St. Landry democrat., 1885-10-24
TALMAGE's SERMON.
The Brooklyn Divine Discourses
on "The Lords Razor.
Gods Dealing with Nations That Need
acknowledgements Accidents. as Fac
tors in the Administration
OF Divine Justice 1877

BRooK1YE. N. III, October 11.--Dr. Tal.
mage preached this morning on the sub
iect: HThe 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 Gath chapter of the First Book
of Samuel, She story of David allowing
Saul, his enemy, to escape, taking only a
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 penitentiai tears.
DR.. Talmage's text was:
Inthe same day shall the Lord shave with
razor that is hired-namely, by them be-
yend the river, by the King of Assyria.--
Isaiah, vii, 90
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. Its
imagery sometimes seems on the verge OF
the reckless, but only seems SO, The fact
is that God would startIe and arouse and
propel men and nations. A tame and
Ginning sinilitade would fail to accom-
plish 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 find the iron chariot, the
lightning, the earthquakes the spray, the
sword, and in my text the razor.
This keen bIaded 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 a sug-
gestive symbol. David says OF Doeg,
his antagonist: "Thy tongue is sharp
razor working deceitfully;" 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 of and God sends
against it three Assyrian Kings first Sem
nacherib, then Esrahaddon and afterward
Observation-Disclosures. 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 hired razor,
because God took the Kings of Assyria,
with whom he had no sympathy, to do the
work, and paid them in palaces and spoils
and annexations. These Kings we're hired
to execute the divine behests. And now
the text, which on the first reading may
have seemed trivial or inapt, is charged
with momenteus import: SIN the same
6-y shall the Lord shave with arazor that
is hired, namely by them beyond the river,
by the King of Assyria.o
Well, il Gods judgments are razors, we
had better be careful how we use them on
otherpeople. In careful sheath these do
nestle weapons are 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 as all. But
how recklessly some people WELD the
Judgment Of God. e man meet with
business misfortune, howl many there are
ready to cry out: stThat is Judgment of
God upon him bscauseh he was INSCRIPTIONS,
or arrogant, or over-reaching, or misery.
thought he would get cut down. What
clean sweep of every thingl 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
his resources overthIown and that he
prided himself on tumbled into demoli-
ton. Good for him" Stop, my
brother. Don't sling around too freely the
judgments of God, for they are razory,
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-
tunate and he was not really as proud as
he looked to be. Some of those who carry
their heads erect and look imperial are
humble as child, while many man in
seedy coat and SLOUGH hat and unblacked
shoes is as proud as Lucifer. You can
not tell by a mans look. Perhaps he was
not INSCRIPTIONS in business. for there
are two sides to every story, and every
body that accomplishes nything for him
self or others gets industriously lied about
Perhaps his business misfortune was not
o punishments but the fatherly discipline
to prepare him for Heaven, and God may
love him far more than he loves you who
can paz dollar for dollar and are put
down in the commercial catalogues as A.
!. Whom the Lord loveth he gives $780,
900 and let's die on embroidered pil1owe
No; whom the Lord loYeth he chasi eneth.
Better keep yotr hand of the Lords RAJ
zors, lest they cut and wound people that
do not deserve it. If you want to shave
off some OF the bristling pride OF your own
heart, do so; but be very careful how
YOU put the sharp edge on others.
How I do dislike the behavior of
those persons, who, when people are nm