Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1892-05-20
REV. DR.. YALMAGE.
The Eminent Brooklyn Divine's Sun
day Sermon.
subject. "rhe Dumb Spirit"


things paralyzsd his tongue and made him
speechless. When the influence was on the
patient he could not say q word-srticua-
ton was impossible. The spirit that cap
tured this member OF the household was a
dumb spirit--so called by Christ-a spirit
abroad to-day and as lively and potent as in
New Testament times. Yet in all Of the
realms Of sermonoiogy / caunot find a dis
course concerning this dumb devil which
Christ charged upon my text, saying,
s'Come out Of him."
There has ben much destructive supersti-
ton abroad in the world concerning posses
sion by evil spirits. Under the form of belief
in witc lcraft this deluSion swept the
continents. Persons were supposed to be
possessed with some evil spirit which made
them able to destroy others. In the six
teenth century in Geneva 1900 persons were
burned to death as witches. Under one
Judge in Lorraine 900 persons were burned
to death as witches In one neighborhood of
France 1000 persons were burned. In two
centuries 100000 persons were slain as
witches. So mighty was the delusion that
it included among its victims some Of the
greatest intellects of all time, such as Chief
Justice Mathew Hale and Sir Edward Coke,
and such renowned ministers of religion as
Cotton Mather one of whose books, Benjamin
Franklin said, shaped his hfe-and Richard
Baxter and Archbishop Cranmer and Mar
tin Luther, and among writer's and phlioSo-
pliers, Lord Bacon. That belief, which has
become the laughing stock Of all sensible
people, counted its disciples cmo1g the wisest
and best people OF Sweden, Germany, Eng
land, France, Spain and New England. But
while we reject witchcraft any man who be-
leves the Bible must believe that there are
diabolical agencies abroad in the world.
While there are ministering spirits TO bless
there are internal spirits to hinder, to poison
and destroy. Christ was speaking to splr-
itual existence when, standing before the
afflicted one of the text He said, Thou
dumb and deaf spirit, come out of him"
Against this dumb devil Of the text, put
you on your guard. Do not think that this
agent of evil has put his blight on those who.
by commission 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 AMI tai
ented souls that were ever incarnated. Tue
chaplains of the asylums for the dumb can
tell you enchanting stories of those, who
never called the name of father or mother
or child, and many of the most devout and
prayerful souls will never in this world
speak the name of God or Christ. Many a
deaf mute have | seen with the angel OF in
telligence seated at the window OF the eye,
mouth.
What miracle Of lovelinesS and knowl:
edge was Laura BridgmaD, of New Hamp
shire, Not only without faculty of speech,
but without hearing and without sight, all
these faculties removed by sickness when
two years of age yet becoming wonder at
nesdlework, at the piano. at the sewing ma
chile, and an intelligent student of the
Scriptures, and con;ounding philosophers,
Ill q e..
study the phenomenon. Thanks to Christi
anity for what it has done for the anchor
alton of the condition OF the deaf and the
dumb. Back in the ages they were put to
death as having no right, with such paucity
of equipment, to live, and for centuries they
were classed among the idiotic and Unsafe.
But in the Sixteenth century came Pedro
Ponce the Spanish monk, and in the Seven
teenth century came Juan Pablo Bonet
anothor Spanish monk, with dactylology or
the finger alphabet, and in our own century
we have had John Braidwood and Drs.
Mitchell and Ackerly and Peet and Gallau-
det, who have given uncounted thousands OF
those whose tongues we're forever silent ths
power to spell out on the air by manual
alphabet their thoughts about this world and
their hopes for the next. We rejoice in the
brilliant inventions in behalf of those who
were born dumb.
One of the most impressive audiences l
ever addressed was in the far west two or
three years ago-an audience of about 600
persons who had never heard sound or
spoken word, an interpreter standing beside
me while addressed them. congratulated
that audience on two advantages they had
and over the most of uS-tne one that they
escaped hearing a great many diSagreeable
things, and on the other fact that they eS-
capped saying things they were sorry for at
terward Yet after all the alleviatious a
shackled tongue is an appalling Limitation.
But we are not this morning speaking of
cCngenital mutes We mean those who ara
born with all the faculties Of vOcalizatiOn
ard 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, charge thee, come
out of him.
There has been apotheoSization OF silence.
Some one has said that silence is golden, and
sometimes the greatest triumph is to keep
your mouth shut. But sometimes silence is
crime and the direct result of tie baleful
influence of the dumb devil Of our text.
There is hardly q man or woman in this
house to-day who has not been present on
some occasion wen the Christian religion
became target for raillery. Perhaps it was
over in the store some day when there was
not much going on and the clerks were in
group or il was in the factory at the noon
spell or il was out on the farm under the, trees
while you were resting, or 1t was III the
clubroom, or it was in social circle, or it
was in the street on the way home from
business, or it was on some occasion Width
you remember without me describing it,
Some one got the laugh on the Bible
and caricatured the profession OF re-
ligion as hypocrisy. or made pun out
Of something that Christ said. The laugh
started and you Joined in, and not one word
of protest did you utter. What kept you
silents Modesty, No. Incapacity to
answer No. Lack Of opportunity? No.
1t was blow on both your lips by the wing
Of the dumb devil. II some one should ma
lign your father or mother or wife or hus-
band or child you would flush up quick, and
either with an indignant word or doubled
I'D fist make response. Aud yet here is our
Christian religion which has done so much
for YOU and so much for the world that it
will take all eternity to celebrate it, and yet
when il was attacked you did not so much
as say: ~ differ. l object, am sorry to
hear you say that. There Is another side u
this"
You Christian people ought in such times
as these to 60 armed, not with earthly
weapons, but with the sword OF the Spirit.
You ought TO have four or five questions
with which YOU COuiu COuiOuuA any NAL
who attacks Christianity. A man ninety
years old was telling me few days ago
how he put to flight q scoffer. Ny aged
friend said to the sxeptic. 'Did you ever
read the history of Joseph in the Bible?'
'sYes." said the man; it Is fine story. and
as interesting a story as / ever read.
swell now said my old friend, sup.
pose that account Of Joseph stopped
half way" "Ob," said the man, then
it would not be entertaining. wei:
now" said my friend, I'VE have in this world
only half of everything. and do you not
think that when we hear the last half things
may be consistent, and that then we may
find that God was right
OR. friends, better load up with few in
terrogation points. You cannot afford TO
be silent when God and the Bible and the
things of eternity are assailed. Your silence
gives consent to the bombardment OF your
Fathers house. You allow a slur TO be cas'
IN your mothers dying pillow In behalf
of the Christ, who for you went through
the agonies Of assassination on the rocky
bluff back of Jerusalem, you dared not fac
sickly JOKE Better load up with few
questions so that next tims you will b.
ready.
Say to the scoffer: my dear sir, will you
tell me what m axes the difference between
the condition Of woman in China and the
United States? What DO you think OF ths
sermon on the mount How do you like tbs
golden rule laid down in the Scriptures. Are
you in favor OF the ten commandments Ia