The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1886-10-27
TALMAGES SERMUN.
An interesting Discourse on the
ssThe stolen 0rindstone,"
singular Instance of Tyrannical Oppree-
siOa-The Church should Use ths 4
Worlds Sharpening Instta. y
ments-A Call to Work.

Rev. T. De Witt Talmage chose for the
subject of a recent sermon in the Brook.
lyn Tabernacle the Philstines' oppres.
sion of Israel and the Lord interposition
In their behalf, as illustrative Of the duty
Of the Church to seize the worlds weapons
With which TO encopnter its foes His
tsx3 vast 81 - Fk.sss sAs
Now, there was no smith round throughout
M the inni Of israef: TOR the Philistines
said, lest the Hebrews make them swords or
spears.) But all the Israelities went down
to the Phlllstines to sharpen every man his
share, and his coulter and his axe, and his
mattock. Yet thcv had q file for the mat
tocks. and for the coulters, and for the forks,
and for the axes, and to sharpen the goads
Il. Samuel. Kill, 1921.
What CALLING subjugation for the
IsraelltesY The Philistines had carried
Off all the blacksmiths, and torn down all
the blacksmitbs' trade in the land of Is
'rael. The Philistines would not even al
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 had
taken all the grindstones from the land of
Israel, SO that II an Israelisish farmer
wanted to sharpen his plow or his axe, he
had to go over to the garrison of the Philis-
tines 10 ret it done. There was only one
sharpening instrument left in the Island,
and that was a file. The farmers and the
mechanics having nothing to whet up the
coulter, and the goad, and the pick.axe.
save simple file, industry was hindered,
and work practically disgraced. The great
idea Of these Philistines 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. II 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 q file, how pity you. But
these Philistines were not forever to keep
their heel on the neck Of Gods children.
Jonathan on his han Is and knees climbs
up great rock beyond which were the
Philislines; 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 o
God on their knees, mightier than 9
Philstine host on lheir feet.
learn first from this subject no "
dangerous 1t is for the Church of God Il
allow its weapons to stay in the hands Of
It's enemies. These Israelites might again
and again have obtained a supply o
swords and weapons, as for instance wher
they took the spoils of the Ammonites
but these lsraelites seemed content t.
have no swords, no spears, no blacksmiths
no grindstones. no active iron mines, until
II was too late for them to make any re-
sistance. ] see the farmers tuyging alonl
with their pick.axes and pillow, and say
"Wbere are you going with thos,
thingsw .r, otH t.in 4ut 9fu'F
They say: ooh, we are going over to tn
garrison Of the Philistinss TO get these
things sharpened." Fi9'f" .i H9.
Isay: "You foolish men. why don't 20,
sharpen them at homer" p huN| 'rF' 70
oh" they say, "ths blacksmith shop
are all torn down, and we have nothing
left us but a file"
30 IL is in the Church Of Jesus Christ TO
day. We are too willing to give up OH
weapons to the enemy. The world boast
that it has gobbled up the schools, and tn
colleges, and the arts, and the sciences
and the literature, and the printing press
| Infidelity is making mighty attempt &
| get all our weapons In its hands and thel
to keep them. You know It Is max
| ing this boast all the time, an,
after awhile, when the great battl
between sin and Righteousness ha
opened, IL we do not look out we will be a
badly OF as these Israelites, without an.
\ swords to fight with and without an,
sharpening instruments. call upon tn
superintendents OF literary institutions t
| see to Il that the men who go into tn
Classroom to stand beside the Leyde
jars, and the electric batteries, and tn
microscopes and telescopes. be children o
| God; not Philistines. The Carlylear
Emersonian and Tyndallean thinkers q
this day are trying to get all the intel
lectual weapons Of this century In thei
own grasp. What we want is scientifl
Christians to capture the science, an
scholastic Christians to capture the schol
arship, and philosophic Christians
capture the. philosophy, and lecturn
Christians to take back the lecturing plat
form. We want to send out againf
Schenkel, and Strauss, and Renan,
Theodore Christlieb, of Bonn; and again'
the infidel scientists Of the day God
worshiping Silliman, and Hitchcock, an
Agassiz We want to capture all tn
philosophical apparatus and swing aroun
the telescopes on the swivel, until hroug
them we can see the morning star of th
Redeemer, and with neurological han
mer discover the Rock of AGES, and ami
the fora Of the realms find the Rose
Sharon and the Lily of the Valley.
Let men of God 60 out and take posse
sion of the platform. Let any printin
presses that have been captured by Il
enemy DO recaptured for God; and u
reporters, and the type. setter
and the editors, and the publishe
swear allegiance to the God Of trut
Alb, my friend, that day must com
and IL the great body Of Christian mi
have not the Fifth, or the courage, or d
conservation to do it, then let some JON
than On his busy hands and on his pra,
ing knees climb up on the Rock Of Hi
drance, and in the name Of the Lord G.
Of Israel slash to pieces those Literal
II Philistines., II these men will not be col
verted to God, then they must be owe
thrown. -