The Globe-republican. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1889-1910, 1892-05-30
At the Tabernacle.

At the Tabernacle.
In this sermon Rev. Dr. Taimage illus
trated. in potent and convincing Ian
guage, the duty incumbent upon Christ
fans Of EN- orazing every opportunity that
offers in this life to do good and to ad-
vance the cause of the Kingdom of Christ
by q bold acknowledgment of their prin-
ciples before men. The text selected
was, Mark tx, 25. ''Thou dumb and deaf
spirit, charge thee. come out of him."
Here was a case of great domestic an
guish. The son Of the household was
possessed Of an evil spirit which. among
other things, paralyzed his tongue and
made him speeches. When the in
fiuence was on the patient he could not
say aword-articulation was impossible.
The spirit that captured this member of
the household was q dumb spirit-so
called by Christi spirit abroad to-day
and as lively and potent as in New Tes-
lament times. Yet in all the realms of
sermonologY l cannot find a discourse
concerning this dumb devil which Christ
charged upon my text, saying, 'Come
out of him."
There has been much destructive su-
perstition abroad in the world concern
ing possession by evil spirits. Under
the form Of belief in witchcraft this de-
fusion swept the continents. Persons
were supposed to be possessed with some
evil spirit which made them able to de-
stroy others. In the sixteenth century
in Geneva /, 500 persons were burned to
death as witches. Under one judge in
Lorraine 900 persons were burned to
death as witches. In one neighborhood
NJ hnr cd
In two centuries 20O,O 900 persons were
slain as witches. So mighty was the de-
fusion that it included among its victims
some Of the greatest intellects Of all
time, such as Chief Justice Matthew
Hale and Sir Edward Coke, and such
renowned ministers Of religion as
Cotton Mather, one of whose books,
Benjamin Franklin said, shaped his lite
and Richard Baxter and Archbishop
Cranner and Martin Luther. and among
writers and philosophers, Lord Bacon.
That belief, which has become the laugh
ing stock Of all sensible people. counted
its disciples among the wisest and best
people Of Sweden. Germany, England.
France, Spain and New England. But
while We reject witchcraft any man who
believes the Bible must believe that
there are dia6olical 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 spiritual 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 omission of the vocal
organs, have had the golden gates of
speech bolted and barred. Among
those who have never spoken a word are
the most gracious and lonely and tai
ented souls that were ever incarnated.
The chap!ains 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 deaf mute have
l seen with the angel of intelligence
seated at the window Of the eye, who
never came forth from the door of the
mouth.
What a miracle of loveliness and
knowledge was Laura Bridgman, of New
Hampshire! Not only without faculty
of speech, but without hearing and with
out sight, all these faculties removed by
sickness when 2 wears of age, yet be-
coming wonder at needlewOrk, at the
piano, at the sewing machine, and an
intelligent stndent of the Scriptures,
and confounding philosophers, who
came from all parts Of the world to
study the phenomenon. Thanks to
Christianity for what it has done for the
amelioration of the condition Of
the deaf and the dumb. Back in
the ages they were put to death as hav-
ing no right, with such paucity Of equip
ment to live. and for centuries they
were ciassed among the idiOtic and un-
safe.
But in the sixteenth century came
Pedro Ponce, the Spanish monk, and in
the seventeenth century came Juan
Pablo Bonet, another Spanish monk,
with dactylology or the finger alphabet.
and in our own country We have had
John Braidwood and Drs. Mitchell and
and Peet and Gallaudet, who
have given uncounted thousands of
those whose tongues were forever silent
the 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
I ever addressed was in the far West
two or three wears ago-sn audience OF
about six hundred persons who had
never heard q sound or spoke . word, an
standing beside me while
addressed them. 1 congratulated that
audience on two advantages they had
over the most Of us-the one that they
escaped hearing q great manv disagree
able things. and on the other fact that
they escaped saying things they were
sorry for afterward. Yet after all the
shackled tongue Is an ap-
palling Limitation. But we are not this
speaking Of congenital mutes.
We mean those who are born with all
the faculties of vocaIization and vet
have been struck by the evil one men
toned In the text-the dumb devil to
whom Christ called when he said, ''Thou
dumb and deaf spirit l charge thee,
come out Of him"
There has been apotheosization of ST.
lence. Some one has said that silence is