Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1895-06-19
REV. DR.. TaLuaGE.
The Brooklyn Divine's Sunday
Sermon.

The Brooklyn Divine's Sunday
Sermon.
Subject: 'sShamgar's Ox.oad."
.Exr: "Aiter him was shamgar, which
slew of the Philisttnes 600 men with an on.
goad"-Judges ILL.,, 81.
One day while shamgar, the farmer, wa.
plowtng with yoke Of oxen,- his command
Of whoa haw geo was changed to the shout
OF battle. Phtisttnee, always ready to make
trouble march up with sword and spear
ShnmgaR, tho plowman, had NO sword and
would not probably have known how to
WELD It II he had possessed one. But fiehf
he must OF go down under the stroke of the
Phlistines. He had an ox9oad-a weapon
| used to urge on the lazy team; a weapon
about eight feet long. with a sharp iron at
one end to puncture the beast and a vida
| IRON chisel or shovel at the other end with
| which to scrape the clumps Of soil from the
pfowshare. Yet with the iron prong at ono
end OF the oxgoad and the iron scraper at
the other 1t was not such a weapon as one
would desire to use In battle with armed
Philistines. But God helped the farmer. and
leaving the oxen to look after themselves he
charged upon the invaders Of his homestead.
Some OF the commentaries. to make It easier
Tor Shamgar, suggest that perhaps he led a
regiment OF farmers into the combat, his
o1Road only one of many oxgoads. But the
Lord does not need any of you to help In
making the Scriptures, and Shamgar. with
the Lord on his side. was mightier than 600
Phtlistines with the Lord against them. The
battle opened. Shamgar, with muscle
strengthened by open air and plowman's and
reapers and thrasher's toll, uses the only
weapon at hand and he swings the oxyoad
nd hat
stabbinS with the iron prong at one end of it
and now thrusting with tho iron scraper at
the other, and now bringing down the whole
weight OF the instrument upon the heads OF
the enemy. The Philistines are in Q panic
and the supernatural forces come in and a
| blow that would not under other circum-
stances have Frustrated or slain left its
victim lffeless, until, when Sharnpar
walked over the field he counted 100 dead.
200 dead, 800 deal, 400 dead, 500 dead, 500
dead-all the " ork done by an oxgoad with
Iron prong Mt one end and an iron shovel at
the other. The fame of this achievement by
this farmer with an awkward weapon of war
spread abroad and lionized him, until he
was hoisted into the highest place Of power
and became the third Of the mighty judges Of
Israel. So you see that Cincinnatus was not
the only man lifted from plow to throne.
For what reason was this unprecedented
and unparalleled victory of a farmers OK
goad put into this Bible, where there was no
spare room for the unimportant and the
Trivial?
1t was. first Of all, to teach you and te
teach me and to teach all past ages since
then. and to teach all ages to come, that in
the war for God and against sin we ought to
put to the best use the weapon we happen TO
have on hand. Why did not Shamgar wait
until he could get a war charger with neck
arched and back comparisoned and nostrils
smiling the battle afar of, or until he could
get war equipment or could drill regiment.
and wheeling them into line command them
Forward to the charge? To wait for that
would have been defeat and annihilation,
so he takes the best weapon he could lay
hold Of, and that is an oxgoad. We are
called into the battle for the right and
against wrong, and many OF US have not Just
the kind of weapon we would prefer. 1t may
not be sword of argument. It may not be
me spear OF sharp, thrustins wit: 1t may
not be the battering ram Of denunciation.
But there Is something we can do and soma
forces We can WELD. Do not wait for what
you have not, but use what you have.
Perhaps you have not eloquence. but you
have a smile. Well a smile of encourage
ment has changed the behavior Of tens of
thousands Of wanderers and brought them
back to God and enthroned them in heaven.
You cannot make persuasive appeal, but
you can set an example, and good example
has saved more souls than you could count
In year II you counted all the time. You
cannot give $40, 900, but you can give as much
as the widow OF the gospel whose two mites,
the smallest coins Of the Hebrews, were
bestowed in such spirit as to make her more
famous than all the contributions that
ever endowed all the hospitals and uni
versities OF all Christendom, Of all time.
You have very limited vocabulary, but you
can say "yes" or ''no," and firm "yes" or
an emphatic "no" has traversed the CEN
turies, and will traverse all eternity, with
good influence. You may not have the
Ro N lor l,,k
you can tell Sunday-school class of two
. boy and a girl-how to find Christ and
one OF them may become William Carey, to
start influences that will redeem India. and
the other Florence Nightingale, who will
illumine battleHelds covered with the dying
and the dad.
That was tough case in town Of Eng
land where young lady, applying for q
SabbatE-school class, was told by the super.
tntendent she would have to pick up one out
Of the street. The worst of the class brought
from the street was one Bob. He was fitted
tendent. But after two or three Sabbaths he
disappeared. He was found with his clothes
IN tatters, for he had been fighting. The SEQ
ond time Bob was well clad for school. After
coming once or twice he again disappeared,
and was found in rags, consequent upon
fighting. Tho teacher was disposed to give
him up, but the superintendent said, 'sL.et Us
try him again" and the third suit OF clothes
was provided him. Thereafter he came until
he was converted, and Joined the church. and
started for the gospel ministry, and became
Q foreign missionary, preaching and trans
lating the Scriptures. Who was the boy
called Bob? Tho illustrious Dr.. Robert Nor
rison, great on earth and greater tn heaven.
Who Is teacher was know not, but she used
the opportunity opened and great has been
Armstrong gun; you may not be able to hurl
Hotchkiss she'll; you may not be able to
shoulder a glittering musket. but use any
thing you can lay your hands on. Try q
blacksmith's hammer or q merchants yard
stick or mason's trowel or . carpenters
plane or housewives broom or . farmers
oxgoad. One of the surprises of heaven
will be what grand results came from how
simple means. Matthias Joyce, the vile man,
became great apostle Of righteousness, not
from hearing John Wesley preach, but from
seeing him kiss q little child on the pulpit
stairs.
Again, my subject springs upon us the
thought that In calculating tho prospects Of
religious attempt we must take omnipotence
and omniscience and omnipresence and all
the other attributes Of God into the calcuIa-
ton. Whom do you see on that plowed field
gar" Another hearer says. II see GOO Phil
istines-" My hearer, you have missed the
chief parsonage on that battlefield Of plowed
ground. I also see Shamgar and 600 Philas-
tines; but, more than all and mfghtier than
all and moro overwhelming than all, see
God. ShamgaE with his unatded arm, how
ever mssculay. and With shat humble fnstru.
ment mide for ss1icrAinaA purposes and
never constructed for combat, could nothave
wrought such Q victory. It was omnfpo.
tence above and beneath and back Of and
at the p0nt Of tho oxgoad. Before that
battle was over tho piowmap realized this.
and all the COO Phillstines realized II, and all
who visited the battlefield afterward appre-
ciated It. want in heaYen to hear the
story, for 1t can never be fufly told On earth
perhaps some day may be set apart for the
rehearsal, while all heaven hstens-6he story
ofhow God blessed awkward and humble in
strumentalities. Many an evangelist has
come into town given up to w6rldliness.
The pastors say to the evangelist: 1--WE are
and We feel sorry for you. The MEM
aIsaxnhon x.lSsx