Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1892-05-21
AT THE TABERNACLE.
DR.. TALMAeE DlscoURsEs ON THE
DUMB DEVIL. 81

Christians OF Embracing Every Oppor-
tunity That Offers to DO Good and Adj
vance tho Cause of Christ.
BROOKLYN, May l5.-In his sermon
today Rev. DR.. Talmage illustrated. in
potent and convincing language, the
duty incumbent upon Christians of eni-
bracing every opportunity that offers in
this life to do good and to advance the
cause of tho kingdom of Christ by a bold
acknowledgment of their principles be-
fore men. The text selected was, Mark
ix. 25, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, !
charge thoe. come out of him."
Here was a ease of great domestic an
guish. The son of tile household was
possessed of an evil spirit which, among
other things. paralyzed his tongue and
made him speechless. When the infnt
cnce was on the patient he could not:sayi
INSTRUMENTATION ,waseimp ossibles
The spirit.t hatstAptured this member Of
the household was dumb spirit-so
called by Christ-a spirit abroad today
und as lively and potent rs in New Tes-
lament times. Yet in all the realms of
sermonology cannot find discourse
concerning this dumb devil which Christ
charged upon my text. saying. Come
out of him.
There has been much destructive su-
pcrstition abroad in the world concern
ing possession by evil spirits. Under
the form of belief in witchcraft this de-
fusion swept the continents Persons
wero supposed TO he possessed with some
evil spirit which made them able to de-
stroy others. In the Sixteenth century
in Geneva 1.5OO persons were burned to
death ;,s witches Under one judge in
Lorraine 800 persons were burned to
death as witches. In one neighborhood
of Franco 1000 persons were burned.
In two centuries 20O,O0O persons were
slain ;ls witches. So mighty WAS the de-
fusion that it included among its VIC
tins some of the greatest iutellects of
all time. such as Chief Justice Matthew
Hale and Sir Edward Coke. AMI such
renowned ministers of religionaS Cotton
Mathcr, one of whose books. Benjamin
Franklin sail, shaped his life-and Rich
ard Baxter and Archbishop Cranmer
and Martin Lnther. and among writers
and philosophers. Lord Bacon. That be-
lief, which has become the laughing
stock of all sensible people, counted its
disciples among the wisest and best peo-
pie of Sweden, Germany, England,
France Spain and New England. But
while wo reject witchcraft any man who
believes the Bible must believe that
there are diabolical agencies abroad in
the world While there arc ministering
spirits 10 bless there arc Internal spirits
to hinder to poison and destroy. Christ
was speaking to II spiritual existence
when. standing before the afflicted one
of the Text. he said, Thou dumb and
deaf spirit, come out of him."
NOT a LITERAL BLIGHT.
Against this dumb devil of the text, i
put you on your guard. Do not think
that this agent of evil has put his blight
on those who. by omission of the vocal
organs. have had the golden gates of
speech bolted and barred. Among those
who have never spoken word are the
most gracious and lovely and talented
souls that were ever incarnated. The
chaplains of tho asylums for the dumb
can tell yon enchanting stories of those,
who never called the name of father OF
mother or child, and many of the most
devout and .praycrful souls will mover
in this world speak the name of God or
Christ. Many deaf mute have seen
with the angel of intelligence seated at
the window of The eye. who never came
forth from the door OF the mouth.
What a miracle of loneliness and
knowledge was Laura Bridgman, of
New Hampshire! Not only without fac
ulty of speech. but without hearing and
without sight. all these faculties re-
moved by sickness when two years of
age, yet becoming wonder at needle
work. at the piano, at the sewing ma
chine. and an intelligent student of the
Scriptures. and confounding philoso-
pliers. who came from all parts of tie
world to study the phenomenon. Thanks
to Christianity for what it has done for
the amelloration of the condition of the
deaf and the dumb. Back in the ages
they were put to death as having no
right. with such pancity of equipment,
to live. and for centuries they were
classed among the idiotic and unsafe.
But in the Sixteepth century came
Pedro Ponce. the Spanish monk. and in
the Seventeenth century came Juan Pab-
10 Bonet, another Spanish monk, with
dactylology or the finger alphabet, and
in our own century we have had John
Braidwood and Drs Mitchell and Acki
erly and Peet and Gallaudet, who have
given uncounted thousands of those
whose tongues were forever silent tho
power to spell out on the air by man.
ual alphabet their thoughts about this
world and their hopes for the next. We
rejoice in the brilliant inventions in be-
half of those who were born dumb.
One of the must impressive audiences
ever addressed was in the far west two
or three years ago-an audience of about
GOO persons who had never heard sound
or spoken word, an interpreter stand
ing beside INC while addressed them
congratulated that audience on two
advantages they had over the most OF
us-the one that they escaped hearing
great many disagreeable things, and on
the other fact that they escaped saying
things they were sorry for aftorward.
Yet after Ill the alterations shackled
tongue is au appalling. limitation. But
we are not this morning speaking of
congenital mutes. We mean those vino
arc born with I'LL the faculties of vocal
ization and yet have been struck by the
evil one mentioned in the text-the dumb
devil to whom Christ called when he
said. Thou dumb and deaf spirit, |
IL - hi,,, -