Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1893-07-28
'SHARPHNED Axes"
Subject Of DR.. Talmage's Sermon at
Madison, Wis

iffOhgNOnf
Samuel xiii 10 2i
My loving and glad 7liutation to this un-
counted host. Chautauquans. Christian En-
deayOrs. gospel workers and their friends
from all parts o. Wisconsin and America
saints and sinners My text is gloriously
appropriate. What a CALLING subiugation
the Israelites were suffering The philistines
had carried of all the blacksmiths and torn
down all the blacksmiths' shops and abolished
the hlacksmith's trade in the land Of Israel,
These Philistines had particular griidGe
against blacksmiths. although | have always
admired them and have sometimes thought
I 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 any swords or spears.
There were only two swords left in all the
land. Yea. these Phlistines went on until
they had taken all the grndstoues from the
land Of Israel, so that il an lsraelitish farmer
wanted TO sharpen his pillow or his AK he had
TO 90 over 10 the garrison OF the Philistines
10 get il done There was only one sharpen
Ing instrument left in the land, and that was
file The farmers and the mechanics hay
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
keep the Israeites disarmed. They might
get iron out ofthe hills to make swords Of
but they would not have any backsmiths to
weld this iron II they got the iron welded.
they would have 40 grindstOnes on which to
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 Philistines 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 Phiistines, 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, tho
Lord throwing great terror upon them. SO
il was then so 1t is now. The two men Of
God on their knees mightier than philistino
host on their feet,
learn first from this subject how danger
ous il l. for the church Of God to all)w its
weapons TO stay in the hands Of its enemies.
These Israelies 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 Israelites seemed content to have
no swords no spears. no blacksmiths.
no grindstOnes no active iron mines until it
was too late for them to make any resistance.
| see the farmers Juggling along with their
pickaxes and plOws and | say. where are
YOU going with those thingsY They say
"Oh. we are going over to the garrison Of
the Philistines to get these things sharp
ened.' say. you foolish men why don't
YOU sharpen them at homef' "Oh, they
say. THE blacksniths shops are all torn
down. and we have nothing left US but a
6le
SO il is in the church OF Christ to-day. We
nre too willing to give up our weapons TO tho
enemy. The world boasts that Il has COB
be1 up the schools. and the colleges and
The arts. and tho s,iences. AMI the literature,
AMI the printing press. lnldelty is making
q mighty attempt 10 get all our weapons in
rs hand and then 10 keep them. You know
Il Is making this boast all the time. and after
q while. when the great battle between sin
and righteousness has opened. II We do not
look ont we will be rs badly of "a these Is
raelites. without any swords to fight with
and without any sharpened instruments.
I call upon the superintendent Of literary
institutions 10 see to it that the men who 20
into the cassrooms 10 stand beside the Ley
den lars. aud the electric batteries. and the
microscopes or teles ,opes be children OF
God. not philstines. The atheistic thinkers
of this day are trying 10 get all the intel
lectual weapons OF this century in their own
grasp What we want Is scientific Christians
10 capture the science. and scholastic Chris
uans TO capture the scholarship, and philoso.
phic Christians TO capture the philosophy,
and lecturlng Christians 10 take back the
lecturing platform.
We want 10 send out against Schenkel
and Strauss and Renan OF the past men like
tho late Theodore Christlieb OF Bonn, and
against the iundel scientists a God worship.
ing Silliman and Hitchcock and AgassiZ.
We want TO capture all the philosophical
apparatus and swing around the telescopes
on the swivel until through them we can sac
the morning star Of the Redecmer, and with
meteorological hammer discover the Crock
OF Ages" and amid the fora OF the realms
find the Rose Of Sharon and the Lily Of
the Valley
We want clergy learned enough IN dis.
course Of the human eye, showing II TO be
microscope and telescope in one instrument,
with 500 wonderful cOntriyances and lids
closing 30, 600 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 oye shall He not seey And
then we want TO discourse about the human
ear, its wonderful integuments, membranes
and vibration. and its chain Of small bones,
and its auditory nerves. closing with the
question. He that planted the ear, shall lie
not hear
And we want some one able TO expound
the first chapter Of Genesis. bringing 10 It
the geology and the astronomy Of the world,
until. as job suggested, THE stones oil the
field shall be in league with the truth, and
"the stars in their courses shall fight against
Sisera." Oh, church Of God, 60 out and re-
rapture these weapons. Let men OF God go
out and take possession Of the platform. Let
all 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.
All. nv friend, that day must come, and II !
the great body OF Christian men have notthe /
faith. or the courage. or the conservation % |
do il, then let some Jonathan on his busy |
hands and on his praying knees climb up on |
the rock Of hindrancc. and in the name OF
the Lord God OF Israel slash to pieces those |
literary Phlistines Ii these men VIII |
not be converted TO God, then they must be |
destroyed.
Again. / learn from this subject what a |
large amount OF the churchs resources 10 |
actually hidden and buried and undeveloped. |
Tho Bible intimates that that was q very |
rich land-ths land OF Israel. IT says,
"The stones are iron. and out OF the hills |
thou shalt dig brass, AMI yet hundreds OF
thousands OF dollars worth OF TINS metal was |
kept under the hills. Well. that IS the dilh-
Guilty with the cuuTfu OF No.i At AHi9 my 10 !
talent is net developed. IL one-halt Of its |
energy could be brought out. it might take |
the public iniquities OF the day 10y the throat |
and make them bite the dust. II human |
eloquence were consecrated to the Lord |
Jesus Christ. it could in few years persuade |
this whole earth to surrender to God.
There IS enough undeyeloped Christian |
energy in the United States to bring the I
whole world TO Christ. but II is buried I'M |
der strata OF Indifference and under whole |
mountains OF sloth. Now. Is it 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 carbines for |
the Lords host? Tho vast majority OF /
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 is il not time for the church OF God to
rouse up and understand that We want all
the energies. all the talents and all tho wealth |
enlisted for Christ's sake? / like the nick
name that the English soldiers gave 10 Blu
cher. the commander. They called him "Old |