Telegram-herald. ([Grand Rapids, Mich.) 18??-1892, 1891-10-12
THE SWORD OF ELRAZAR
SERMON ON THE GOODNESS. ccusT
AND uA6gLlEF or Iris AGE
Sal Cases Of Christians whs Bsissvs -
Fzxs al shs Bible. sf nea Who Ds1ss
Essrysasaz s-a II sslf styled chrls-
ss>.s VIVA sAriak fsssH "a. Csaaies


Pas al tia Bible. sf nsa Who Dssss
EssrysAsax s.a If sslf styled Carlo
ss~.s VIVA sAriak fsss- shs Cssases
RR0ozLTs. Oct u.--Anong the vast aa-
sisnces which ero1d tic Brooklyn Taber-
naeis ss every service are large numbers Of
yoaax msa. n4ay OF WHOM are theological
srndeurs Or. TalJaags's sermon this
morning had a special interest for them
Az tbs time when 80 many are giving up
ths Bible, or holding the truth less firmly
than before. the eloquent gNfacher pas
Lln.slf On record 50 elsariyS dad forcibly
thas no eas sao heard him coaid have any
doass a. co his attitude. His text w&s III
Samuel XIII. 10. And his hand ciave unto
IAe swerd- +"
A great general Of King David was
EleAar. the hare u the text The Philis-
fines opsnsd battle against him. and his
troops resreAted The towards Hrd- Eiezxar
aad thrss OF bis comrades went into the
battle aa1 swept thu field. for four men
with God On their side are stronger than .
whole battalion with God against them
-yzll back shouted the commander OF
the PhlIiztlns army. The cry ran Alenx tho
hash. ..EaIl backP' Eleasar having sweps
ths Aid throws himself on the ground To
rest. bus tbs mnscles and sinews Of his
hand had bsen so long beat around the hilt
Of the swcrt! that ths hiit MAS Undecided In
the f=sh. and tae gold xirs Of the hils had
broken through shs skin OF the palm Of the
baad, and be could ncs drop this sword
which be had so calamity wielded. HIS
hand claye unto tho sword" Than h what
call magnificent fxhting for the Lord
God OF Isxsel. And we want more OF it. l
propose 10 show you this morning how
Elsazar took hold Of the swora and how
the sword took held OF Eiszxar. look ~
Eleaz2r's hand. ana come TO the concur
kion that be took the sword with very
tight grip. The towards who hed had no
troable in dropping shsir swords Al they
fly over the rocks hear their swords clang-
Ing in every direction IL 10 easy enough for
them 10 drop their swords. But Eieaxar's
hand elaye unto the sword.
On. nay friends, In this Christian conflict
we want a tighter grip Of the Gospel
weapons, q tighter grasp OF the two edged
sword OF ths truth Ii makes me sad TO
see these Christian people who hold only q
part OF the truth and let the rest OF tho
truth 20. 80 that the Philisrines, seeing tho
loosered grasp. wrench the whole sword
away from tasm. The only safe thing for
Us 20 do - to put cur thumb on the book
pt Genesis and sweep our hand around the
book until tho New Testament comes into
ths palm. and keep on sweeping our hand
RFound the book until the tips OF the fingers
clutch NJ the words. an the beginning God
created tina heavens and the earth" like
AZ iaft.el great deal better than do one
Of these nanaby-pamby Christians who hold
part OF the truth and let the rest 60 By
miracle God preserved this Bible just IA it
Is. and Il Is Damascus blade. The severess
test To which sword caa be put in sword
factory IL 70 wind the blade around gun
barrel Ike a ribbon. and then when the
sword 10 lee loose IL flies hack . its own
shape. So the sword Of Gods sruth has
been fully tested, and IL Is Seat this way
and that way. and wound tlis way and
that way. but IL always comes back to
It's own shape Think Of It'll A book writ
ten eighteen centuries ago, and some Of it
thousands Of years ago. and yet Ia our time
the average sale OF this book u moro than
twenty thousand copies every week. and
more than q million copies year. l say
now that book which Is divinely inspired
aad divinely kept snd divinely scattered is
weapon worth holding tight grip Of
Bishop Colense will come along and try to
wrench out OF your hand the five books Of
Moses. and Strauss will come along and
Try 10 wrench out OF your hand the mir
aeles aud Renan will come along and try
to wrench out of your hand the entire life
Of the Lord Jesus Christ, and your $3.50
eiates IN the store. or the shop, or the fac
tory, OF the banking houSe will try to
wrench out OF your hand the entire Bible,
but In the strength Of the Lord God OF
Israel. and with Eeaxar's grip. hold on to
It. You give up the 81 ble. you give up any
part Of il. and ron give up pardon and
peace and life and heaven.
rHz NoTHIxGARIAss' CRIED.
see hundreds. perhaps thousands, OF
young men In this audience. DO NOT be
ashamed. young man. to have the world
know that yoa are friend Of the Bible.
This book Is the friend Of ali that Is good
and 1t IL the sworn enemy Of all that Is
bad. An eloquent writer recently gives an
Incident Of a very bad man who stood in
The cell Of western prison. This criminal
had gone through all styles OF crime. and
he was there waiting for tho gailows. The
convict standing there AZ the window OF
the cell. this writer says. looked ont and
declared. 4 arm an infidel' lie said that
to ali tho men and women and children
who happened TO % gathered there. i am
IA inildsl.'" and the eloquent writer says.
Cfrry man anu WoW8t tHtfs DcttcFcd
hiFa-" And the writer goes on to say. "lf
he bad stood there saying. 4 am Chris
tian.' every man and woman would have
said, He /. liarF" This Bible IL the
sworn enemy Of all this wrong and IL ia
the friend OF all that is good. Oh. hold on
to it. Do not take part Of it and throw tho
rest away Hold on 20 all OF 10. There are
81 many people now who DO not know.
You ssk them IL the soul Is immortal, and
they say. II guess IL Is. don't know, per-
haps IL ". perhaps il isn't" Is tho Bible
truss We'll, perhaps il Is, aud perhaps il
isn't, perhaps 10 mar be fguratively. AMI
perhaps IL may be partly. and perhaps it
rnsy not De ~ all" They despiSe what
they call the Apostolic creed. bat IL their
own creed were written out it would read
like thiss Il bslieve in nothing, the maker
OF heaven aud earth. and in nothing which
it bath cent. which nothing ws~ born Of
nothing. and which nothing was dead and
buried and descended into nothing. and
arose from nothing. and ascrsded to moth
ing. and now sittcsh At the right hard OF
nothing. from which 10 viii come 10 judge
rothinx. l believe IN the holy agnostic
church and IN the communion Of nothing.
garians. and in the forgiveness OF nothing.
and the resurrection II nothing. and In the
life taat never shall be. Amsn" That ia
the creed Of tens Of thousands Of people in
this dsy n ron have . mind 20 adopt
such theory viii not. Il beiievs in God
she Father Almighty. maSer 81 heaven
snd earth. and in Jesus Christ. md in the
bolv catholic church. and in the COM