The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-07-03
THE TABERNACLE PULPIT.
SWORDS OF THE ENEMY CAPTURED.
DIR. Talmage Illustrates His Text From
Science and Philosophy-David Takes
Goliath's Blade and Defend Dis Himself
Against His Pursuers-Notes, Etc.


night on THE Mightiest Weapon Is the
Gospel" His text was Samuel xxi, 8:
There is none like that; give it me-"
The preacher said:
David flew 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
sword or spear with which 10 defend him
self. The priest. not being accustomed to
use deadly weapons, tells David that he
cannot 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 unwrapping the sharp, glitter
ing, memorable blade, it flashes upon Da-
vid's mind that this was the very sword
that was used against himself when he was
in the tight with Goliath, and David can
hardly keep his hand off il until the priest
has unwound it. David stretches out his
band toward that old sword, and says:
There is none like that; give 1t me"
In other words, al 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, nv friends, that is not
the first or the last sword once used by
giant and Philistine iniquity which is to
come into the possession of Jesus Christ,
and OF His glorious church. l want. as
well as God NAV help me, toshow 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
initiate David when | stretch out my hand
toward the blade of the Philistine, and
cry: There is none like that; give 1t me -
l remark, first, that this is true in all
scientific exploration. You know that
the first discoveries in astronomy and
geology and chronology we're used to battle
Christianity. Worldly philosophy came
out Of its laboratory and out of its OBJ
servatory, 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 Christian
lty, as we have it among men, is positive
imposition. Good men trembled. The
telescope, the Leyden jars, the cleo
trio batteries, all in the hands of
the Philistines. But one day,
Christianity, looking about for
some weapon with which to defend it
self, happened to see the very old sword
that these atheistic Philistines had been
using against the truth, and cried out:
There is none ike that; give 1t me-"
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 over
wheiming presence OF the God whom we
worship; and this old bible began to shake
itself from the koran and shaster and zen
devesta with which it bad been covered
nd Iax hc cacl- Of hos hn10
IN the laboratory of the chemist and in
the lap of the Christian, unframed and
unanswered, while the towers of the mid
night heaven struck a silver 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 objec-
ton was overcome, and in the first three
words of the bible we find that Moses
stated a magnificent truth when he said:
In the beginning"
Worldly philosophy said: ''Your bible
Is 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 locusts like an
army. An army walks, locusts fly.
An army goes in order and procession.
locusts without order" "Waitp' said
Christian philosophy; and In 1858, in the
southwestern part of this country, Chris
tan men went out to 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 newspapers unwittingly spoke of
them as an army. Why? They seem to
have a commander. They march like a
host. They halt like host. No arrow
ever went with straighter fight than the
locusts come-not even turning aside for
the wind. If 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 it speaks of locusts coming like
an 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. ''The light
comes straight" Christian philosophy
said: "Wait little while" and it goes
on and makes discoveries and finds that
the atmosphere curves and bends the ravs
of light around the earth, literally ''as the
clay to the seal" The bible right again;
worldly philosophy wrong again. "Ah,"
says worldly philosophy, ''all that illusion
In Job about the foundations of the earth
is simply an absurdity. Where vast
thou says God, when l set the founda-
tons of the earth?' The earth has no
foundations. " Christian philosophy
comes and finds that the word as trans
lated foundations" may be better trans
lated sockets. So now see how it will
read II it is translated right: "Where
vast thou when / set the sockets of the
earth2" Where is the socket? 1t is the
hollow Of Gods hand-a socket large
enough for any world to turn in.
Worldly philosophy said What an abb
surd story about Joshua making the sun
and moon stand still. II 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. 1t was not necessary in making them
stand still that both motions should be
stopped-only the one turning the world
on It's own axis. There was no reason
why the halting of the earth should have
Jared and disarranged the whole universe.
Joshua right and God right; infidelity
wrong every time. | knew it would be
wrong. thank God that the time has come
when Christisns need not be scared at any
scientific exploration. The fact is that
religion and science have struck hands in
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