The American citizen. [volume] (Topeka, Kan.) 1888-1909, 1889-07-05
THE GOSPEL WEAPON.
DR.. Talmage on Worldly PhilOs-
ophy and Bible Truths.
The weapons of Worldly Philosophy
turned to ChristIanity's Service-Every
Thing Useful to Christians-TheL Lords
Army OF Business Men.


sermon al BROOKLYN took for his subject: |
''The NJ ghtiest Weapon Is the Gospel"
His text was from 1 Samuel xxi 8: ,
''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 good
man. The country is trying to catch
David and to slay him. David goes into
the house of a priest and asks him for a
sword or spear with which to defend him.
self. The priest not being accustomed to
use deadly weapons, tells David that he
can not supply him; but suddenly the
priest thinks of an Cd sword that had
been carefully wrapped up and laid away
the very sword that Go ath formerly
used-and he takes down the sword, and
while he is wrapping the sharp, glitter
ing, memorable b ade, it flashes upon
David's mind that this was the very
sword that was used against himself when
he was in the fight with Goliath, ana
David can hardly keep his hand off it I'M
til the priest has unwound it. David
stretches out his hand toward that
old sword and saws: There is
mono Ike that; give it me-" In
other words 81 want in my own
hand the sword that has been used against
me- and against the cause of God" SO 1t
was given him. Well, my friends. that Is
not the first or last sword once used by
giant and Philistine iniqnity which is to
come into the possession OF Jesus Christ.
and of his glorious Chu rch. 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 l only
invite David when | stretch out my hand
toward the blade of the Philistine, and
cry: "There is none like that; give it
meW
Iremark, first, that this is true in re-
gard to all scientific exploration. You
know that the first discoveries In astrono"
my and geology and chronology were
used to battle Christianity. Worldly
philosophy came out of its laboratory and
out of it's observatory, and said: NOW,
we will prove, by the very structure OF
the earth, and by the movement of the
heavenly bodies. that the Bible is lie
and that Christianity, as we have it
among men, is positive imposition"
Good men trembled TIE telescope, the Ley
den Jars, the cleo rio at cries, all in the
hands Of Philist n IS. Bat one day, Christ
| ianity, looking about for soma weapon with
the very old swords that these atheistc
| Philistines had been using against the
| truth and cried out: 81 re is none like
| that: give it me !" And Cop"rnicus, and
Calico, and Kepler and Isaac Newton
came forth ard told the world that, in
their ransacking of earth and Heaven,
thew had found overwhelming presence OF
| the God whom we worship; and this old
| Bible began to shake itse from the Koran
| and Shaster and Zendavesta with which it
| had been covered up, and lay on the desk
of the scholar, and in the laboratory Of
| the chemist, and in the lap of the Chris
| tian. unframed and unanswered, while
| the towers of the midnight heavens struck
| a silverv chime in its praise.
Worldly phi losophy sail: Matter Is
eternal The world always was. God did
not make it" Christian philosophy
plunges its crow bar in rocks, and finds
that the world was gradually made, and if
gradually made there must have been
some point at which the proc IS started 4;
then, who started il? And so that objec-
ton was overcome and in the first three
I words of the Bible we find that Moses
Stated magnfir eut truth when ne said
I'm the beginning"
Worldly philosophy said: Your Bible
| Ia a 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 lOclsts like an army. Ar
army walks, locustS fly. An army goes In
order and procession, locusts without or
der" "Wait" said Chr stian philosophy
and in 1868 in the southwestern part Of
this country Christian men went out tt
examine the march of 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 newspaper
unwittinglv spoke of them as an army
Why? They seem to have a commander
They march like host They halt like
) host. No arrow ever went with straighte
fight than the locusts come-not ever
turning aside for the W nd II the wine
rises the locusts drop and then rise again
after 1t has gone down, taking the SAM
: line of march, not varying a foot Tn
Bible is right everv time when it speak
, | of locusts coming Tx an army; world,
. philosophy wrong.
Worldly philosophy said: "All tina
story about the light turned as CLAW to tn
seaP is simply an absurditv." Old tim
4
comes straight" Christian philosoph,
said: await little while" and it goe
: on and makes discoveries and finds tina
the atmosphere curves and bends the IA,
Of light around the earth, LITERAL,
''as the CLAW to the seal" The Bible RICH
again; worldly philosophy wrong again
. "Ah," says worldly philosophy. ''all tina
Illusion in Job about the foundation of tn
: earth is simply an Absur lily. What was
: thou says God, when / set the founda
= tons OF the earthr The earth has n
foundations" Christian philosophy come
and finds that the word as translate
foundation" NAV be better translate
a.. sockets" 50 now see how ii will rea
= IL ii Is translated right: Where wa.
thou when sat the sockets OF the earth!
Where Is the socke;: 1t is the hollow {
Gods banda socket large enough for an
world TO turn in.
: Worldly philosophy said: What an al
Surd story aboutJ oshua making he sun an
moon stand still. II the world had stoppe
> an instant the whole universe would har
been out OF gear" Stop" said ChristIa