West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1888-11-08
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
A GREAT INFLUENCE AT WORK.
NIolding the Eternal Lives OF Count,
less Millions OF Earth.

TEXT; THE Wdy OF the Lord OF Host
shqr % upon az pleasant pictures."-
Isaiah iLs parts Of the 18th and 10th verses.
Pictures are by some relegated to tho realm
or the trivial, accidental, sentimental o.
worldly, but my text shows that God scru
unizes pictures, and whether they are goo<
are pad, whether used for right or wronf
purposes, Is a matter OF Divine observation
ana arrangement. The divine mission o.
pictures ~ my subject
That the artists pencil and the e~ngraveri
knife have sometimes been made subservien'
20 the kingdom OF the had is frankly admit
ted. After the ashes and scoria were re
moved from Herculaneum aud Pompeii IN,
walls OF those cities discovered TO the explor
ers a degradation in art which cannot be ex
aggerated. Satan and ali his imps have al
ways wanted the lingering OF the easel; the1
would rather have possession of that than the
ART OF printing, Tor types are not so potent
and quick for evil as pictures. n rover
OF darkness think they have gained n tri
umph, and they have. when in some respect
able parior or public art gallery they car
nang a canvas embarrassing 10 the good, but
fascinating to the evil
IL is not in a spirit OF prudery, but backed
up by Gods eternal truth when I saw thai
you have no right TO hang in your art room,
or your dwelling houses that which wohlt
be offensive TO good people IL the figures pic.
tured were alive in your parlor and tn,
guests OF your household A picture thai
you have TO hang in n somewhat secluded
place, OF thetin a public hall you cannot with
Rgroup OF friends deliberately stand befor,
and discuss, ought TO nave a knife stabbec
into 10 at the top aud cut clear through Il
the bottom, and a stout finger thrust in or
.ne right side ripping clear through 10 the
left Plny, the elder, lost his life by Voinc
near enough to see the inside Of Vesnvius
ana the further you can stand of from tbs
burning crater of sin the better
Never TIL the Books of the Last Day
are opened shall we know what ha,
been the dire harvest Of evil pictorials and
nnoecominR art galleries Despoil n mans
imagination and he becomes a moral carcass
The show windows Of English and American
cites in which the low theatres have some
times hung long lines of brazen actors and
actresses in style insulting TO all propriety.
have made a broad path 70 death for multi
tudes OF people. But so nave all the Other
arts been at times suborned OF evil. How
has music been bedraggledi Is there nnx
place so low down in dissoluteness that into
70 has not teen carried David's harp. and
Etanneis organ, and Gottschalk's PIANO aud
Ole Bulls violin, aud the flute, Which thouob
named after so insignificant a thing as tbs
biclian eel, which has seven spots on the
SIDE Ike flute holes, yet for thousands OF
years has had an exalted mission. Architec-
ture, born in the heart OF Him who made tina
worlds, under its acres and across its fioors
wnat bacchanalian r~evelries have been en-.
actedi lt is not against any OF these art
mat they have been so led into captivity.
What a poor world this would be il IL were
not Tor what my text calls pleasant pict.
nres." refer to your memory and
mine when 1 ask IL YOUR knowlad0a
Of the Holy Scriptures has not
been nightly augmented by the yvoodcnts
or engrayihgs ina the old family Bible, which
talher and mother read out Of, and laid on
the table in the old homestead when Won
were boys and girls. The Bible scenes which
weai carry IN our minds were not gotten
from the Bible typology, but from the Bible
pictures. To prove the truth OF it i'm INV
own case, the other day / took up the ola
family Bible, which Inherited. Sure enough
what 1 have carried in NV mind Of Jacobs
ladder was exactly the Bible engraving of
Jacobs ladder; and so with Samson carrying
on the gates OF GAIA; Elisha restorinS
me summarizes SON the massacre OF
the innocents; Christ blessing little
ShAdren; the Crucifxion and the
Last Judgment. My idea OF all these Il that
PIT n old Bible engravings which / scanned
before 1 could read a word. That is true
with nine-tenths of you. III could swing
open the door OF your foreheads 1 would find
mat you are walking picture galleries The
great intelligence abroad about tho Bible
nld not come from the general reading of ths
oooE, Tor the majority of the people read it
OUT little, II they read it at all: hut all the
sacred scenes have been put before the Great
masses, and not printers ink but tine
pictorial art must nave the credit OF tba
ecnsevemenG First, painters pencil for the
lAVofed lew, and then engraver's plate or
Woodcut for millions on millionsi What
overwhelming commentary on the Bjble
what reinforcement for patriarchs. propbets
sposeies and Christ, what distribution OF
ocrlptural knowledge Of all nations. in the
paintings and engravfngs therefpom ~
holman hunts Christ in the Temple:n Paul
keronesels "Magdalen Washing the Feet Of
christ. RaphaeIs Michael the Archangel:n
Michael Angeles plague Of the
Fiery Ssrpents:n Tintoret's Flight into
Egypt Ruben's descent from the cyoss.S
Leonardo Da Vincis Last Supper:' Caude's
xueen o. sheba;" Bellini's Madonna at
Milan" Orcagna's Last Judgment md
hundred of miles Of pictures II they were
put In line, Illustrating. displaying drama.
azinE. irradiatiDg Bible truths until the
ScfpIufes are not 70 day so much on paper
as on canvas, not 50 much in ink as in ali tho
soiors OF the spectrum. In 1888 forth from
Strasburg, Germany. there came "A child tbat
was 70 eclipse in speed and boldBess and
grandeur anything and everything that the
world had seen since tie first color
sppeared on the sky at the crea-
years OF age he published marvellous litho
graphs OF mis- own Saying nothing OF what
heidi for Millions Paradise Lost. iemblazon.
ing It on the attention OF the world, he takes
up tbs Book OF Books, the monarch OF liter.
ture, the Bible, and in his pictures. 1Tbs
Creation Of Light" THE Trial OF Abraham,
Faith" THE Burial OF Sarah 4t.Josepb Sold
~ his Brethren The Brazen Serpent
"Boazend Ruth. :" David and Goliath y sTb,
T-ranshguration.n The Marriage In Cana
Babylon Fallen,n and two hundred and
I'VE 5criptural scenes in all, with a boldnes
ana a grasp and almost supernatural naIatos
that MAKE tho heart thrOb. and the Train
tsei' ana the tears start, and the chepks
oiahcni ana the entire nature quake with The
s~soihsnaous things Of God and eternity and
nc ueao 4 actually staggered down the
Seps OF tne London Art Gallery un Ier the
power or Dorea Christ leaving the
1ItftoTlum.' Profess You to be a Christian
meh or woman and see no divine mission In
Art and acknowledge you no obHoatian
either On thanks 70 God OF mani
~ ~ no more The word Of God when ru.
before us IN printers ink than by skfrifn1y
.tyths on OF colors, or designs on metsl
tnrouRh lncisiOn or corrosiOu. What q lsrsou
pa morals was presented by Hoaartb. the
palmer, in MS two pictures, 'sTho Rake's
noBress and The Misor's Yeast and 80
ahomas Coie's cnRravinRs Of the "Voyq0s n
human Life, and the "COurso Of Fmnrar
and BY Turner'S Slave Ship Col jn Art
christ IN Art Petriarchs. prophets and
epostieai m art Angels 10 art Heaven In
The world and the church ought 70 coma
90 the higher appreciation OF the divine
mission OF pictures. yet tine authors OF them
have generally been left % semf-sfarvafiou
west tbe great painter. toiiod in unnupro-
claJlon tIL being o great skater. while on
we ice reformed che acgu1intauco Of General
Rove, OF tho English army, and through
coming ~ admire West ns d skater.
theY gradually came to appreciate al
tnucp tlat which De accomplished bv ha
hand az by bis heel. BOuaeiu. the mighfy