Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1892-03-24
OG, KING OF BASHAN.
DR.. TALMAeE breaches ABOUT TIE
GIANTS eEDsTEAD.

of the Encounter of the Israelites wiz,
the Eleven Foot ueathen warrior
Powerful Sermon.
! BIooKLYN. March I3.-Dr. Talmaoe s,.ve
another Illustration this morning in his
sermon ut the Tabernacle of his wonderful
power OF drawing useful, practical lessons
IRON IN obscure text, which, to the ordi.
nary mind, seemed incapable of yielding
any spiritual edification. The text was
Deuteronomy ill., II; Only Og, king of
Bashan, remained of the remnant of giants:
behold, his bedstead was bedstead of iron;
Is II not in Rabbath Of the children Of Am
monf Nine cubits 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 overtowering altitude, but when in
aitertime bis 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 stature.
but when his sepulcher was examined his
armor was found only large enough to fit
am ordinary man. Alexander the Great
had helmets and shields Of enormous size
made and left among the people whom he
had conquered, so as 10 give the impression
that he was a giant, although he was
rather under than over the usual height of
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 high. In Il mu.
scum in London is the skeleton of Charles
Brine, eight feet four inches in stature.
The Emperor Maximin was over eight
feet
Pliny tells of a giant nine feet high and
two other giants nine and half feet. So
| am not incredulous when | come to nv
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 half
feet long. Judging from that the giant
who occupied it was probably about eleven
feet in stature, or nearly twice the average
human size. There was no need of Rab-
binical writers trying to account for the
presence of this giant King Og. as they
did, by saying that he came down from the
other side of the flood, being tall enough
to wnde the waters beside Noah's ark or
that he rode on the top of the ark, the pas
sengers inside the ark daily providing him
with food. There was nothing supernat-
ural about him. lie was simply a monster
in size
oG WAS a FIGHTER
Cyrus and Solomon slept ON beds Of gold,
and Sardanapalus had $50 bedsteads of
gold burned up with him, but this bed
stead of my text was of iron-everything
sacrificed for strength TO hold this exces-
sive avoirdupois this Alp Of bone and
flesh. No wonder this couch WAS kept as
curiosity at Rabbath, and people went
from far and near to see it, Just as now
people go to museums to behold the armor
of the ancients. You say what a fighter
this giant, King Og. must have been. No
doubt of ii. | suppose the size of his
sword and breastplate corresponded TO the
size of his bedstead and his stride across
the battlefield and the full stroke of his
arm must have been appalling. With an
armed host he comes down TO drive back
the Tsraeites, who are marching on from |
Egypt to Canaan.
We have no particulars Of the battle, but |
think the Israelites trembled when they |
saw this monster of man moving down |
to crush them. Alas for the Israelitesl |
VIII their troubles never ceaseg What can |
men five and half feet high do against |
this warrior Of eleven feet and what can
short swords do against a sword whose /
CLEAN must have been like flash Of light |
ningY The battle Of Edrei opened. Moses |
nNS his army met the giant and his army. |
Ts. Lord of Hosts descended into the fight, |
and the gigantic strides that 0g had made
when advancing into the battle were more
than equaled by the gigantic strides with
which be retreated. Huzza for triumphant
Israel! Sixty fortified cities surrendered
10 them A land of indescribable opulence
comes into their possession, and all that is
left of the giant king is the iron bedstead.
Nine cubits was the length thereof and
Jour cubits the breadth of it,"
BY THE COMPANY HE KEEPS.
Why did not the Bible give us the sizeof
he giant instead of the size of the bedsteadi
Why did it not indicate that the giant was
eleven feet high instead of telling us thai
ais couch was thirteen and half feet longs
40 doubt among other things it was to
each us that you can judge of man by
his surroundings Show me mans asso-
,iates. show me a mans books, show me
mans home and will tell you what he X
without your telling me one word about
i'm. You cannot only tell man accord