The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1889-06-26
THE MIGHTIEsT WEAPON.
Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage's Sermon
at the Brooklyn Tabernacle.
qucred by the Gospel = Christian
Philosophy VS.. Worldly Philoso-
ply - No Weapon Like the
Gospel OF Christ.


cent sermon at the Brooklyn Taberbacle
His text was, l. 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 sIay him, David goes into the house
Of priest, and asks him for asword 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 unwrapping the
sharp, glittering, memorable blade, 1t 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 II until the
I priest has unwound 1t. David stretched out
his hand toward that old sword and says:
''There is none like that; give it me-" In
other words II want in my own hands the
sword that has been used against me, and
against the cause Of God" So 1t was given
NCll, NY lIlOuus, Uudb ID uOJ Jl6 uTbb
or the last sword used by giant and Philis-
tine iniquity which is to come into the pos
session 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 Philistine
and cry: There is none like that; give It
TO me-"
Iremark, first, that this is true in regard
TO all scientific exploration. You know that
the first discoveries in astronomy and geol-
ogy and chronology were used TO battle
Christianity. Worldly philosophy came out
Of its laboratory and out Of its observatory,
and said: snow, we will prove, by the very
structure Of the earth, and by the movement
Of the heavenly bodies, that the Bible is q
lie and that Christianity, as we have 1t
among men, is a positive imposition" Good
men trembled. The telescope, the Leyden
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: There is none like that; give IL
to mep And Copernicus, and Calico, and
Kepler, and Isaac Newton came forth, and
told the world that, in their ransaclSing Of
the earth and heavens, they had found over
whelming presence OF the God whom we
1zyorship; and this old Bible began to shake
Itself from the Koran, and Shaster, and
Zendavesta, with whichit 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 in its praise
Worldly philosophy said: Matter iseter-
nal. The world always was. God did not
make it.n Christian philosophy plunges its
crowbar into rocks, and finds that the world
was gradually made, andif gradually made,
there must have been some point at which
the process started; then, who started 1T
and so that objection was overcome, and In
the first three words Of the Bible we find
that Moses stated a magnif cent truth when
he said; I'm the beginning"
Worldly philosophy said: "Your Bible is
most inaccurate book; all that story in the
Old Testament, again and again told, about
There isnothing in the coming Of thelocusts
like an army An army walks, locusts fly.
An army walks in order and procession,
locusts without order" 'sWaitw said Chris
tian philosophy; and in 1868, in the south
western part Of this country, Christian men
went out TO examine the march Of helocust
There are men right before me who must
have noticed in that very part Of thecountry
the coming up OF the locusts like an army
and Il was found that all OF the newspapers
unwittingly spoke Of them as an army.
Whyl They seem 10 have commander.
They halt like host. No arrow ever went
with straighter fight than the locusts come
mot 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 foot.
The old Bible right every time when II
speaks Of locusts coming like an army
worldly philosophy wrong.
Worldly philosophy said: GAN that story
about the light turned as clay 10 the seal
is simply an absurdity.n Old time worldly
philosophy said: "Thelight comes straight %
Christian philosophy said "Wait little
WHILE" and II goes on and makes discover.
bends the rays Of light around the earth,
literally "as the clay to the seal" The Bi.
BILE 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, w hen set the foun.
dations Of the earthr The earth has
foundations" Christian philoso ply comes
and finds that the word as translated "foun.
dationn may be better translated Sockets y
so now see how 1t will read II IL is translated
right: "Where was thou when / set the
sockets OF the earthln Whereis the socket
II 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. II the world had
stopped an instant, the whole universe
would have been out Of gear" "Stop,r
said Christian philosophy, "not quite SC
quick.n The world has two motions-ont
on Its own axis and the. other around the
sun. II was not necessary In making then
stand still that both motions should be
stopped 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, Joshus
right and God right; infidelity wrong every
time. knew II 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
the better for us. The armies Of the Lord