St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1896-08-22

CHRISTIAN WEAPONS.

CHRISTIAN WEAPONS.
Rev. Dr. Talmage breaches On the
Warfare On Sin.
The Chrsstlnn's Assaults - vBee - NJ
vasseas Ferns likeasA unto tAe
Psrsisesas rursuls ee Cane ~
sAs uanesr.
The following somewhat unique dis
course WAS delivered by Rev. T. Dewitt
Talmage before his Washington con-
gregation. 1t was based on the tsxt:
He Vas . mighty hunter before the Lord
Genesis T.. O.
In our day, hunting II sport; out
In the lands and the times infested
with Wild beasts It was . matter Of
life OF death with the people. It was
very different from going ont on sun-
shiny afternoon with . patent breseh-
loader, to shoot reed birds on the Aats.
when Pullux and Achilles and Dio-
msdes went out to clear the land Of
lions and tigers and bearA Ny text
sets forth Nimrod ~ hero when II
presents him with broad shoulders and
shaggy apparel and sun-browned face
and arm punched with muscle-''s
mighty hunter before the Lord" I
think he used the bow and the aFrows
with great success prscticing archery.
I have thought II Il IL such grand
thing and such . brave thing to clear
wild beasts out Of . country, IL Il il
not better and Drawer thing to hunt
down and destroy those great evils Of
society that are stalking the land with
fierce eye and bloody paw. and sharp
tusk and quick spring. I have won
dsred II there II not such thing -
Gospel archery, by which those who
have been flying from the truth may
b captured tor God and Heaven. The
Lord Jesus In His sermon used the art
Of angling for IN illustration when
He said: II will make you fishers Of
men" And 70 think have author
ity for using hunting - an illustra-
tion Of Gospel truth; and I pray God
that there may Be many . man to-day
who will begin to study Gospel arch
cry, Of whom It may, after awhile, be
saidi HE was . mighty hunter b.
fore the Lord"
How much awkward Christian work
there II done in the world! How many
good people there arc who drive souls
away from Christ instead Of bringing
them to Himl All their fingers are
thumbs-rsligious blunderers who up
set more than they right Their gun
has . crooked barrel and kicks n Il
koss OF. They are like . clumsy COM
rade who goes along with slkillful
hunters; ut the very moment when he
ought to be most quiet. he IN cracking
an alder. or falling over . log and
frightenlng away the game. How
few Christian people have ever learned
the lesson of which I read 1t the BE-
ginning Of this service, how that the
Lord Jesus Christ 1t the well went
from talking about . cup Of water 70
70 the most practical religious truths,
which won the woman's soul for Godl
Jesus IN the wilderness Was breaking
bread to the people. Think It was good
bread, It was very light bread, and the
yeast had done its work thoroughly.
Christ, after He had broken the bread,
said to the people: beware Of the
yeast, or Of the leaven, Of the Phari-
sees" So natural transition it was;
and how easily they al understood
Him! But how few Christian people
therc are who understand how to
iasten the truths Of God and religion
to the souls Of men. Truman Osborne,
one Of the Evsneelists who went
through this country years ago. had .
wonderful art In the right direction.
He came to my fathers house
one day, and while we wers all
seated in the the room, he
said: ''Mr. Talma9e, are all your
children Christians?" Father said:
Eyes, sll but d Witt" Then Tru-
man Osborne looked down into the
fireplace. and began to tell story Of
. storm that came on the mountains,
and al the sheep were In the fold; but
there was one lamb outside that par
ished in the storm. Had he looked
me in the eye, should have been an
gered when he told the story, but he
looked into the fireplace, and Il was 70
psthetieally and beautifully done that
never found any peace until l was
sure was inside the fold, where the
other sheep were.
The srchers Of olden times studied
their art They were very precise in
the matter. The old books gave special
directions - to how IN archer should
He must stand erect and drm. his left
foot little in advance Of the right
foot With his left hand he must take
hold of the bow In the middle. and
then with the three fingers and the
thumb Of his right hand he should lay
hold Of the arrow and sfl1x Il to the
string-so preciae was the direction
given. But how clumsy we arc about
religious work! How little skin and
rows miss the mark! Oh, that there
wsre moro institutions established In
al the towns and cities Of our land,
where men might learn the art Of do
inG good-studying spiritual archery;
and known - mighty hunters before
the Lordv'
Il the drst psaeo. II you want to b
sfectual In doing good, you must b
very sure Of your weapon. There
was something very fascinating about
the archery Of olden timeA Perhaps
you do not know what they could dc
with the bow and arrow. Why the
chief battles fought by the Euglish
Pantagensts were with the long-bow.
They would take the arrow Of pol,
ished wood, and feather Il with tn
| plume Of . bird, and then II would a
from the bow-string Of plated silk.
The broad delds Of Agincourt and
Solw1y Moss. and Neville's Cross heard
the loud thrun Of the archer's bow,
string. Now. my Christian friends, N
have aightisr weapoa than thak II
y The arrow Of the Gospel; II = . sharI
arrow; It iss straight arrow; II = 1ea<h
cred from the wing of the dove ol
Gods spirit; Il Aies from bow msdl
out Of the wood Of the erms. A ~
- ean estimate q calculate, it hi
brought down go. .ooa aooO soalA Paul
knew how 70 being the notch Of tha1
arrow on to that bowstrin4, and II
whiyf was lizard through the CORN