The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-05-23
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S SUN
DAY SERMON.
Subject: "SoIdiers in the Time OF
Peace" preached by Chaplain
T. De Witt Talmage to the 18th
Regiment, N. G. 8. n. ~

6ucklers, all shields Of mighty men. Solo
mons Song, iv., 4.
With frowning, stupendous masonry over
topping all the city Of Jerusalem stood this
ancient armory called the Tower of David.
Advance and give the countersign to the
armed guard and pass right in .under the
archway. Instead Of the modern arrange.
menr Of the armory in which the members OF
q regiment stow away their equipment: this
old armory Of the text has the weapons p II5a nung
up along the wall in sight OF all the people:
Shields, helmets, javelins, bows that needed
athletic arms to bend them and ar
rows whose sting were death. Some
of them are new and polished, others
have seen terrific service. Look at that split
helmet! 1t was the work OF battle axe IN
Engedi. Look at this shield! 1t is dented IN
the middle by stout stroke of the spear and
crevassed from side to side by a sharp sword.
The edge of that shield is doubled up by
stone slung by the regiment OF singers.
This bow is twisted by the grip of a mailed
hand This buckler is Scared and clipped
AMI blood-spattered showing that the war.
rior who held it was in the thlckest OF
the onset. Count them and you tlnd
that there are just thousand shields.
They belong to complete regiment in time
Of peace. 1.-THE Tower OF David, builded for
an armory. wherein there hung O thousand
bucklers, all shields OF mighty men," =,
Officers and members Of the Thirteenth
REGIMENT: You come tonight from one KIND
of armory belonging to the State into another
kind OF armory belonging to the Lord, ana
If we have sanctifed imagination enough we
can see all these four walls from floor to cell.
ing covered with swords, and helmets and
shields Of mighty men who have fought their
last battle for God and their country, ana
have for brave service been honorably dis
charged from earthly combat. Their weary
march is ended and their arms are stacked
and they are resting in the land OF \eternal
peac Huzza for them! But some of these
weapons that hang around us. seen by the eye
of faith, are those which you are to carry and
WELD, and the. important question Is what
use will you make Of thems
For the first time we confront each other
In religious service as chaplain and regiment.
The figure Of shepherds crook IN my
shoulder strap means, I think, pastoral
service. Glad am I that by governmental
regulation the absurdity OF chaplain's
sword has been abolished Why should a
minister of the gospel OF peace have any
sharp edges about him? Our business Is not
to cut but to heal. And surely /, who
would go a mile barefoot to help my worst
enemy would not in any exigency need
sword. Overpowering all other questions
tonight is the one:W hat use can we be to each
other in our newly-formed relation? 1t
is not a mere play-spell or meaning.
less coming together. The graceful
crossing of golden cords over your breast
does not hide from ME the fact that you have
beneath them heart full of affections, hopes,
ambitions and SORROWS. The epaulet on your
shoulder does not not make me forget that
there are heavy burdens on that shoulder to-
night, I look beyond the soldier and l see
the man! And | will keep the secret no
longer in my heart, but out with with it here
and now, that when pray for this church l
pray for this regiment and that am planning
how can be most encouragement and rein
forcement to you in the struggles Of this life,
and how can be sure of your eternal COM
panionship in q better world, when we break
camp and 20 home to be with God. And
those who were so good and lovely that we
: could no longer keep them here, they will be
at the shining gate to see US come in. They
=. used to come skipping down at eyentide to
welcome us, and when our day OF Life Is done
and it is for us five o'clock, six o'clock, seven
O'Clock in the eventide they will come out to
repeat the old-time salutations But unit!
then we are to live in q world of conflict and
the conflict is in its six thousandth year.
There is something absorbing in the mill
tary science of the Scriptures. In olden
years Of age were enrolled in tho army and
: then levy was made for special
service There were only three or four
Glasses exempt: Those who had built house
and had not occupied it, those who had
planted garden and had not reaped the
fruit Of it, those who were engaged to be mar
ried and vet had not led the bride to the altar,
those who were vet in the first year of wed.
-. .ded life, those who were so nervous that they
: could not look upon an enemy but they hed,
and could not look upon blood but they
tainted. The army was in three divisions:
the centre. and right and left wings. The
weapons Of defence were: Helmet. shield,
breastplate, buckler. The weapons OF offence
were: Sword, spear, javelin, arrow, cata-
pult-which was merely q bow swung by
machinery, shooting arrows at vast distances,
great arrows, one arrow as large as several
men could hft-and ballista-which
was sling swung by machinery, hurting
great rocks and large pieces Of lead to vast
distances.
The shields were made Of woven willow
work with three thicknesses OF hide, and a
loop inside through which the arm Of the
warrior might be thrust; and when these
soldiers were marching to attack an enemy
on the level all these shields touched each
< other, making wall, moving, but impene-
trable: and then when they attacked for
tress and tried to approach battlement, this
the falling missiles. The breastplate was
made Of two pieces Of leather. brass COW
cred, one piece falling over the breast,
the other falling over the back, at
the side Of the warrior the two pieces
fastened with buttons or clasps. The bows
were so stout and stiff and strong that war
riors often challenged each other to bend one.
The strings Of the bow were made from the
Sinews of oxen. A case like an inverted pyra-
mid was fastened to the back, that case con-
tanning the arrows, so that when the warrior
wanted an arrow he would put his arm over
bis shoulder and pull forth the arrow for the
fight The ankle Of the foot had an iron
boot.
When a wall was to be assaulted batter.
ingram was brought up. A battering-ram
was great beam swung on chains in equi-
hbrium. The batteriES-ram would be
brought close up to the wall and then great
number Of men would take hold Of this beam,
push it back as far as they could and then
let go, and the beam became great swing
ing pendulum Of destruction. Twenty or
forty men would stand in movable tower
on the back Of an elephant, the elephant
made drunk with wine, and then headed to-
ward the enemy, and what with the heavy
feet and the swinging probosc!s, and the
poisoned arrows shot from the movable
tower the destruction was appalling. War
chariots were in vogue and they were on two
wheels so they could easily turn. A sword
was fastened to the pole between the horses
so when they went ahead the sword thrust,
and when they turned around it would NOW
down. The armies carried flags beautifully
embroidered. Tribe of Judah carried a flag
embroidered with a lion; tribe Of Reuben,
one embroidered with a man; tribe of Dan,
embroidered with cherubim, The noise OF
the host as they moved on was overwhelming
and what with the clatter Of shields and the
rumbling of wheels and the shout Of the cap
tains and the vociferation of the entire host,
the prophet says it was like the roaring OF
the sea- Because the arts of war have been
advancing all these years we are not to con.
clude that those armies of olden times were