The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-07-10
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
|THE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S SUN
DAY SERMON.
ESubject: "The Mightiest Weapon is
the Gospel"

ksubject: "The Mightiest Weapon Is
the Gospel"
TEXT: "There is none like that; giue it
me. ."-I Samuel xxi, 9.
David fled from his pursuers. The
world runs very fast when it is chasing
3s good man. Tho country is trying to
catch David, and to slay him. David goes
Into the house Of priest and asks him
eor q sword OF spear with which to defend
himself 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
and he takes down that sword, and while he
kH unwrapping the sharp, glittering, memor-
kbie blade, it flashes upon David's mind that
This was the very sword that was used
against himself when he was in tho fight
with Goliath. and David can hardly keep
hts hand off it until the priest has unwound
ft. David stretches out his hand toward
that old sword and says: ''There is mono like
that; give it me-" In other words, II want
In my own hand the sword that has been used
against me, and against the cause of God. !"
w
Is not the first or the last sword once used by
xiant and PhiIistine iniquity which is to come
INTO the possession Of Jesus Christ, and OF
His glorious church. want, as well as God
may help me- to show you chat many a
Weapon which has been used against the
krmies of God is yet to be captured and used
bn our side; and only initiate David when
tzetch out my hand toward the blade of the
Phiistine, and cry: There is none like that;
i remark, first, that this is true in regard
10 all scientific exploration. You know that
The first discoveries in astronomy and
keology and chronology were used to battle
hristianity. Worldly philosophy came out
bf its laboratory and out of its observatory,
Ind said: 'Now, we will prove, by the very
ructure Of the EARTH and by the movement
t the heavenly bodies, that the Bible is
He and that Christianity, as we have it
Smong men, is q positive imposition" Good
nen tremblcd. The telescope, the Leyden
he Philistines. But one day, Christianity,
Boxing about for some weapon with which
b defend itself, happened to see the very old
word that these atheistic Philistines had
3een using against the truth and cried out:
There Is none like that; give it me" And
;opernicus and Galileo and Kepler, and
saac Newton came forth and told the world
hat in their ransackng Of the earth
Ind heaven, they had found overwhelming
resence Of the God whom we worship; and
bis old Bible began to shake itself from the
Koran, and Shaster, and Zendavesta with
khich it had been covered up, and lay on the
be chemist, and in the lap of the Christian,
nharmed and unanswered, while the towers
3 the midnight heavens struck silvery
hinle in its praise
Worldly philosophy said: 'Matter is eter-
2al The world always was. God did not
lake it," Christian philosophy plunges its
tuwbar into rocks, and finds that the world
as gradually made, and If gradually made,
hero must have been some point at which
be process started; then, who started it! and
that objection was overcome, and in the
rst three words of the Bible we find that
loses stated magnificent truth when he
lid: '1n the beginning"
WORLDLY philosophy, said: "Your Bible is
most inaccurate book; all that story In the
Id Testament again and again told, about
te army Of the locusts-it is preposterous.
here is nothing in tho coming Of the locusts
ke an army. An army walks, locusts fly.
d army goes in order and procession, lecrlsts
ithout order" "Wait~ said Christian phi
sophy; and in 1865, in the southwestern part
this country, Christian men went
ht to examine the march Of the locust. There
ne men right before me who must have no
ced in that very part Of the country the
bming up of the locust like an army; and it
as found that all the newspapers unwit-
ngiy spoke of them as an army. Why?
hey seem to have commander. They
Rarch like a host They halt like n
bst. No arrow ever went with
raighter fight than the locusts come
mot even turning aside for the wind. If
se wind rises, the locusts drop and then rise
gain after it has gone down, taking the
me line of march, not varying foot. The
d Bible right every time when it speaks Of
Gusts coming like an army; worldly phil
Sophy wrong.
Worldly philosophy said: Gall that story
oout the light turned as clay to the seal
SIMPLY an absurdity." Old time worldly
philosophy said: ''rhe light comes straight"
hristian philosophy said: "Wait little
hile," and it goes on and makes discoveries
I'D finds that the atmosphere curves and
ends the rays of light around the
rth, literally, ''as the clay to the seal"
he Bible right again; worldly philosophy
Sns aR That Illusion sa'h in "Ts JOB about Gi the
nndations Of the earth is simply an ab-
rdity. Where vast thou says God,
Thsn set the foundations Of the earth The
rth has no foundations" Christian phi
sophy comes and finds that the word as
anslated Foundation" may be better
anslated "sockets" So now see how it
III read If it is translated right: "Where
asst thou when 7 set the sockets of the
nth ?n Where is the socket? 1t is the hol-
W Of Gods hand-a socket large enough
r any world to turn in.
w Worldly philosophy said: 'sWhat an absurd
bry about Joshua making the sun and moon
. ord sfin Tf tho ,yorTd bod cfor,od a in,
ant, the whole universe would have been
of gear" ''Stop, said Christian philoso-
~, 'T2t quite so quick" The world has
10 motions-one on its own axis, and the
her around the sun. 1t was rot necessary in
aking them stand still that both motions
ouid be stopped-only the one turning the
brld on its own axis. There was no'reason
by the halting Of the earth should have
rred and disarranged the whole universe.
shua right and God right; infidelity wrong
cry time. knew it would be wrong. 1
ank God that tho time has come when
pristians need not bo scared at any scientific
ploration. The fact is that religion and
|ence have struck hand in eternal friendship,
d the deeper down geology can dig and
letter for ua. The armies Of the
Prd Jesus Christ have stormed the
servatories of the worlds science, and
pm the highest towers have flung out
banner Of the cross and Christianity
might, from the observatories of Albany
d Washington, stretches out its hand to-
rd the opposing scientific weapon, cry
B: There is none like that; give it me"
was reading this afternoon Of Herschel,
10 was looking at q meteor through
telescope, and when it came over the
be Of the telescopeit was SO powerful he had
avert his eyes. Andit has been just so that
my an astronomer has gone into IN OBJ
yatory and looked up into the midnight
ayetns and the / ord God has ihronnh conaa