The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1885-11-04
DR.. TALMhGE'S SERMON.
'THE HIRED RAZOR"

Text: "In the same day shall the Lord
shave with a razor that is hired, namely, by
them beyond the river, by the king Of Assy.
ria. Isaiah vii, 20.
The Bible is the boldest book ever written.
The similitudes in Ossian, in the Iliad, in the
Odyssey, are not half so daring. The imagery
of the Bible sometimes seems on the verge Of
the reckless, but only seems so. The fact is
men and nations in the right direction, and
tame and limping similitude will not do the
work. Sometimes we find in the Bible illustra-
tions drawn from the gentle dew, and the
morning cloud, and the dove, and the day
break, andthe rose, and the lily; but often
We find illustrations drawn from the iron
chariot, and the lightning, and the storm,
and the earthquake, and the sword, n the
spear, and, in my text, the razor. This sharp
with the ages. In Bible times the beard re-
manned uncut except in times Of great
mourning and humiliation; but the razor has
always been a significant illustration. David
says of Doeg, his antagonist, 'thy tongue is
like a sharp razor, working deceitfully;"'
that is, while it pretends to clear the face, it
makes deadly incision. In my mornings
smia this the a0m'. foild 5mplemen eir Is empi0ysa
Judah must have its pride and
glory cut down. God sends against it
three Assyrian generals. First, Sennachareb,
then Esarheddon, then Nebuchadnezzar.
These three invasions cut across the land,
bringing down its prosperity, and it is COM
pared to 80 many sweepings with a razor
across the face Of Judah. The circumstances
In the text are compared to a hired razor be-
with whom He had no sympathy, to do His
work, paying for that work in palaces and
| spoils and lamentations. God hired these
kings to execute the divine behest. So you
zee that though at the first reading OF the
text it might have seemed almost trivial and
inapt, now the text is charged with thoughts OF
stupendousi mportand moment. "In the same
day shall the Lord shave with a razor that is
hired, namely, by them beyond the river, by
the king of Assyria." Well. il Gods judg,,
ments are razors, we had better lie careful
how we use them on other people. These
useful implements are encased, and they are
| put beyond the reach of childhood, and they
| are put where no accident can touch them.
Everybody understands that a razor, II
handled at all must be cautiously handled.
And yet, how many men there are who take
the judgments of God, which are in my text
compared to razors, and deal with them very
carelessly. and very recklessly. There is q bust
ness man who goes down. How many people
there are ready to cry out: THAT is q judg-
ment OF God upon the fact that he was un.
s%crupulous, that he was arrogant, that he
was misery, that be was extortionate. b
O keen stroke Of Providence it was that took
him down. His city house gone his country
house gone, all his stables emptied of the fine
grays and sorrels and bays that used to
prance at his doorway. All his resources cut
off. Thrown into complete demolition. Good
for him!'' My brother, be careful how you
handle the Lords razors. Sometimes the
wicked have great prosperity, and they live
and die in prosperity, and many all honest
and conscientious man has Eeen driven into
bankruptcy. Perhaps the man is unfortunate
in his manner and ism as proud as you think
be is, for some mon have a natural way OF
being very erect, and they have an imperial
manner when at the Same time they are as
humble as a little child; and there is many a
man who goes with seedy coat and slouched
hat and unblackened shoes who is proud as
Lucifer. You cannot tell by any mans looks.
Perhaps the man of whom you speak was not
unscru pulous in his dealings, for there are two
sides to every question, and if a man achieve
anything great for himself or for others, he al
ways gets industriously lied about! Perhaps
that mans business misfortune was not sent
as a punishment, Lut as fatherly discipline
and God may really love that unfortunate
business man more than He loves you who
can pay dollar fo' dollar, and whose name in
the commercial catalogue stands AL Whom
the Lord loveth he giveth $500, 00O a year, and
lets die on an embroidered pillow: No; have
misouoted the passage. "Whom the Lori
loyeth He chasteneth." Better keep your
hands off the Lords razors. If you want to
shave of some Of the bristling pride OF your
YOU put the sharp edge on Others. / cannot
tell how much I dislike the behavior of those
people who, when any one is unfortunate, al
ways say: "Just as / expected. l told you
so. Why, didn't you know that before:
Why, I knew that long agnl" If these I told
YOU SOS had had their dessert they would
have been in hell long ago! They have
more trouble about the mite, the mote
ir a neighbours eye, though you have to
use a microscope to discover it, than
they have about the shiptimber that obscures
heir optics. They have an air sometimes
supercilious and sometimes pharisaical and
always blaspkemous, with which they take
tie razor Of Gods judgments and try to
sharpen it or the hone Of their own hard
hearts, and then when they eau get a man
srrawled out in disaster they begin to cut
lnercilessly. They first begin with words oil
sympathy and pity and half praise, and put
tie lather on thick before they begin with the
sharp edge. Better look out how you shoot
~ OGu6lS lSSu yOu u AuS AVN ehO "AShS SAAo
as when the servant Of King William Ruth:
shot at a deer, but the arrow glanced from s
tree and killed the king, Instead OF going Al
me world with sharp shafts that pierce, anc
razors that cut. let Us 60 out into tbs worlc
with the spirit OF the friend or f1chart
Occur de Lion, who in'the war Of the crusade
was captured and imprisoned and hi, frlenc
did not know where he was imprisoned. Thl
friend went from fortress to fortress and from
penitentiary to penitentiary and sang ~ateverJ
window o verse Of O song which Richard II
other days had taught him. Coming to win.
dow of a prison where he supposed Richard
might be incarcerated he sang two lines Of
the HYMN, and from inside the wall Richard
SANG the other two lines, and so his where
abouts were discovered and prompt and sue
cessful movement was made for his liberia
ton. Oh, my friends, let us go forth in the
world with the music Of kind words and
sympathetic hearts, serenading the u~nfortu.
nate and trying to help out Of trouble noble
creatures that by unforeseen circumstance
have been incarcerated, and so we will be
liberating kings, kings. More hymn book:
and less raZors.
Especially ought we be apologize and mer
ciful toward those, who, though they have
great faults, have also great virtues. Some
men barren of faults are also barren OF VIZ,
tues. No weeds, verify, but no flowers.
must not De TOO MUCH eHSdSeo az Aoo'ie
which I find in the field near the fence wher
in that same field there are forty acees of ripe
Michigan wheat Scientists say now there i:
a spot on the sun 1000 miles long, but from
the warmth and brightness to-day I think il
isIconsiderable of q sun yet! The sun can affore
to have a very large spot upon it, though i
be 20, 1000 miles long. And I am very
apologize for those mon wht
have great faults, while at the same
time they have magnificent virtues.
My subject also impresses me with the fac,
no road Ethe Lord shall shave with O razor