The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1895-06-13
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
THE LESSON OF THE Staying OF
TIRE PHILISTINES.
IN the War for God Against Sin Men
Should Use the Best Weapon They
Have ON HnnI-Great Things Ac-
.cOmpliSheu.

New York Special: In his sermon to.
day Rev. DR.. TalmaSe discussed one
of the most heroic and picturesque
characters in ancient Jewish history,
a man who, like many others who
achieved high distinction, came from
the sturdy and rural classes-the ag-
riculturalis,s. The subject Of the SER
mon was "Shamgars Ok Goad,' the
text being, "After HIM was Shamgar,
which slew the PhilistineS six hun
.drcd men with an OK gOld'-Judgea
ill.,, 81.
one day while Shamgar, the farmer,
was blowing with a yoke of oxen his
command of whoa-hawgcc way
changed to the shout of battle. Philis-
tines, always ready to make trouble,
march up with sword and spear.
Shamgar, the plowman, had no sword,
and would not probably have known
how to WELD it if he had possessed
one. But tight he must or go down
'under the stroke of the PhiliStineS. He
had an OK gOad-a weapon used to
urge on the lazy team; Il weapon
about eight feet long, with a sharp
iron at one end to puncture the beast,
and a wide iron chisel or shovel at the
other end with which to scrape the
~clumps of soil from the ploWshare.
Yet. with the iron prong at one end of
the OK gOad and the iron Scraper at
the other. it 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 1t easier
for Shamgar, suggest that perhaps lie
led a regiment of farmers into the
combat, his OK goad only one of many
OK goads. 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 philistines with the Lord against
them. The battle opened. Shamgar,
with muscle strengthened by open
air. and plOwman's, and reapers, and
threSher'S toll, uses the only weapon
at hand, and he swings the OK goad up
and down, and this way and that;
NOW stabbing with the iron prong at
one end of it, and now thrusting with
the 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 panic,
and the supernatural forces come in,
and Il blow that would not under othe.,
circumstances have Frustrated or
slain. left it's victim lifeless; until
when Shamgar walked over the field,
he counted 100 dead 200 dead, 300
dead. 400 dead 500 dead, 900 dead-all
the work done by an OK goad with iron
prong at one end and an iron shovel
at the other. The fame of this
achievement by the farmer with az
awkward weapon Of war, spread
abroad, and liOniZed him, until he was
hoisted into the highest place of pow
er, and became the third of the mighty
Judges Of Israel. So you see that Gin
cinnatus was not the only man lifted
from pillow to throne
Fol what reason was this unDrece-
den7ed and unparalleled victory of a
farmers OK goad put into this Bible,
where there was no spare room for the
unlmpOrtant and the trivial?
1t was, first Of all, to teach you, and
TO teach NE, 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 caDari-
soned, and nostrils smiling the battle
afar off, or until he could get wa.
equipment, or could drill a regiment,
and wheeling them into line command
them forward to the charge? To wait
Tor that would have been defeat and
annlhiiatiOn. SO he takes the best
weapon he could lay hold of, and tina.
is an OK goad. We are called into the
Oattle for the right, and against
wrong, and many of us have not just
the KIND Of weapon we would prefer.
NJ may not be sword of argument.
IL may not be the spear Of sharp,
thrusting wit. 1t may not be the bat
terlng ram of denunciation. But there
AS something we can do, and some
forceS we can WELD. Do not wait for
what you have not, but use what YOU
nave. Perhaps you have not clo-
quence, but you have smile. Well, q
smile or encouragement has changed
the behavior of tens of thousands of
wanderers, and brought them back ia
God, and enthrOncd them in heaven
You cannot make a persuasive ap-
peal, but you can set an example, and
a good example has saved more souls
than you could count in year, if yo,
counted all the time You cannot give
ten thousand dollars. but you can give
as much as the widow of the gospel
whose two mites, the smallest coins OF
the Hebrews, were bestowed in sucl
a spirit as to make her more famou;
than all the contributions that eve,
endowed all the hospitals and unive1.
stiles Of all Christendom. of all time
You have a very limited vocabulary
Dut you can say ''yes' or no." and
firm yes or an emphatic mo" ha
traversed the centuries, and will tray
Nerse all eternity, with good influence
You may not have the courage to con
front large assemblage, but you cal
tell Il Sunday school class of two;
boy and girl-how to find Christ, an,
one of them may become William
Carey. to start Influences that will re
deem India, and the other a Florenc
Nightingale, who will illumine battle
fields covered with the dying and tn
~Gead.
That was tough case in q town i
England, where young lady, apply
ing for a Sabbath school class, wa