Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-10-11
USE GRINlSYONES.
The World has Stolen the Metal Of
the Christians and Left Nothing
but a File to Sharpen with,
Christians should Make the World Turn
the Grlndstencs while they Bear
Down and Wtet their weapons.
There Is Enough Unused Christian EnerEy
in the United states TO Evapgeiixe
the world.

ernacle this morning the Rev. I. De Witt
Taimage, ID D., after expounding passages
OF scripture, gave out the hymn beginning
4" How firm foundation, 20 saints Of rne
Lord
Hath He laid for your faith in IIis excellent
w0rdl"'
The text of the sermon was I. Samuel,
xiii, 1921: "Now there was no smith
found throughout all the land OF Israel
for the Philistlnes said, lest the Hebrews
make them swords or spears. But all the
Israelites went down TO the Philistines
TO sharpen every man his share, and his
coulter, and his ak, and his mattoek. Yet
they had file for the mattock, and for
the coulters, and for the forks, and
for the axes, and TO sharpen the goads."
DR.. Talmage spoke as follows;
What CALLING subjugation fer the Is.
raelites! The Phllistlnes had carried OF
ALL THE BLACKsuTHs,
and torn down all the blacksmiths' shops,
and abolished the blacksmiths' trade IN
the land OF Israel. The Philistines would
not even allow these parties to work their
valuable mines OF brass and iron, nor
might they make any swords or spears.
There were only two swords left In all
the land. Yea, these Philistines went on
until they had taken all the grindstones
from the land Of Israel, so that II an Is
raelitish farmer wanted to sharpen his
pillow or his ak, he had 10 90 over 70 the
garrison OF the Philistines TO have 1t
done. There was only one sharpening
Instrument left In the land, and that was
q file. The farmers and the mechanics
having nothing to whet up the coulter,
and the goad, and the pick-axe, save a
simple file, industry was hindered, and
work practically dlsgraced. The great
idea OF these Philistines was TO keep the
Israelites dlsarmed. They might get iron
out OF the hills TO make swords of, but
they would not have any blacksmiths TO
weld this iron. II they got the iron
welded they would have no grindstones
on which TO bring the instruments OF
agriculture or the military weapons up TO
an edge. o, you poor, weaponless Israel
ties, reduced to tile, how | pity you
But these Philistines were not forever to
keep their heel on the neck Of Gods chill
dren. Jonathan on his hands and knees
climbs up great rock beyond which were
the Philistines; and his armor-bearer, on
his hands and knees climbs up the same
rock, and these two men
WITH THE1R TWO SWORDS
hew to pieces the Philistines, the Lord
throwing great terror upon them. So 1t
was theni so II Is now. Two men Of God
on their knees, mightier than Philistine
host on their feetl
/. learn first from this subject, how
dangerous 1t Is for the church OF God to |
allow Its weapons to stay in the hands of |
It's enemies. These Israehtes might again |
and again have obtained a supply Of |
swords and weapons, as for instance
when they took the spoils OF the Ammo
mites; but these Israelltes seemed con-
tent to have no swords, no spears, no
blacksmiths, no grindstones, no active
iron mines, until 1t was too late for them
to make any resistance. see the farmers
Juggling along with their pickaxes and
plough, and | say "Where are you going
with those things?" They say: "Oh, we
are going over TO the garrison OF the Phil
istlnes to get these things sharpened." III
say "You foolish men, why don't you
sharpen them at home2n "Oh,n they say,
''the blacksmiths' shops are all torn
down, and we have nothing left us but |
fle."
So 1t is in the church OF Jesus Christ
to-day. We are too willing to give up |
our weapons to the enemy The world |
boasts that 1t has gobbled up the schools,
and the colleges, and the arts, and the
sciences, and the literature, and the
printing press. InndelIty is making a |
mighty attempt to get all our weapons in |
It's hand and then to keep them. You
know 1t is making this boast all the time;
and after awhile when the great battle
between sin and righteousness has
opened, II we do not look out we will be
as badly of as these Israelites without
any swords TO fight with and without any
instruments. | call upon the
OF literary institutions to
see to II that the men who go into the
class rooms to stand beside the Leyden !
Jars and the electric batteries, and the
MICROSCOPES, AND TELESCOPES,
be children OF God, not Philistlnes. The |
Carlylean, Emersonian and Tyndallean |
thinkers of this day are trying TO get all
The intellectual weapons OF this century
Ia their own grasp. What we want Is |
Christians 10 capture the
science, and scholastic Christians to CAP
lure the scholarship, and philosophic
christians 10 capture the philosophy, and |
lecturlng Christians to take back the
ecturlng platform, We want to send out
against Schenkel, and Strauss, and Renan.
4 Theodore Christlleb, of Bonn; and
against the intldel scientists of the day
God-worshipping StllimRn, and Hitch.
cock and Agassiz We want 70 capture
Ill the philosophical apparatus, and
swing around the telescopes on the
swivel, until through them we can see
he morning star Of the Redeemer, and
With neurological hammer discover the
Rock OF Ages, and amid the flora OF all
'ealms lind the Rose OF Sharon and the
lily OF the Valley.
We want a clergy learned enough to
discourse OF the human eye, showing IL TO
70 a microscope aud telescope In one in
trument, with eight wonderful contri.
,ances, and lids closing $4,000 or IO,0O0
lines day all its muscles, and nerves.
nd bones showing the in0nite skill Of an
Infinite God, and then winding up with
he peroration: "He that formed the
ye, shall he not see?n Aud then we
PANT to discourse about the human ear,
IS wonderful integnmenis, membranes,
nd vibration, and It's chain OF small
ones, and It's auditory nerve, closing
nth the question: HIIe that planted the !
ar, shall DO not hesrSn Aud we want
ONE one able 10 expound the first chap !
sr Of Genesis, bring It TO the geology aud
a N -