The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1886-10-21
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
An Interesting Discourse on the
"The Stolen Grindstone."
A Singular Instance of Tyrannieal oppres
slon-The Church should Use the
Worlds Sharpening Instru-
ments-A Call to Work.

Rev. L. De VIII Ialmage cnOSe Tor bnd
subject of recent sermon in the Brook
lyn Tabernacle the Philistines' oppress
sion of Israel and the Lords ipterposition
in their behalf, as illustrative of the duty
OF the Church to seize the worlds weapons
with which to encounter its foes His
text was:
Now, there was no smith round throughout
all the land of Israel: (for the Philistines
said, lest the Hebrews make them swords or
spearsO But all the Israellties went down
to the Philstines to sharpen every man his
share, and his coulter, and his axe, and his
mattock Yet they had a file for the mat
tocks, and for the coulters, and for the forks,
and for the axes, and to sharpen the goads.
Il. Samuel xiii, 1921.
What a CALLING subjugation for the
Israelltes? The Philistines had carried
off all the blacksmiths, and torn down all
the blacksmiths' trade in the land of Is
rael. The Philistines would not even all
low 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. Yes,
these Philistines went on until they he''
taken all the grindstones from the In of
Israel, so that If an Israeiitish farmer
wanted to sharpen bis plov or his axe, he
had to go over to the EaFris IN of the Philis-
tines to get it done. There was only one
sharpening ins umsEtt left in the land,
and that was a file. The farmers and the
mechanics having nothing to whet up the
coulter, and the goad, and the pick-axe,
lave simple file, industry was hindered,
and work practically disgraced. The great
idea Of these Phillstines was to keep the
Israelites disarmed. They might get iron
out Of the hills to make swords Of, but
they would not have any blacksmiths to
weld this iron. If they got the iron weld
ed they would have no grindstones on
which to bring the instruments of agri-
culture or the military weapons up to an
edge. o, you poor, weaponless Israelites,
reduced to file, how I pity you. But
these Philistines were not forever to keep
their heel on the neck Of Gods children.
Jonathan on his han1s 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 their two
swords hew to pieces the Philistines, the
Lord throwing great terror upon them.
So it was then; so it is now. Two men Of
God on their knees, mightier than q
Philistine host on their feet
l learn first from this subject how
dangerous it is for the Church of God to
allow its weapons to stay in the hands of
its enemies. These Israeltes might again
and again have obtained supply OF
swords and weapons, as for instance when
they took the spols Of the Ammonites;
but these Israelites seemed content to
have no swords, no spears, no blacksmiths,
no grindstones, no active iron mines, until
1t was too late for them to make any re-
sistance. see the farmers tugging along
with their pick-axes and plow, and say;
"EThere are you going with those
things?"
They say: ooh, we are going over to the
garrison of the Philistines to get these
things sharpened"
say: "You foolish men, why don't you
sharpen them at home"
"Oh," they say, "the blacksmith's shops
are all torn down, and we have nothing
left us but a file."
So it 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 it has gobbled up the schools, and the
colleges, and the arts, and the sciences,
and the literature, and the printing press.
1nfldelty is making mighty attempt to
get all our weapons in its hands and then
to keep them. You know it is maxi
ing this boast all the time, and
after awhile, when the great battle
between sin and Righteousness has
opened, If we do not look out we will be as
badly off as these Israelites, without any
swords to fight with and without any
sharpening instruments. l call upon the
superintendents of literary institutions to
see to 1t 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 Philistines. The Carlylean,
Emersonian and Tyndallean thinkers of
this day are trying to get all the intel
lectual weapons of this century in their
own grasp. What we want is scientific
Christians to capture the science, and
scholastic Christians to capture the schol-
arship, and philosophic Christians to
capture the philosophy, and lecturing
Christians to take back the lecturing plat
form. We want to send out against
Schenkel, and Strauss, and Renan,
Theodore Christlieb, of Bonn; and against
the infidel scientists Of the day a God
worshiping Slliman, and Hitchcock, and
Agassiz. We want to capture all the
philosophical apparatus and swing around
the telescopes on the swivel, until through
them we can see the morning star of the
Redeemer, and with meteorological ham,
mer discover the Rock of Ages, and amid
the fora Of the realms find the Rose Of
Sharon and the Lily Of the VALLEY.
Let men Of God go out and take possess
sion Of the platform. Let any printing
presses that have been captured by the
enemy be recaptured for God; and the
reporters, and the type settlers,
and the editors, and the publishers
swear allegiance to the God Of truth.
All, my friend, that day must come,
and IL the great body of Christian men
have not the faith, or the courage, or. the
conservation to do 1t, then let some iona.
than on his busy hands and on his pray.
Ing knees climb up on the Rock of Hin
drance, and in the name of the Lord God
Of Israel slash TO pieces those literary
Philistines. If these men will not be con-
Verted to God, then they m ust be over
thrown.
: Again, learn from this subject what
= large amount Of the Church's resources
b actually hidden, and buried, and unde-
veloped. The Bible intimates that that
was very rich land, this land Of Israel.
1t says:
The stones are iron, and out Of the hills
thou shalt dig brass.
And yet hundreds and thousands Of dol