The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-05-17
AT THE TABERNACLE.
REV. DR.. TALMAGE'S ELOQUENT SER
MON ON THE HARP AND JAvELIN.

Hostility.
BROOKLYN, May 14.-In his sermon this
forenoon in the Brooklyn Tabernacle Rev.
DR.. Talmage brought in a novel eld prac-
teal conjunction that is suggested by
text perhaps never before chosen. The
opening hymn, led by organ and cornet
and joined in by thousands of voices. was;
Before Jehovah's awful throne
Ye nations bow with sacred JOY.
The subject announced was Harp and
Javelin." the text being 1 Samuel, eight
eenth chapter, tenth and eleventh verses:
And David played with his hand as at
other times, and there was a javelin in
Saulis hand. And Saul cast the javelin,
for he said, viii smite David even to the
wall with it. And David avoided out of
his presence twice"
What a spectacle for all agesl Saul,
giant, and David. dwarf An unfortunate
F.. war ballad had been composed and sung
eulogizing David above Saul That song
threw Saul into paroxysm OF rage which
brought on one of his old spells of insanity
10 which he had been subject. If one is
disposed to some physical ailment and he
get real mad, it Is very apt to bring on one
of his old attacks. Saul is a raving maniac,
and he goes TO initiating the false prophets
3r sibyls who kicked and gesticulated
wildly when they pretended to be foretelling
events.
Whatever the physicians Of the royal
staff may have prescribed for the disor-
dered king | know not, but David pre-
seribed music. Having keyed up the harp,
his fingers began to pull thSJhythm from
the vibrating strings. TlSuml Thrum!
Thruml No use. The king will not listen
20 the exquisite cadences. He lets fy
javelin, expecting to pin the minstrel to
the wall. but David lodged the weapon
and kept on, for he was confident that he
could, as before. subdue Saul's bad spirit
by music.
Again the javelin is flung, and David
lodges it and departs. What a contrast
Roseate David with a harp and enraged
Saul with javeln. Who would not rath-
er play the one than fling the others But
that was not the only time in the worlds
history that harp and javelin met. Where
their birthplace was / cannot declare 1t
is said that the Tyre was first suggested by
the tight drawing Of the sinews of tor
toise across its shell, and that the flute was
first suggested by the blowing of the wind
across bed Of reeds, and that the ratio of
musical intervals was first suggested TO
Pythagoras by the different hammers
on the anvil of the smithy, but the harp
seems TO me u have dropped out OF the sky
and the javelin to have been thrown up
from the pit
The oldest stringed instrument of the
world is the harp. Jubal sounded his harp
in the book OF Genesis. David played may
of his psalms on the harp while he sang
them. The captives in Babylon hung their
harps on the willows. JOsephUs celebrated
the invention of the l0-stringed harp.
for adding the twelfth string to the harp,
because too much luxury of sound might
enervate the people. Egyptian harps, Scot
fish harps, Welsh harps, Irish harps have
been celebrated What an inspired .tri-
anglel
Everlasting honors to Sebastian Erard,
who By pedals invented called the foot as
well as the hand 10 the harp When the
harpsicord maker for whom he worked dis
charged him for his genius, the employer
not wanting 10 be eclipsed by his suboI
dinate, Erard suffered from the same pas
sion of jealousy that threw Saul of my text
into the fit during which he flung javelin
Mt the harpist. The harp is almost human.
~ you find when you put your finger on its
pulse.
Other instruments have louder voice
ahd may be better for battle charge, but
the harp strings waking at the first touch
Of the tips Of the fingers. II can weep. 1t
can plead. II can sooth. 1t can pray The
flute is more mellow, the trumpet is more
startling. the organ is more majestic, the
cymbals are more festive. the drum is more
resounding, but the harp has richness q:
its own and will continue its mission
through all time and then take part in ce-
lestiaI symphonies, for st. John says he
heard in heaven the harps Of God.
But the javelin Of my text is Just as
old 1t is about 81 feet long, with wooden
handle and steel point, keen and sharp
But it belongs to the great family Of
death dealers and is brother TO sword and
spear and bayonet and first cousin 10 all
the implements that wound and slay. It
has cut its way through the ages. 1t was
old when Saul, in the scene of my text
tried 10 harpoon David. 1t has gashed the
earth with grave trenches. Its keen tip is
redeemed with the blood of American wars,
English wars, German wars, Russian wars,
French wars, Crusader wars and wars Of
all nations and of all ages
The structure of the javelin shows what
it was made for The plowshare is sharp,
but AIMED 10 cut the earth in preparation
for harvests. The lightning rod is sharp,
but aimed to disarm the lightnings and
secure safety The ak is sharp, but aimed
TO fell forests and clear the way for human
habitation. The knife is sharp, but aimed
TO cut the bread for sustenance. But the
javelin is sharp only to open human arteries
and extinguish human eyesight and take
human life and fill the earth with the cries
of orphanage and widowhood and childless-
ness.
Oh, am so glad that my text brings
them so close together that we can see the
contrast between the harp and the javelin.
The one to soothe, the other to hurt; the
one to save, the other to destroy; the one
divine the other diabolic; the one to play.
tho other TO hurl; the one in David skill
full hand. the other in Saul's wrathful
clutch. May God speed the harp; may God
grind into dizziness the sharp edge OF the
javelinl
Now what docs all this make you think
OFF It suggests TO me music as a medicine
for physical and mental disorders. David
took hold of the musical instrument which
he best knew how to play and evoked from
it sounds which were for King Saurs diver
sion and medicament. But you say the
treatment in this case was failure. Why
was it failure2 Saul refused to take the
medicine. A whole apothecary shop OF
curative drugs will do nothing toward
healing your illnesses If you refuse to take
the medicine. It was not the fault OF
David's prescription, but the fault of SauPs
obstinacy.
David. one of the wisest and best Of all
ages, stands before US in the text admins
tering music for nervous disorder and cere
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