Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1893-07-24
in THE NORTHWEST.
DR. TlLMlGBS SERMON At MADISON, WIS
YESTERDAY.
nShspned Axes Bis Subjsc. = The Great
Preacher Addresses an Immense Cha
hquan Assembly.

MADISON, Wis, July ga great
thr0ng OF many thousands from all
parts OF the North and West are gath
cred at the MonOna Lake Assembly,
ChautauQua held near this city. Rev.
DR.. Talmage this afternoon preached
90 this great multitude on "Sharpened
Axes" the text being ]. Samuel Is;
1921: "Now there was no smith found
throughout all the land OF lsreal," etc.
Ny loving and glad salutatiOn TO this
uncOunted host Of Chautauquans. Chris
tiah Endeavorers, Gospel workers, and
their friends from all parts Of Wiscon-
sin and America, saints and sinnersl
My text is gloriously appropriate.
What a scalding subjugation the Israel
ties were suffering. The Philistines
had carried off all the blacksmlths, and
torn down all the blacksmiths shops,
and abolished the blacksmiths' trade 10
the land Of Isreal. These PhiliStines
had a particular grudge against black
smiths, although have always admired
them, and have sometimes thought
ought TO have been one myself. The
Phllistines would not even allow these
parties to work their valuable mines OF
brass and iron, nor might they make
any swords or spears There we're only
two swords left 10 all the land. Yea,
these Philistines went on until they had
taken al the grindstOnes from the land
OF Isreal, so that II an Israelitish farm
er wanted 20 grind his plough or his
axe. be had TO 20 over 20 the garrison
OF the Philistines to get IL done. There
was only one sharpening instrument
left In the land,
AND THAT WAS A FILE.
The farmers and the mechanics having
nothing TO Whet up the coulter, and the
Coad, and the pickaxe, save a simple
Tie, industry was hindered, and work
practically disgraced. The great idea
OF these Philistines was 20 keep the
Israelltes disarmed They might get
iron out OF the hills TO make swords OF,
but they would not have any black
smiths 70 weld this iron. II they got
the iron welded, they would have no
grindstOnes on which TO bring the In
strumehts Of agriculture or the military
weapons up TO an edge. Oh, you poor,
WeapOnless Israeites, reduced 70 ME,
how / pity you! But these Philistines
were not forever TO keep their heel on
the neck Of Gods children. Jonathan,
on his hands and knees, climbs pp
great rock beyond which were the Phil
istlnes; and his armor-bearer, on his
hands and knees, climbs up the same
rock, and these two men, with their
two swords, hew to pieces the Phtlis-
tines, the Lord throwing a great terror
upon them So 10 was them so it Is
now. The two men Of God on their
knees mightier than 3 Philistine host
on their feet
/ learn first from this subject how
dangerous II Is for the church OF God to
allow it's weapons TO stay ia the hands
Of its enemies. These Israelites might
again and again have obtained supply
Of swords and weapons, IS, for instance,
when they took the spells Of the Am
monltes; but these Israelites seemed
content to have no swords, no spears,
no blacksmiths, no>erindstOnes, no act
i've iron piness~EntiI IL was too late for
--SsfitaBfiesS make any resistance. 1 see
the farmers Juggling along with their
their pickaxes and ploughs, and say,
"Where are you going with those
thingsw They say, "Oh, we are going
over to the garrison OF the Phillstines 70
get these things sharpened." l say,
'You foolish men, why don't you sharp
en- them at homer" "Oh," they say,
''the blacksmlths' are all torn down and
we have nothing left as but a file"
SOFT IS IN THE CHURCH
Of Christ to-day. We are too willing to |
give up our weapons 70 the enemy. The |
world boasts that II has gobbled up the |
schools, aud the colleges, and the arts, !
and the sciences, and the literature, and |
the printing press Inddellty is making |
a mighty artempt TO get all our weapons |
us hand, and then 20 keep them. /
You know 10 Is making this boast all the
time; and after q while, when the great 1
battle between sin and righteousness
has opened. II we do not look out we
will be as badly od as these Israelites,
without any swords 20 fight with, and
without any sharpening instruments. I
call upon the superintendents Of litera-
~ Institutions % see TO it that the men
who 90 into the class-Fooms to stand be-
side the Leyden jars, aud the electric
and the microscopes or tele-
scopes, be children Of God, not PILLS
tines. The atheistlc thinkers Of this
lay are trying to get al the intellectual
weapons OF this century 10 their own
yrasD. What we want Is scientific Chris
.ians 10 capture the science, and scholas-
Iic Christians to capture the scholarship
md philosOphlc Christians TO capture
he philosophy, and lecturing Christians
10 take back the lecturing platform.
We want 90 send out against Schenke
md Strauss and Renan OF the past,
men like the late Theodore Chrlstlisb
4 Bonu; and against tho infidel seien-
lists, a God-worshipping Silliman and
Hitchcock and Agassiz. We want 20
apture all the philosophical apparatus,
nd swing around the telescopes on the
Wiyel. until through them We can see
he morning star Of the Redeemer, and
With mlnerSlogical hammer discover
be Crock OF Ages, and amid the fora
Il the realms find the "ROse Of Sharon
nd the lily OF the valley" We want a
lorgy learned enough TO discourse OF
he human eye, showing IL 10 be micro
cope add a telescope In one instrument,
nth eight hundred
WONDERFUL coNTRIvANCEs,
nd lids closing 30. 600 or 10000 times
az: an IT'S muscles and nerves and
ones showing the infinite skill OF an
,anlte God, and then winding up with
ao peforation: "He that formed the
We. shall be not see?' And then we
ant TO discourse about the human !
~; It's wonderful integuments, mem
ranes and vibration, and it's chain OF
mall bones. and It's auditory nerves,
losing with the question: she that
tanned the ear shall he not hear?"
md we want some one able TO expound
~ frst chapter OF Genesis, bringing
q. 49,, ~ool,ov and thu aetrnnop,v ~