is done
in the world! How many good people
there are who drive souls away from
Christ instead Of bringing them to
Him! All their fingers. are thumbs
religious blundereTs who upset more
than they right. Their gun has a
They are like a clumsy comrade who
goes along with skillful hunters; at the
very moment he ought to be most quiet,
he is cracking an alder or falling over
log, and frightening away the game.
How few Christian people have ever
learned the lesson OF how the Lord Jesus
Christ at the we'll went from talking
about cup of water to the most practi-
cal religious truths, which won the
woman's soul for God. Jesus in the
wilderness was breaking bread to the
peOple. | think it was very good bread;
ii was very light bread, and the yeast
had done its work thoroughly. Christ,
after He had broken the bread, said to
the people: Beware of the yeast or the
leaven of the Pharisees." SO natural a
transition it was. and how easily they
all understood Him! But how few
Christian people there are who under
stand how to fasten the truths of God
and religion to the souls of men!
Truman Osborne, one of the evangel-
lists who went through this country some
years ago. had a wonderful art in the
right direction. He came to my fathers
house one day, and, while we were all
seated in the room, he said: Mr.. Tai
mage. are all your children Christians?
Father said Yes, all but Dewitt
Then Truman Osborne looked down into
the fireplace and began to tell a story
of a storm that came on the mountain,
and all the sheep were in the fold, but |
there was one lamb outside who perish |
ed in the storm. Had he looked me in !
the eve l should have been angered |
when he told that story, but he looked
into the fireplace, and it was so pathet-
icallv and beautifully done that L never
found any peace until / was sure was
inside the fold where the other sheep
are. The archers of Olden time studied
their art. They were very precise in
the matter. The old books gave espec-
ial directions as to how an archer should
60 and as to what an archer should do.
He should stand erect and firm, his left
foot a little in advance of the right foot
with his left hand he must take hold of
the bow in the middle, and then with the
hand he should lay hold of the arrow
and affix in it the string-sO precise was
the direction given. But how clumsy
we are about religious work! How lit
tie skill and care we exercise! How
often our arrows miss the mark Oh,
that we all "were all mighty hunters
before the Lord
In the first place if you want to be
in doing good you must be
nf |
very fascinating about the
archery of olden times. Perhaps you do
not know what they could do with the
jOw and arrow? Why, the chief battles
ought by the English Plantagenets
we're with the long bow. They would
axe the arrow of polished wood and
Gather it with the plume of bird, and
hen it would fly from the bowstring of
plated silk. The bloody fields of Agin-
ourt and Solway Moss and NeviIle's
ross heard the loud thrum of the ar
hers bowstring. Now, my Christian
riends. we have mfghtier weapon than
hat. It is the arrow of the Gospel; it |
s a sharp arrow; it is straight arrow;
t is feathered from the wing of the
owe of Gods spirit; it flies from bow :
aade out of the wood of the cross. As !,
ar as | can estimate, or calculate, it has
rOught down three hundred millions of !
oUls. Paul knew how to bring the !
Iotch of that arrow on to the bOWstring !
nd it's whirr was heard through the :
jorinthian theatres and through the :
curt room until the knees Of Felix
nOcked together. 1t was that arrow !
hat stuck in Luther's heart when he !
ried out: ooh, my sinsl Oh, my sins" !
it strike a, man in the head, it kills !
lis skepticism; if it strike man in the !
leel it will turn his step; if it strike :
lin in the heart he throws up his hands :
8 did one of, old when wounded in the :
attic, crying: so Galileanl thou hast !
OnqueredP' -. :f 1
In the armory of the Earl of Penn
rOke there are old corslets which show '
nat the arrow of the English used to !
0 through the breastplate; through the :
1dy of the warrior, and out through I
le backplate. What symbol of that
ospeI which is sharper than a two
1gtd sword, piercing { y the dividing :
sunder of soul and body and of the :
'fnts and marrow. Would to God we :
ad more faith in that Gospel The !
1mbtest man in this house, If he had :
nth in 1t, could bring handred souls !
Jesus-perhaps Eve hundred. Just in =
rOp0rt1on as this age seems to believe l
,S9 and less in IL I haliava Y,,oro- a :, 4 i Z