The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-09-25
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
Preached Sunday in the Brook
Ign Tabernacle.
Subject: "superfluities Hindrance"-An
Eloquent Discourse to an Immense Audi
ence-The Opening Hymn, Etc

ing and many of the passengers, Drowned by
the sea, come directly from the wharf to the
Brooklyn tabernacle The great congregation,
led by Professor Ais cornet and accompanied
by the organ, at which Professor Browne pro-
sides, joined in the opening hymn:
We are Thy people we Thy care
Our souls and all our mortal frame.
What lasting honors shall we rear,
Almighty Maker, TO Thy name?
DIR. Talmage's toxt was: ] Chronicles, oh.
XIX " and z: "a man OF great stature,
whose fingers and toes were four and twenty,
elk on each hand, and six on each foot; and he
also was the son Of the ginnt. But when he
defied Israel, Johnathan, the son OF Shimea,
Davids brother, slew him."
Malformation photographed, and for what
reason9 Did not this passage slip In by mis-
take into the sacred Scriptures, as sometimes
a paragraph utterly obnoxious to the editor
gets into his newspaper during his absence?
is not this Scriptural erratta2 No, no; there
Is nothing haphaZard about the BLDG ms
passage of Scripture was as certainly intended
to be put in the Bible as the passage In the
beginning God created the heavens and the
earth" or, Good so loved the world that He
gave His only begotten SON."
And | select il for my text today because II
IS charged with practical and tremendous
meaning. BY the people of God tho Philis-
tines had been conquered, with the exception
of few giants The race Of giants is mostly
extinct, l am glad to say. There Is no use Tor
giants now except to enlarge the income OF
museums, But there were many OF them in
oden times. Goliath was, according to the
Bible eleven feet, four and half inches high.
Or, If you do not believe the Bible, the famous
Pliny, "a secular writer, declares that ut Crete
by an earthquake monument was broken
open, discovering the remains OF giant forty
six cubits long or sixty-nine feet high. so,
whether You prefer sacred or profane history,
YOU must come 10 tho conclusion that there
were In those olden times cases Of human alti-
tude monstrous and appalling, David had
smashed the skull OF one OF these giants, but
there were other giants that the
Dayidean wars had not yet snbdued, and
one OF them stands in my text. lie was not
only of Alpine stature, but had q surplus OF
digits. TO the ordinary fingers was annexed
an additional finger and the foot had also
supertluous addendum. Ho had twenty-four
examinations to hands and feet where others
have twenty. 1t was not the only instance OF
the kind. Tavernier, the learned writer,
saws that the emperor of Java had son en-
dowed with the same number OF extremites.
Voeatius, the poit had six fingers on each
hand. Maupetius in his celebrated letters
speaks of two families near berlin similarly
equipped of hand and foot All OF which ]
an believe for have seen two cases OF the
anne physical superabundance. But this giant
of the text Is in battle, and as David, the
dwarf warrior, had dispatched one giant, the
q
text, and there he lies after the battle in
Gath, dead giant His stature
did not save him and his superhuous appen-
dices Of hand and foot did not save him, The
probability was that in the battle his sixth
finger on his hand made him clumsy in the
his gait, Behold the PROSTATE and malformat-
ed giant of tho text: IA man great Of stature,
whose fingers and toes were four and twenty,
six on each hand, and ak on each foot; aud
A.. II. q Aha ..ta. ns.A Fl.a..
he deGed Israel, Jonathan, the son OF Shimea,
Dapid's brother slew him."
Behold how suporiluities are hinderance
rather than help In all the battles at Gath
that day there was not man with ordinary
hand and ordinary foot and ordinary stature
that was not better off than this physical curl
osity of my text. AS physical size is apt TO
run in families the probability Is that this
brother Of David, who did the work
was Of an abbreviated stature. A
dwarf ON the right side is stronger than
giant on the wrong side, and all the body, and
mind, and estate, and opportunity that you
cannot use for God and the betterment of the
world Is a sixth finger and sixth toe, and o
terrific hindrance The most of the good done
in the world, and the most of those who win
the battles for the right, are ordinary people.
Count the fingers Of their right hand and they
have iuat five no moro and no less. One DR..
lluif among missionaries, but three thousand
missionaries that would tell you they have
only common endowment. One Florence
nightingale 10 nurse tho sick in conspicuous
plaees, but ten thousand women who are Just
as good nurses though never heard of. The
Swamp Angel was big gun that during the
war made a big noise, but muskets of ordi-
nary oalibre and shells of ordinary
heit did the execution, President Tyler
and his cabinet 40 down the Potomac one day
TO experiment with the Reaoemaker, q great
iron gun that was TO alright with its thunder
foreign natives. The gunner touches II off and
1t explodes and leaves cabinet ministers dead
on the deck, while AT that time all up and
down our coasts were cannon OF ordinary bore
able 10 he tie defense OF the nation, and
ready az the first touch to waken TO duty. The
curse of lhe world is big guns. After the POI
lticians who have made all the noise go home
hoatsc from angry discussion on the evening
of tho FIRST Monday ia November the next day
the people with the silent ballots will settle
everytMnS, and settle il right, million of the
white slAHS al lGrer they drop making about rs
much noise as tha fall OF an apple blossom.
Clear back IN tie country today there are
mothers in plain apron, and shoes fastened ON
"a rough last by the Shoemaker NJ the end of
the lane, rocking babies thai are 10 be the
Martin l4utncrs, and The Faradays, and the
Edisons, aud the Bismareks, and the Glad
stones, aud the Nashngtons, and the George
Nhtelelds Of the year 1888, and who viii
make the twentieth century SO bright that
thls much iaudod ninetceth in comparison will
seem part of the dark ages. The longer l
live the moro like common folks. They do
the worlds work, bearing the worlds bur
dens. weeping the worlds sympathies carry
ing the worlds consolation. Among lawyers
We see rise up n Rufus Choate, or William
Writ, or Samuel l.. Southland, but society
would SO to pieces tomorrow IL there were not
thousands OF common lawyers 10 SEQ that men
and women set their rights A Valentine
Mott or Willard Parker rises up
eminent in medical profession, but
what an unlimited sweep would
pneuemonia, and diphthera, and scarlet fever,
have in the world II il were not for the ten
thousand common doctors. The old physician
In HIS zig rolling up the lane Of the farm house
or riding on horseback, hts medicines in the
sAdd'e-bags, arriylngon the ninth day of the
fever, and coming in TO take hold of the pulse
OF the patient, while the family, pale with
an3iety. arc looking on and waiting Tor his de-
eislen N regard 10 the patient, and hearing
him say; "Thank God, / have mastered the
case, no is getting well," excites in me an adj
mirauon quite equal to the mention Of Che
names Of the great metropolitan doctors, Pam
coast on Gross or Joseph {. Hutehison OF the
past or the illusuious living men Of the pres
ent.
Yet what do we sec In all departmonts9
People no%aushed with ordinary Spheres Of
work and ordinary duties, Instead 81 irving
y see Whatthey can do with hand of 6ye
nhgcH they want siN. Instead OF usual en-
ooWment OF twenty manual and pedal addenla