The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1889-07-05
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
Pulpit Proof that s'The Mightiest
Weapon is the Gospel"
Vindication OF the Bible by the Discov.
cries OF AstrOnOmy-Art and Science
go Hand in Hand with
True Religion.


Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage. in recent
sermon in the Brooklyn Tabernacle, took
for his subject: 1.-THE Mightiest Weapon
is the Gospel" His text was
There is none like that; give it mel Samu L
xxi, Q.
David fed from his pursuers. The world
runs very fast when it is chasing a good
man. The country is trying to catch Da-
vid, and to Stay him. David goes into the
house of a priest, and asks him for a
sword or spear with which to defend
himself. The priest not being accus-
toned to use deadly weapons, 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
tho very sword that Goliath formerly
used-and he takes down that sword, and
while he is unwrapping the sharp, gilt
ter1ng memorable blade, it flashes upon
Dayid'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 other words: 81 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
lnlquity which is to come into the pos
session of Jesus Christ, and of His
glorious church. l want as we'll as God
may help me, TO show you that ma ny q
weapon which has been used against the
armies Of God is yet to be captured and
used on our side; and I only initiate
David when 1 stretch out my hand toward
the blade of the Philistine and cry:
There is none like that; give it mel
remark, first that this is true in re-
gard to all scientific exploration. You
know that the first discoveries in astron-
omy and geology and chronology were
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 struct-
ure Of the earth, and by the movement
of the heavenly bodies, that the Bible is
a lie, and that Christianity, as we have it
among men, is positive imposition"
Good men trembIed. The telescope,
Leyden jars, the electric batteries, all in
the hands of the Phnistines. But one
day, Christianity, looking about for some
weapon with which to defend itself, hap
these atheistic Philistines had been using
against the truth and cried out;
There is none like that; give it mel
And Copernicus, and Calico, aud KEEP
Ter, aud 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 Zendavesta, with which it had been
severed 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
lowers of the midnight heavens struck
q silvery chime in its praise.
Worldly philosophy said:
Matter is eternal. The world always
was. God did not make ito
Christian philosophy plunges it's crow
bar into rocks and finds that the world
was gradually made and if gradually
made, there must have been some point
1t which the process started; then, who |
started it? and so that objection was
overcome, and in the first three words Of !
The Bible we fud that Moses stated a |
truth whom he said:
In tho beginning.
Worldly philosophy said:
'YOur Bible is a most inaccurate book; |
III that story in the Old Testament, |
again and again told, about the army of |
he locusts-it is preposterous. There is |
lothing in the coming of the locusts like |
IN army. An army walks, locusts fly. |
An army goes in order and procession, |
.ocusts without order"
"WaitW said Christian philosophy; and |
n 1868, in the southwestern part of this
Christian men went out to ex-
"a aY.fI, ,R he m
IRE men right before me who must have
noticed iii that very part of the country
he coming uF of the locust like an army;
md 1t was found that all the newspapers
spoke Of them as an army.
Fhyg They seem TO have commander,
They march like host. They halt like a
lost No arrow ever went with straight
n flight than the locust come--nOt even
urning aside for the wind. IF the wind
ises, the locusts drop and then rise again
.fter it has gone down, taking the same
inc of march, not varying a foot. The
I'd Bible right every time when it speaks
Il locusts coming like an army; worldly
wrong.
Worldly philosophy said:
''All that story about the light turned
5 clay to the seal is simply an absurdi-
y" Old-time worldly pliIos ophy said:
The light comes straight"
1lAl ASttdu puAlOSOpuy 6dius w ait a !
title WHILE" and it goes on and makes
iscoveries, and finds that the atmos-
here curves and bends the rays Of light
round the earth literally "as the clay to
he seal" The Bible right again; world
7 philosophy wrong again.
"AhW says worldly philosophy, "all
nat illusion in Job about the foundations
{ the earth is simply an ahsurdity.
Who're vast thou says God, when 1 set
ne foundations Of the earth?' The earth
as no foundations"
Christian philosophy comes aud finds
nat the word as translated Foundation"
lay be better translated sockets" So !
ow see how it will read if It is translated
ght; ''Where vast thou when l set the | /;
ockets Of the earth?" Where is the
)cket? 1t is the hollow of Gods hand
socket largs enough for any world to !
lrn in.
Worldly philosophy said:
what an absurd story about Joshua :
aking the sun and the moon stand still.
the world had stopped an instant tho :
hole universe would have been out OF :
sar."
stop" said G hristjan philosophy, mot
lite so quick" The world has two mo- :
ons-one on its own xis, andS the other :
sun. 1t was not necessary
making them stand still that both
otions should be stopped only the one
rning the world on its own axis.
here was no reason why the hating of the
nth shOuld.have Jared aud disarranged '