The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1892-03-23
OG, KING OF BASHAN.
Dr.. TALMAGE breaches ABOUT THE
GIANTS BEDsTEAD.

Lessons Drawn from the Bible Recital
of the Encounter OF tho Israelites with
the Eleven Foot Heather warrior-A
Powerful Sermon
BROOKLYN, March 13.-Dr. Talmage gave
another illustration this morning in his
sermon at the Tabernacle of his wonderful
power Of drawing useful, practical lessons
from an obscure text, which, TO the ordi-
nary mind seemed incapable Of yielding
any spiritual edifcation. The text was
Deuteronomy iii, II; "Only Og, king OF
Bashan. remained Of the remnant of giants
behold. his hedstead was bedstead of iron;
Is it not iu Rabbath of the children of Am
mon? 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 10 have
been of overtowering altitude, but when in
aftertime his tomb was opened his bones
indicated that he had been physically Of
only ordinary size. Roland the Hero was
said 70 have been of astounding stature,
but when his sepulcher was examined his
aruor was found only large enough 10 fit
an ordinary man. Alexander the Great
haG helmets and shields Of enormous size
made and left among the people whom he
had conquered. as 70 give the impression
that he was q 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 a mu-
scum in London is the skeleton Of Charles
Brue. 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 my
text and find King o. a giant, and the size
Of his bedstead. turning the cUbits Of the
text into feet, the bedstesd OF Or, the king.
must have been about thirteen and "A 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-
binieal writers trying 10 account for the
presence Of this giant King Og, as they
did, by saving that he came down from the
other side of the food being tan enough
70 wade the waters beside Noah's ark, or
that be 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. He was simply a monster
in size.
Of WAS A FIGHTER
Cyrus and solomon slept on beds of gold
and Sardanapalus had 100 hedsteads 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
a curiosity at Rabbath, and people went
from far and near TO see il, just as now
people 20 20 museums TO behold the armor
Of the ancients. You say what a fighter
this giant, King o.. must have been. No
doubt Of t. ! suppose the size of his
sword and breastplate corresponded 20 the
size Of his bedssead, and his stride across
the battlefield and the full stroke of his
arm must have been appalling. With an
armed hest he comes down 70 drive back
the Israelites, who are marching on from
Egypt TO Canaan.
We have TO particulars of the battle. but
think the Israelites trent led when they
saw this monster Of a man moving down
70 crush them. Alas for the IsracEtes!
VIII their troubles never cease? What can
men five and a 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 a flash Of light
nings The battle Of Edrei opened. Moses
and hi army net the giant and his army.
The Lord Of Hosts descended into the fight,
and the gigantic strides that OK had made
when advancing into the battle were more
thag equaled h the gigantic strides with
which be retreated. Huzza for triumphant
Israeli Sixty fortified cities surrendered
70 them. 4 land of indescribabIe 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
four cubits the breadth OF it,"
BY TIE COMPANY HE KEEPS.
Why did not the Bible give us the sizeof
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 a half feet long9
No doubt among other things it was TO
teach rs that you can judge OF a man by
his surroundings. Show me q mans assO-
GATES show me a mans books, show me
man 5 home and / viii tell you what ne Is
without your telling me one word about
him. You cannot only tell man accord
ing 10 the old adage, 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 phys
ical giants or physical pygmies may be
judged by their surroundings.
That man has been thirty years faithful
IN attendance upon churches and prayer
meetings and Sunday schools and putting
himself among intense religious assOcia-
tioEs. lie may have bis imperfections, but
he is a very good man. Great is his reli-
gioUs stature. The other man has been for
thirty years among influences intensely
worldly, ana he has shut himself out from
all other Influences, and his religious stat
ure is that OF a dwarf No man ever has
been or can be Independent Of his surround
ings-sOcial, intellectual, moral, religious
The Bible indicates the length of the giant
BY the length Of MS bedstead. Let no man
say, Il viii be good, and yet keep evil
surroundings. Let no man say. Il viii be
faithful as Christian" and yet consort
chiefly with woFldlings. You are propos-
ing an everlasting impossibility.
When a man departs this life you
tell what has been his influence in a COM
munity for good by those who mourn for
him and by how sincere and long con-
tinued are the regrets Of his taking off.
There may be no pOmp or obsequies and no
pretense at epitapheology, but you can tell
how high he was IN conservation, and how
high in usefulness by how long is his
shadow when he comes to lie down. What
is true Of individuals is true of cities and
nations Show me the free libraries and
schools Of a city, and will tell you the in
teIligence Of its people. Show me its gal
lery of painting and sculpture, and / will
tell You the artistic advancement of its