Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-07-05
An INSPIRING SERMON
DIR. TALMAGE DISCoURSES ON THE
POWER OF CHRISTIANITY.
THE Nightiest Weapon Is the Gospel" His
subject, and His Text the Words: '.There
Is None Like That; Give 1t Me-"

Rev. I. De Witt Talmage delivered
sermons at the Brooklyn Tabernacle
upon the subject The Mightiest
Weapon Is the Gospel" His text was 1.
Samuel xxi, .: There is none like that;
give it me-" The preacher said:
David fed from his pursuers. The
world runs Very fast when it is chasing
| a good man. The country is trying to
catch David and to Stay him. David
| goes into the house of priest, and asks
him for a sword OF spear with which to
| defend himself. The priest, not being
accustomed to use deadly weapons, tells
| David that he cannot supply him; but
| sword that had been carefully wrapped
up and laid away-the very sword that
| Goliah formerly used-and he TAX s down
that sword, and while he is unwrapping
| the sharp, glittering, memorable blade,
| it flashes upon David's mind that this
was the very sword that was used against
himself when he was in the light W it'll
| Goliah. and David can hardly keep his
hands of it until the priest has un-
wound it. David stretched out his
hand toward that old sword. and says:
''There is none like that; give it me-" In
other words. Il want in my own hand
the sword that has been used against
me, and against the cause of God" SO
it was given him. Well, my friends,
that is not the first or the last sword
| once used by giant and Philistine in
| iquity which is to come into the posses
sion of Jesus Christ. and of His glori-
Gus church. l want, as we'll as God may
help me, to show you that many a
weapon which has been used against
the armies of God is yet to be captured
and used on our side; and only initiate
David when l stretch out my hand to-
ward the blade OF the Philistine, and
cry: "There is none like that; give it
| me-"
| l remark, first, that this is true in re-
gard to all scientific exploration. You
know that the first discoveries in as
tronomy and geology and chronology
We're used to battle Christianity.
World philosophy came out of its labo-
ratory and out OF its observatory, and
said: Now, we will prove, by the very
structure of the earth, and by the move
ment OF the heavenly bodies, that the
Bible is lie, and that Christianity, as
we have it among men, is a positive i'm
position" Good men trembled. The
telescope, the Leyden jars, the electric
batteries. all i'll the hands of the Philis-
tines. But one day, Christianity. look
ing about for some weapon with which
to defend itself, happened to see the
very old sword that these atheistic Phil
lstines had been using against the truth
and cried out: There is none like
that; give it mel" And Copernicus, and
Calico, and kepler, and Isaac Newton
came forth and told the world that, in
their ransacking of the earth and
Heaven, they had found overwhelming
presence OF the God whom we Worship;
and this old Bible began to shake itself
from the Koran, and Shaster, and Zen
covered up, and lay on the desk of the
scholar, and in the laboratory Of the
chemist, and in the lap of the Christian,
unframed and unanswered, while the
towers of the midnight heavens struck
a silvery chime in its praise.
Worldly philosophy said: Matter is
eternal. The world always was. God
did not make it. Christian philosophy
plunges its crowbar into rocks, and
finds that the world was gradually made,
and if gradually made, there must have
been some point at which the process
started; then, who started it? and SO that
three words of the Bible we find that
Moses stated magnificent truth when
he said: In the beginning"
VI Worldly philosophy said: Your Bible
is most inaccurate book; all that story
in the Old Testament, again and again
told. about the army of the locusts-it is
preposterous. There is nothing in the
coming of the locusts like an army. AL
army walks, locusts fly. An army goes
in order and procession, locusts
philosophy; and in 1868, in the south
, western part of this country, Christian
| 20 =
the locust. There are men right before
me who must have noticed in that very
part of the country the coming up of the
locust like an army, and it was found
that all the newspapers unwittingly
spoke OF them as an army. Why? They
seem to have commander. They march
like host. They halt like host. Nc
arrow ever went with STR: liter flight
than the locusts come-not even turn
ing aside for the wind. II the wind
rises, the locusts drop and then rise
again after it has gone down, taking the
same line OF march, not varying foot
The old Bible right every time when il
speaks of locusts coming like an army
3 worldly philosophy wrong.
ri Worldly philosophy said: "All that
story about the light turned as clay tc
the seal is simply an absurdity." Ole
light comes straight Christian phi.
losophy said: Wait little while,
and it goes on and makes discoveries
3 and finds that the atmosphere curves
4 and bends the rays of light around the
g earth. literally "as the clay to the seal.
The Bible right again; worldly philoso.
I ply, wrong again. "Ah," says world.
J philosophy, "all that illusion in JoI
about the foundations of the earth is
!. simply an absurdity. where vast thou,
Z says God. when l set the foundations
I. OF the earth?' Tue earth has no founda.
lions" Christian philosophy comes
Y and finds that the word as translated
: foundation may be better translated
r sockets" SO now see how it will reai
II it is translated right: Where was,
thou when l set the sockets of the
earth?" Where is the socket? 1t is the
! hollow of Gods hand-a socket large
I enough for any world to turn in.
+ Worldly philosophy said: What a,
D absurd story about Joshua making the
4 sun and moon stand still. If the worit
: had stopped an instant, the whole uni.
verse would have been out of gear.
> Stop said Christian philosophy. no
: quite SO quick" The world has two