The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1885-11-12
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
The Brooklyn Divine Discourses
on "The Lords Razor"
Gods Dealing with Nations That Need
Rebuke-Apparent Accidents as Fac
tors in the Administration
OF Divine Justice.

BROOKLYN, N. Y, October 1-Dr. Tai
mage preached this morning on the sub
ject: 1.-THE Lords Razor" The Brooklyn
Tabernacle was crowded. At all the serv
ices held there are people from all parts
of this land and from foreign lands. One
characteristic of the audiences is the great
number of clergymen present. Before the
sermon to-day, DR.. Talmage read and ex
pounded the oath chapter of the First Book
of Samuel. the story Of David allowing
Saul. his enemy, to escape, taking only q
piece of his robe by which Saul might see
that David had had him in his power. The
opening hymn was:
The morning light is breaking,
The darkness disappears;
The sons of men are waking
To penitential tears. -e-4 % ~,
DR.. Talmage's text was:
In the same day shall the Lord shave with
arazor that is hired-namely, by them be-
yond the river, by the King of Assyria.-
Isaiah, viii, 20
DR.. Talmage said:
The Bible is the boldest book ever writ
ten. There are no similitudes in Ossian or
the Iliad or the Odyssey so daring. It's
imagery sometimes seems on the verge of
the reckless, but only seems so. The fact
propel men and nations. A tame and
limping similitude would fail to accom-
fplish the objects. While there are times
when he employs in the Bible the gentle
dew and the morning cloud, and the dove
and the daybreak in the presentation of
truth, we often ind the iron chariot, the
lightnings the earthquake, the spray, the
sword, and in my text the razor.
This keen bladed instrument has advanced
in usefulness with the ages. In Bible
times and lands the beard remained uncut
save in the seasons of mourning and HUI
initiation, but the razor was always asug-
gestive symbol David says of Doeg,
his antagonist: "Thy tongue is sharp
razor working decetfully;" that is,
it pretends to clear the face, but
is really used for deadly incision.
In this mornings text this weapon of
the toilet appears under the following cir
cumstances. Judea needed to have some
of its properties cut off and God sends
against it three Assyrian Kings first Sen.
nacherib then Esrahaddon and afterward
NebuchadneZzar. These three sharp inva-
sions that cut down the glory of Judea are
compared to so many sweeps of the razor
across the face of the land. And these
circumstances were called o hired razor
because God took the Kings of Assyria,
work, and paid them in palaces and spoils
and annexations. These Kings were hired
to execute the divine behests And now
the text, which on the FIRST reading NAV
have seemed trivial or inapt is charged
with momentous import: "In the same
day shall the Lord shave with arazor that
is hired, namely by them beyond the river,
ss-v by the King of Assyria."
esrss Well, If Gods judgments are razors, we
had better be careful how we use them on
other people. In careful sheath these do
nestle weapons put away where no
one BY accident may touch them, and
where the hands of children may not reach
them. Such instruments must be careful
~ handled, or not handled at all But
how recklessly some people WELD the
& Judgment of God. If man meet with
I'D business misfortune, howl many there are
81 ready to cry outs "That is Judgment of
God upon him because he was unscrpulous.
or arrogant or over-reaching, or miserly.
- thought he would get cut down What a
clean sweep of every thiDgl His city house
and country house gone. His stables emp.
tied OF all. the fine bays and sorrels and
grays that used to prance by his door. All
- mis- resources overthrown and that he
prided himself on tumbled into idemol.
81 tion. Good for him. Stop, my
oAoSASAs DoAb ming around Zoo freely the |
Judgments of God, for they are razory. 4
Some of the most wicked business
men succeed and they live and die in
prosperity, and some OF the most honest
and conscientious are driven into bank.
ruptcy. Perhaps his manner was unfor. |
inmate and he was not really as proud as |
e be looked to be. Some of those who carry |
their heads erect and look imperial are |
humble as child, while many q man in |
seedy coat and SLOUGH hat and unblacked |
s shoes is as proud as Lucifer. You can |
not tell by mans look. Perhaps he was |
not INSCRIPTIONS in business. for there |
are two sides to every story, and every. |
body chat accomplishes anything for him. /
self or others gets industriously lied about, |
Perhaps his business misfortune was not
o punishment. but the fatherly discipline
TO prepare him for Heaven, and God NAV
love him far more than he loves you who |
can pay dollar for dollar and are put
down IN the commercial catalogues as A
]. Whom the Lord loveth he gives S4Oo. !. I
900 and let's die on embroidered pillowY |
No; whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth.
Better keep your hand of the Lords ra.
zors, lest they cut and wound people that
do not deserve it. If you want to shave
on some of the bristling pride ofyour own
neart, 90 so; but be very careful how /
~" pun tue snarp edge on others.
Aaw do dislike the behavior of
those persons, who, when people are un-
fortunate, say: ~ told you so-getting
punished-served him right" II those /.
toid'you-so's got their desert they would
long ago have been pitched over the battle.
ments- The mote in their neighbours eyes,
50 small that it takes microsc cope to find
II, gives them more trouble than the beam
which obscures their own optics. With
air sometines supercillious and some
times Pharasaicai, and always bias
phemous, they take the razor of divine
, Judgment and sharpen it on the hone of