Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1892-03-18
REV. DR.. 7ALMAGE.
The Eminent Brooklyn Divine'S Sun.
day Sermon.


ill.,, IL.
The story Of giants is mixed with myth
William the Conqueror was said to have
been of cveItcweripg altitude. but when in
aftertime his tomb was opened his bones ill.,
Dictated that he had been physically of only
ordinary size. Roland the Hero was said TO
have been of astounding stature. but when
his Sepulchre 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,
soas to give the impression that he was a
giant, although he was rather under than
over the usual height of a man. But that
in other days and lands there were real
giants is authentic. One of the guards OF
the Duke OF Brunswick was eight and
half feet higb. In museum i'll London Is
the skeleton of Charles Brine, eight feet
four inches in stature. The Emperor Maxi
min was over ei yht feet.
Pliny tells of a giant nine feet high and
two other giants nj he and half feet. So
am not increduloui when | come to my text
and find King Og a giant, and the size of
his bedstead, turning the cubits of the text
into feet, the bedstead of Og, the king, must
have been about thirteen and halt feet
long. Judging from that the giant who oc-
cupied it was probably about eleven feet In
stature, or nearly twics the average human
size There was no need of Rabbinlcal
writers trying to account for the presence of
this giant, King Qg, as they did, by saying
that he came down from the other side OF
the food, being tall enough to wade the wa
tiers beside Noah's ark, or that he rode on the
top of the ark, the passengers inside the ARK
daily providing him with foo, There was
nothing supernatural about him. he was
simply a monster in size
Cyrus and Solomon slept on beds of gold,
and Sardanapalus had $50 be1steads OF gold
burned up with him, but this bedstead OF
my text was of iron-everything sacrifice
for strength to hold this excessive avolrju-
pois, this Alp of bone and flesh. No wonder
this couch was kept as a curiosity at RAD
bath. and the people went from far and near
to see it. lust as now people 90 to museums
to behold the ermor of the ancients. You
say what a fighter this giant King Og,
must have been. No doubt OF 1t. l suppose
the size of his sword and breastplate CORE
sponded to the sizs of his beadstead, and his
stride across the battlefield and the full
stroke of his arm must have been appalling.
With an armed host be comes down TO drive
back the IsraeliteS, who are marching on
from Egypt to Canaan.
We have no particulars of the battle but
| think the Israelites trembled when they
saw this mo 1ster of a man moving down TO
crush them. Alas for the Israeltes! Will
their troubles never ceasey What can men
five and half feet high do against this war
rior of eleven rect, and what can short
swords do against a sword whose CLEAN
must have been like q fash of lightnlngg
The battle of Edrei opened. Moses and his
army met the giant and his army. The Lord
of Hosts descended into the fight, and the
gigantic strides that Og had made when ad-
vancing into the battle were more than
eQualed by the gigantic strides with winch
he retreated. Huzza for triumphant Israel!
Sixty fortified cities surrendered to them.
A land of indescribabie opulence comes into
their possession, and all that is left of the
giant king is the iron bedstead. Mine cubits
was the length thereof and four cubits the
breadth of it,"
Why did not the Bible give US the
size of the giant instead Of the size of the
bedstead? Why did it not indicate that the
giant was eleven feet high instead OF telling
us that his couch was thirteen and half
feet long? No doubt among other things it
was to teach US that you can judge OF man
by his surroundings. Show me mans
associates, show me a mans books, show me
mans home, and will tell you what he is
without your telling me ore word about
him. You cannot only tell a man accor1-
ing TO the old aiage, by the company he
keeps" but by the books he reads, by the
pictures he admires, by the church he at.
tends. by the places he visits. Moral
giants and moral pygmies, intellectual
giants and intellectual pygmieS, like physical
giants or physical pygmies may be judged
by their surroundings.
When q man departs this life you can tell
what has been his influence IN community
for good by those who mourn for him and
bv low sincere and long continued are the
regrets of his taking off. There may be no
pomp or obSequies and no pretense at ep!-
tapheologv, but you can tell how hlgo he
was in conservation, and how high IN use
fulness by how long is his shadow when ne
comes TO lie down. " hat is true OF indi-
viduals is true of cities and nations. Show
me the free libraries AMI schools OF city,
and | will tell you the intelligence OF its
people. Show me its galary Of painting and
sculpture, and l will tell you the artistic +
vancement of its citizens. Show me its
churches and will tell you the moral and
religious status of the place.
From the fact that Og's bedstead was
thirteen and half feet long, conclude the
giant himself was about eleven feet high.
But let no one by this thought be induced to
surrender TO unravoraole environments A
man can make his own bedstead. Chantrey
and Hugh Miller were born stonemasons,
but the one became an immortal sculptor
and the other a Christian scientist whose
name will never die Turner, the painter,
in whose pl aise John RusGin expended the
greatest genus of his life, was the son of
barber who advertised "a penny shave"
Dr. Prideaux one OF the greatest scholars OF
all time, earned his way through college by
securing pots and pans The late Judge
Bradley WORKED his own way up from
charcoal burner to the bench of the supreme
court of the United States. Yes, man can
decide the s.Zs of his own bedstead.
Notice Furthermore that even giants must
rest. Such enormous physical endowment
OIL the part Of King o. might suggest the
capacity to stride across all fatigue aud
omit slumber. No. He required an iron
bedStead. Giants must rest. Not appreca-
ting that fact how many Of the giants
yearly breaS down. Giants in business,
giants in art giants in eloqusnce, giants in
usefulness. They live not out more than
half thei- days. They try to escape the
consequence of overwork by a voyage
across the sea or a sail in summer yacht,
or call on physicians for relief from insom-
MIA or restoration of unstrung nerves or the
arrest of apoplexies when all they need is
what this giant of my text resorted to-an
iron bedstead.
Let no one think because he has great
strength of body or mind that he can afford
to trihe with his unusual gifts. The com
mercial world. the literary world, the artis-
tic world, the political world, the religious
world, are all the time aquake with the crash
Of falling giants. King Og no doubt had
throne. but the Bible nevt' mentions his
throne. King o. no doubt had crown, but
the Bbe never mentions his crown.
King Or no doubt had scepter, but
the Bible does not mention his scepter.
Vet one of the largest verses OF the Bible is
taken up in describing his be 1stead. So Col
ali up ana down the Bible honVrs sleep.
Adam. with his head on pillow of Edenic
roses. has his sumber best by divine gift
of beautiful companionship. jacob. with
bis head on pillow OF rock, has his sleep
gIor,fei with a Ia ider filed with descending
and ascsn ling angels. Christ, with pillow
made out of the folded up coat OF fisher
nan honors slunber in the back part OF the
storm tossed boat.
In Bible times. when people arose at the
voice OF the bird. they retired at the time
the bird puts his head under his wing. One
OF our national sins is robbery of sleep.
Walter Scott was so urgent about this duty
of slumber that when arriving at a hotel
where there was no room TO sleep in except
that in which there was a corpse, inquired it
the deceased had died OF contagious disease.
and, when assured he had not, took the other
bed in the room and fell into profoundest
slumber. Those of small endurance must
certainly require rest il even the giant needs