The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1889-07-17
THE MIGHTIEST WEAPON.
Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage's Sermon
at the Brooklyn Tabernacle.
bow the Whole World Has Been Con.
Quered by the Gospel - Christian
Philosophy VS.. Worldly Philoso-
ply No Weapon Like tho
Gospel OF Christ.


quered by the Gospel - Christian
Philosophy Worldly Philoso-
ply No Weapon Like the
Gospel Of Christ.
'sThe nlightest weapon is the Gospel"
was the subject of Rev. Dr. Talmage's re-
cent sermon at the Brooklyn Taberbacle.
His text was, I. Samuel Xxx, 9: 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 countryis trying to catch David,
and to slay him. David goes into the house
Of priest, and asks him for asword or spear
with which to defend himself. The priest,
not being accustomed to use deadly weap
ons, tells David that he can not supply him;
but suddenly the priest thinks of an old
sword that had been carefully wrapped up
and laid away-the very sword that Goliath
formerly used-and he takes down that
sword, and while he is unwrappug 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 fight with Goliath, and David
can hardly keep his hand off it until the
priest has unwound it. David stretched out
his hand toward that old sword and says:
There is none like that; give it me-" In
1sether words: Il want in my own hands the
Sword that has been used against me, and
gainst the cause Of Cod So it was given
7im. Well, my friends, that is not the first
] the last sword used by giant and Philis-
sane iniquity which is to come into the pos
ession Of Jesus Christ. and Of His glorious
Church. want, as well as God may help
me, to show you that many 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 stretch out
my hand toward the blade Of the PhiliStlne
and cry: s'rhere is none like that; give it
to me'
remark, first. that this is true in regard
to all scientific exploration. You knowthat
the first discoveries in astronomy and geol-
ogy and chronology We're used to battle
Christianity. Worldly philosophy came out
of its laboratory and out of its observatory,
and said: Now, we will prove, by the very
structure Of the earth, and by themovement
Of the heavenly bodies, that the Bible is
lie aad that Christianity, as we have 1t
among men, is q positive imposition" Good
men trembled. The telescope, the Ley6en
Jars, the electric batteries, all in the hands
Of the Philistines. But one day, Christiani-
ty, looking about for some weapon with
which to defend itself, happened to see the
very old sword that these atheistic Philis-
tines had been using against the truth, and
cried out: "TheresIs none like that; give it
to mer And Coperpicus, and Galleo, and
Keplsr, and Isaac Newton came forth, and
told the world that, in their ransacking Of
the earth and heavens, they had found over
whelming presence of the God whom we
worship; and this old Bible began to shake
itself 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 Christian, unharmed and unan-
swered, while the towers Of the midnight
heavens struck silvery chime il its praise.
Worldly Ia <sss&sntter is eters.
rGlG HrAs6Sorld always was. God Nd1d not
make It." Christian philosophy plunges its
crowbar into rocks, and finds that the world
was gradually made, andi il gradually made,
there must have been some point at which
the process started; then, who started it!
and 50 that objection was overcome, and in
the first three words Of the Bible we find
that Moses stated magnif cent truth when
he said: 'In the beginning"
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
Hike an army. An army walks, locusts fly.
An army walks in order and procession,
locusts without order" "Wait!'' said Chris
tian philosophy; and in 176S, in the south
western part Of this country, Christian men
went out to examine the march Of thelocust.
There are men right before me who must
have noticed in thatvery part Of the country
the coming up of the locusts like an army
and it was found that all of the newspapers
unwittingly spoke Of them as an army.
Why? They seem to have commander.
They halt like host. No arrow ever went
with straighter fight than the locusts come
not even turning 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 a foot.
The old Bible right every time when it
speaks Of locpsts coming like en- army;
worldly philosophy wrong.
Worldly philosophy said: "All that story
about the light turned as clay to the seal'
is simply an absurdity." Old time worldly
philosophy said: ''Theight comes straight" !"
Christian philosophy said: ''Wait little
while" and it goes on and makes discover
les and finds that theatmospherec curves and
bends the rays Of light around the, earth,
literally ''as the clay to the seal.' The BIZ
BILE right again; worldly philosophy wrong
again s.Ah,' says worldly philosophy, 'all
that illusion in Job about the foundations Of
the earth is simply an absurdity. Where
vast thou says God, w hen I set the foun-
6ations Of the earth7' The earth has no
foundations" Christian philoso ply comes
and finds that the word as translated ''foun-
dation" may be better translated sockets" :"
50 now see how it will read il it IS translated
right: "Where was thou when I set the
sockets Of the earth.!n Where is the socket!
It is the hollow of Gods hand-a socket
large enough for any world to turn in.
Worldly philosophy said: ''What an alb
surd story about Joshua making the sun
and moon stand still. If the world had
stopped an instant, the whole universe
would have been out Of gear" "Stop,''
said Christian philosophy, mot quite so
quick" The world has two motions-one
on its own axis and the other around the
sun It was not necessary in making them
stand still that both motions should be
stopped-only the one turning the world on
its own axis. There was no reason why the
hating OF the earth should have Jared and
disarranged the whole universe. Joshua
right and God right; inhdelity wrong every
time knew it would be wrong. / thank
God that the time has come when Chris
tians need not be scared at any scientific
exploration. The fact is that religion and
science have struck hand in eternal friend
ship, and the deeper down geology can dig
and the higher up astronomy can soar, all
che better for US. The armies CT the Lord
Jesus Christ have stormed the observatories
OF the worlds science, and from the highest
towers have flung out the banner Of the
cross, and Christianity tonight, from the
observatories of Albany and Washington
stretches out its hand toward the opposing
scientific weapon, crying: There is none