Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1886-10-23
TALMAGE'S LATEST.
The Calling Subjugation of the 1sraalites
by the Philistines,
The Weapons of the Church of God in the
Hands of Enemies.
Employment Of the Worlds Grindstones
the Need Of the Church.
..THE STOLEN GRINDsTONEs."

BROOKLYN, N. Y, Oct. 10.-The text
of the sermon waG |. Samuel, CHI. xiii,
W 1921:
sfNow there was no smith found throughout
al the land of Israel; for the Phiiistines said,
lest the Hebrews make them swords or spears.
But all the Israelites went down to the Philis-
tines to sharpen every man his share, and his
coulter, and his axe, and his mattock. Yet
they had a tile for the mattock, and for the
c%oulters, and for the forks, and for the axes,
and to sharpen the goads."
DR.. Talmage spoke as follows:
What a CALLING subjugation for the
Israelites! The Philistines had carried
off all the blackmiths, and torn down
all the blacksmiths' shops, and abol-
ished 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 grind
stones from the land of Israel, SO that
If an Israelitish farmer wanted to
sharpen his pillow or his axe, he had to
go over to the garrison of the Philis-
tines to get it done. There was
ONLY ONE SHARPENING INSTRUMENT
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 plck-axe save "A
simple file, industry was hindered and
work practically d~isgraced. 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 black
smiths to weld this ir' ii. If they got
the iron welded they would have no
grindstones on which to bring the in
struments of agriculture or the militia
ry weapons up to an edge. o you
poor, weaponless Israelites, reduced
to a file, how | pity you! But these
Philistincs were not forever to keep
their heel on the neck of Gods chill
dren. Jonathan on his hands and
knees climbs up a great rock beyond
which were the Philistines; and his ar
~mor-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 a great terror upon them.
So it was then; so it is now. Two
men of God on their knees, mightier
than a Philistine host on their feet!
|. | 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 Isra.
elites might again and again have OBJ
tanned /, supply of swords and weap'
ons, IS for instance when they took
the spells Of the Ammonites; but thes,
Israelites seemed
CONTENT TO HAVE NO SWORDS,
no spears, no b~lacksmiths, no grind,
stones, no active iron mines, until il
was too late for them to make any re
~sistance. | see the farmers tugging
along with their pics-axes and plough
and / say: '.Where are you going
with those thingsp" | say: "Yor
foolish men, why don't you sharper
them at homer" oh" they say
''the blacksmiths' shops are all tori
down, and we have nothing left us bu'
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. Intidelity is
making n mighty attempt to get all oul
weapons in its hand and then to keen
them. You know it is making this
boast all the time; and after a while
when the great battle between sin ant
righteousness has opened, if we do no.
look out we will be as badly off al
these Israelites without any swords t.
fight with and without sny sharpening
instruments.
We want 4 clergy learned enough tC
discourse Of the hannah eye, showing i
to be a microscope and telescope in on,
instrument, with eight wonderful con
trivances, and lids closing 10000 OF
40, 900 times a day; al its muscles anc
nerves and bones showing the %ininit,
skill of an infinite God, and then wind
ing up with the pe%roration: HE tina
formed the eye, shall He not seeP'
And then we want to discourse abou
the human ear, its wonderful integu
ments, membranes and vibration, anC
its chain Of small bones, and its audi
tory nerve, closing with the question
"He that planted the ear, shall He no
hear?" And we want some one abb,
to expound the first chapter of Genesis
bring to it the geology and the as
tronomy of the world, until, as JoI