Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1892-03-17

Was Nine Cubits Long ar Four Cubits
Broad.
BROOKLYN, March 13.-Dr. Tai
mage gave another illustration this
morning in his sermon at the Taber-
nacle of his wonderful power OF
drawing useful, practical essonsfrom
an obscure text, which, to the ordi-
nary mind, seemed Incapable of yield
ing any spiritual edifcetion. The
text was Deuteronomy ii, II; Only
Og, king of Bashan, remained of the
remnant of giants; behold, his bed
stead was a bedstead % iron; Is 1t
not in Rabbath of the children OF
Ammon2 Ninecubits was the length
thereof and four cubits the breadth
Of it."
The story of giants is mixed with
myth. William the Conqueror was
said to have been Of overtoweTing al
titude. but when in aftereime his
tomb was opened his bones indicated
that he had been physically Of Only
ordinary size. Roland the Hero was
said to have been of astounding stat
ure, but when his ~sepulcher was
examined his armor was found only
large enough to fit an ordinary man,
Alexander the Great had helmets
and shields of enormous size made
and left among the people whom he
had conquered, SO as to give the I'M
preston that he was q giant, although
he was rather under than over the
usual height of a man. But that in
other days and lands there We're real
giants is authentic. One of the guards
of the Duke of Brunswick was eight
and a half feet high. IL a museum
in London is the skeleton OF Charles
Brine, eight feet four inches IN
stature. The Emperor Maxamin was
e eight feet. Pliny tells Of q giant
nine feet high. and two other giants
nine and q half feet.
So l am not increduloGs when /
come to my text and find King 0ga
giant. and the SIZE Of his bedstead,
rnning the cubits of the text into
feet-the bedstead Of Og, the king,
must have been about thirteen and a
half feet long. Judging from that.
the giant who occupied it was prob
ably about eleven feet in stature. or
nearly twice the average human
size. There was no need of Habbin-
zeal writers trying 10 a%ccouEt1or the
presence of this giant, King De. as
they did. by saying that he came
down from the other SIDE of the
food, being tail enough to wade the
waters beside Noah's ark. or that he
rode on the top of the ark. the pas
sengers inside the ar. daily pcovid-
ing him with food. There was moth
ing supernatural about hiIa. he was
simply a monster in size.
EVERYTHING SACRIFICED TO STRENGTH.
Cyrus and Solomon slept on beds
of gold, and Sardanapalus had $50
bedsteads of gold burned up with
him. but this bedstead of my text
was of iron-everything sacrificed
for strength to hold this excessive
avoirdupois, this Alp Of bone and
flesh. No wonder this couch was
kept as a curiosity at Rabbath. and
people went from fer and near to see
it, just as now people go to museums
10 behold the ar1nOr OF the arcients.
You say what a fighter this giant.
King Og. must have been No doa5t
OF It. Isuppose the sizeof his sword
and brea9tplate corresponded to tie
size of ais bedstead. and his stride
across he battlefield and the III
stroEe Of his arm mast have been &p@
Failing, With an armed most be
comes down to drive back the Ls&el-
res. who are marching OF fs0tn=
Egypt to Canaan. We haveeno par
.ulars of the battle. but ! tadrNt the
raehtes trenbled when=they sly
this monster of a man moving down
tocrush them. Observation-Disclosures
VIII their trouble sneyer cease ZNnat
can men five and q half feet high dc
against this warrior OF eleven feet.
and what can short SWORDS doaSaiast
a sword whose glealaEaUSt have been
axe a fash Of Lightning! The hasae
of Edrei opened. Moses and his ala4y
met the giant and his army. I.
Lord of Hosts descended INTO tie
fight. and the gigantic strides taat=
Og had made when advancing into
the battle We're more than eqa2led
by the gigantic strides with which he
retre&ted. Euzza for Triumphant
Israel. SIXTY fortified cities sare
rendered to them. a land Of iaie
scribable opulence cones INTO taeiG
possession. and all that's left Of the
giant king is the iron bedStead.
Nine cubits was the length thereof
and four cubits the br aj5h OF IT,"
JUDGE OF MAN BY HIS SURROUNDINGS.
Why did not the Bloc give Us the
size OF the giant instead of the size of
the bedstead1 Why did ii not iadi-
cate that the man was eleven feet
high instead Of telling Us that his
couch was thIrteeL and a half feet
long, Nodoubt. among things,
twas to teach Us that You can jadge
OF a man by his surroundings. Show
me a mans associates, show me q
mans books, show me mans home.
and l Will tell youwhat he IS without
your telling me one word about hira.
You cannot only tell a man. accord
ing to the old adage. BY the com
pany he keeps" but by 1.-The books he
reads, by the pictures he admires. by
the church he attends. by the places
he visits.
Moral giants and moral pygmies,
intellectual giants aud intellectual
pyg2nies, ike physical giants OF ply
seal pygnies may be judged by their
surroundings. That man has been
thirty years faithful IN attendance
upon churches and prayer mees ings
and Sunday schools, and putting
himself among intense religious as
so~ciations. He may have h;s nnper
fections. but he is a very good man.
Great is his religious Stature. That
other man has been for thirty years
among influences intensely worldly,
=