Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1893-08-04
REV. DR.. TAlMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S Sun.
DAY SERMON.
SCBJECr: " SHARPENED AXES"
PREACHED AT MADISON, WIS.

My loving and glad salutation to this
counted host, Chautauquans, Christian In
deavors, gospel workers and their friendi
from all parts o. Wisconsin and America.
saints and sinners Ny text is gloriously
appropriate. What a Calling subjngation
the lsraelites We're suffering The Philistines
had carried of all the blacksmiths and torn
down all the blacksmiths' shops and abolished
the blacksmiths trade in the land Of Israel.
These Phiistines had particular grudge
against blacksmiths. although have always
admired them and have sometimes thought
/ ought to have been one myself. The Phil
istines would not even allow these parties to
work their valuable mines OF brass and iron.
nor might they make ny swords or spears
There were only two swords left In all the
land. Yea. these Philistines went on until
they had taken all the grindstones from the
land Of Israel, so that il an lsraelitish farmer
wanted TO sharpen his plow or his Ak he had
TO 20 over TO the garrison OF the Phllistines
TO get It done. There was only one sharpen
ing instrument left in 'he land, and that was
a file. The farmers and the mechanics hav-
inG nothing TO whet up the coulter, and the
goad and the pickax save a simple file, in
dustry was hindered and work practically
disgraced.
The great idea OF these Philistines was to
keep the Israelites disarmed. They might
get iron out ofthe hills to make swords OF,
but they would not have any blacksmlths to
weld this iron. II they got the iron welded,
they would have no crindstones on which 10
bring the instruments OF agriculture or the
military weapons up to an edge. oh, you
poor, weaponless Israelites. reduced TO file.
how pity you, But these Philistlnes were
not forever to keep their heel on the neck OF
Gods children. Jonathan. on his hands and
knees, climbs up "A great rock beyond which
were the Philistines 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 Philistines, the
Lord throwing great terror upon them. SO
It was then so 1t is now. The two men OF
God on their knees mighter than Philistine
host on their feet.
learn first from this subject how danger
Gus 1t Is for the church of God to Rllow It's
weapons to stay In the hands OF its enemies.
These lsraelites might again and again
have obtained a supply OF swords and
weapons, as for instance, when they
took the spoils OF the Ammonites, but
these lsraelites seemed content TO have
no swords, no spears, no blacksmiths,
no grindstones, no active iron mines, until II
was too late for them to make any resistance.
see the farmers tugging along with their
pickaxes and plows, and | say, "Whcre are
you going with those things?" They say,
"Oh, We are going over to the garrison OF
the Philistines to get these things sharp
ened." I say, "You foolish men why don't
you sharpen them at homcY' "Oh," they
say, 'the blacksmths' shops are all torn
down, and we have nothing left us but
hle"
SO 1t Is in the church of Christ to-day. We
are too willing to give up our weapons to the
enemy The world boasts that it has COB
bled up the schools, and the colleges, and
the arts, and the sciences. and the literature,
and the printing press. lnhdelity is making
a mighty attempt to get all our weapons in
its hand and then to keep them. You know
Il Is making this boast all the time, and after
a while, when the great battle between sin
and righteousness has opened, II We do not
look out we will be as badly OF as these Is
raelites, without any swords to fight with
and without any sharpened instruments.
call upon the superintendents OF literary
institutions to see to 1t that the men who go
into the classrooms to stand beside the Ley
den Jars, and the electric batteries, and the
microscopes or telescopes be children OF
God. not Philistines. The atheistic thinkers
OF this day are trying to get all the intel
! lectual weapons OF this century in their own
grasp. What we want is scientific Christians
| 20 capture the science and scholastic Chris
ans to capture the scholarship. and philoso-
| shic Christians 10 capture the philosophy,
sAI lecturing Christians to take back the
occurring platform.
We want to send out against Schenkel
and Strauss and Renan OF the past men like
ehe lGte Theodore Christlieb OF Bonn, and
against the infidel scientists God worship
! ing Silliman and Hitchcock and AgassH.
We want to capture all the philosophical
apparatus and swing around the telescopes
| ON the swivel until through them We can see
| the morning star OF the Redeemer, and with
| mineralogical hammer discover the "hock
OF Ages, and amid the fora OF the realms
| find the "Rose OF Sharon and the Lily OF
the Valley"
We want a clergy learned enough to dis
course OF the human eye, showing 1t to be
microscope and telescope In one instrument
with 800 wonderful contrivances and lids
| ,losing 80, 900 or 40 900 times day, all its
muscles and nerves and bones showing the
| Infinite skill OF an infinite God, and then
winding up with the peroration, "He that
formed the eye, shall He not see! And
then we want to discourse about the human
ear. its wonderful integuments, membranes
and vibration AMI its chain OF small bones,
and its auditory nerves. closing with the
There ls enough undeveloped Christian
energy in the United States to bring the
whole world to Christ but 1t is buried un-
der strata OF indifference and under whole
mountains OF sloth. Now Ia II not time for
the mining to begin, and the pickaxes to
plunge, and for this buried metal to be
brought out and put into the furnaces and
be turned into howitzers and carbinee for
the Lords host2 The vast majority oi
Christians in this day are useless. The
most OF the Lords battalion belong to the
reserve corps. The most OF the crew are
asleep In the hammocks. The most OF the
metal is under the hills.
oh. II Il not time for the church OF God to
rouse up and understand that We want all
the energies, all the talents and all the wealth
question. "He that planted the ear, sholl he
not hear?"
And we want some one able to eXl Jund
the first chapter OF Genesis, bringing to It
| the geology and the astronomy OF the world,
until, as Job suggested, tine stones OF the
f,eld shall be in league" with the truth, and
Hthe stars in their courses shall fight against
sisera." Oh, church OF God, 90 out and re-
| canture these weapons. Let men of God go
ont and take possession OF the platform. Let
ali the printing press OF this country speak
out for Christ and the reporters, and the
typesetters, and the editors and publishers
swear allegiance to the Lord God of truth.
Alb, my friend, that day must come, anu II
the great body OF Christian men have not the
faith. or the courage, or the conservation to
40 it' then let some Jonathan on his busy
hands and on his praying knees climb up on
the rock Of hindrance, and in the name OF
the Lord God Of Israel slash to pieces those
literary Philistines. II these men will
not be converted to God, then they must be
destroyed.
Again, 1 learn from this subject what a
large amount Of the churchs resources is
actually hidden and buried and undeyeloped.
The Bible intimates that that was very
rich land-this land OF Israel. II says,
iThe stones are iron, and out Of the hills
thou shalt dig brass" and yet hundreds OF
thousands OF dollars worth OF this metal was
kept under the hills. Well, that is the diff
Guilty with the church OF God at this day. Its
talent is not developed. II one-half OF Its
energy could be brought out, 1t might take
The public iniquities OF the day by the throat
and make them bite the dust. IL human
eloouence were consecrated to the Lord
leans Christ, It could In few years persuade
ina whols sesah % surrender to God.