The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1892-06-01
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIvINES SUN.
Day SERMON.
Subject: THE Dumb Spirit"

VtoT9e S"ee, So"se Wv W "'"s' A~'s
Is.
Here was a case Of great domestic an
guish. The son of tho household WAS pos
sessed of an evil spirit which, among other
things paralyzsd his tongue and made him
speechiess. Wren the influence was on the
patient he could not say word-articula-
tion was impossible. The spirit that cap
tured this member Of the household was a
dumb spirit-so called by Christ-a spirit
abroad to-day and as lively and potent as in
New Testament times. Yet in all Of the
realms of sermonology I cannot find dis.
course concerning this dumb devil which
Christ charged upon my text, saying,
'Come out Of him"
There has ben much destructive supersti-
ton abroad in the world concerning posses
sion by evil spirits. Under the form Of belief
in witclcraft this delusion swept the
continents. Persons were supposed to be
possessed with some evil spirit which made
them able to destroy others. In the six
teenth century in Geneva 1900 persons were
burned to death as witches. Under one
Judge in Lorraine 300 persons were burned
to death as witches. In one neighborhood OF
France 1000 persons were burned. In two
centuries 100000 persons were slain as
witches; So mighty was the delusion that
it included among its victims some OF tho
greatest intellects OF all time, such as Chief
Justice Mathew Hale and Sir Edward Coke,
and such renowned ministers Of religion as
Cotton Mather one of whose books, Benjamin
Franklin said, shaped his life-and Richard
Baxter and Archbishop Cranmer and Mar
tin Luther, ani among writers and philoso-
pliers, Lord Bacon. That belief, which has
become the laughing stock OF all sensible
people, counted its disciples emong the wlsest
and best people Of Sweden, Germany, Eng
while we reject witchcraft any man who be-
leves the Bible must believe that there are
diabolical 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 spir-
itual 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 ommission Of the vocal organs, have had
the golden gates of speech bolted and barred.
Among those who have never spokena word
are the most gracious and lovely and tai
ented souls that were ever lncarnated. The
chaplains 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 deyout and
prayerful souls will never in this world
speak the name Of God or Christ. Many
deaf mute have / seen with the angel OF in
telligence seated at the window Of the eye,
who never came forth from the door of the
mouth.
What miracle Of loveliness and knowl-
edge was Laura Bridgman, Of New Hamp-
shirel Not only without faculty Of speech,
but without hearing and without sight, all
these faculties removed by sickness when
two years Of age, yet becoming wonder at
needlework, at the piano, at the sewing ma
chine. and an intelligent student Of the
Scriptures, and confounding philosophers,
study the phenomenon. Thanks to Christi
anity for what it has done for the anchor
alton Of the condition OF the deaf and the
dumb. Back in the ages they were put to
death as having no right, with such paucity
of equipment, to live and for centuries they
were classed among the idiotic and unsafe.
But in the Sixteenth century came Pedro
Ponce, the Spanish monk, and in the Seven. .
teenth century came Juan Pablo Bonet,
another Spanish monk, with dactylology or
the finger alphabet and in our own century
we have had John Braidwood and Drs.
Mitchell and Ackerly and Peet and Gallau.
det, 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 years ago-an audience Of about 900
persons who had never heard sound or
spoken q word. an interpreter standing beside
me while addressed them. I Congratulated
fhof ,,2t fvx-N olxynx To- L.l
and over the most Of us-tne one that they
escaped hearing a great many disagreeable
things, and on the other fact that they es-
capped saying things they were sorry for af-
terward. Yet after all the alleviations a
shackled tongue is an appalling Limitation.
But we are not this morning speaking Of
congenital mutes. We mean thoss who are
born with all the faculties OF vocalization
and yet have been struck by the evil one
mentioned in the text-the dumb devil to
whom Christ called when he said, "Thou
dumb and deaf spirit charge thee, come
out of him.
There has been apotheosization OF silence.
Some one has said that silence is golden, and
sometimes the greatest triumph is to keep
your mouth shut. But sometimes silence is
q crime and the direct result Of the baleful
influence Of the dumb devil OF our text.
There is hardly a man or woman in this
house to-day who has not been present on
some occasion when the Christian religion
became target for raillery. Perhaps it was
over in the store some day when there was
not much going on aud the clerks were in a
group, or it was in the factory at the noon
spell, or it was out on the farm under the. trees
while you were resting, or it was in the
clubroom, or it was in q social circle, or it
was In the street on the way home from
business, or 1t was on some occasion which
you remember without me- describing it,
Some one got the laugh on the. Bible
and caricatured the profession Of re-
hgion as hypocrisy. or made pun out
of something that Christ said. The laugh
started and you Joined in, and not one word
silent? Modesty. No. Incspacity to
answer No. Lack Of opportunity No.
1t was blow on both your lips by the wing
OF the dumb devil. II some one should ma
lign your father or mother or wife or hus-
band or child you would flush up quick, and
either with an indignant word or doubled
up fist make response. And yet here is our
Christian religion which has done so much
for you and SO much for the world that it
will take all eternity to celebrate it, and yet
when it was attacked you did not 80 much
as say: II differ, object am sorry to
hear you say that. There is another side tv
this"
You Christian people ought in such times
as these to 60 armed, not with earthly
weapons, but with the sword Of the Spirit.
You ought to have four Or five questions
with which you could contouni any man
who attacks Christianity. A man ninety
years old was telling ME few days ago
how he put to flight scofer. My aged
friend said to the skeptic. Did you ever
read the history OF Joseph in the Bible?''
'sYes," said the man: 1t Is fine story. and
as interesting story as I ever read"
swell, now" said my old friend, sup
pose that account Of Joseph stopped