Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1896-07-10
TALMAGE'S SERMON
INTERESTING THEME HN TUE
wAsIiiNCTuN PREAtnEu.
Subject ''The Mighty Hunter"

IL was matter OF life or death with the
people. II was very different from going
out on sunshiny afternoon with a patent
bretchl0ader. 20 shoot rc-dbirzs on the fats
when Pollux and Achilles and Diomales wen,
out 20 clear the land Of lions aud tigers and
bears. My text sets forth Nimrod a. n hero
when II presents him with broad shoulders
and shaggy apparel and sunbrowned face
and arm punched with muscle mighty
hunter before the Lord. think ha used
the bow and the arrows with great success
practicing archery,
have thought II II Is such grand thine
and such brave thing 10 clear wild beasts
ont OF a country, IL IL Is not a better and
Drawer thing TO hunt down and DESTROY thosa
great evils Of society that are stalking the
land with fierce eye and bloody paw. aud
sharp tusk and quick spring. have Won
dered Il there Is not such thing as gospel
archery, by which those who have been fyinp
from the truth may be captured for God and
heaven. The Lord Jesus in His sermon used
the art OF angling for an illustration when
He said, II will make YOU fishers OF men. A"
And so | think have authority for using
hunting as an illustration OF gospel truth,
and pray God that there may be many a
man to-day who will begin to study gospel
archery, OF whom II may, after while, be
said, HE was mighty hunter before the
Lord"
how much awkward Christian work there
is done in the wOrlll How many good peo-
pie there are who drive souls away from
Christ instead Of bringing them to Him! All
their fingers are thumbs-religiOus blunder-
erS who upset more than they right. Their
gun has crooked barrel and kicks as it
goes of. They are like a stupid comrade
who goes along with skillful hunters. At
the very moment when he ought to be most
quiet, he is cracking an alder, or falling
over log and frightening away the game.
How few Christian people have ever learned
the lesson Of which | read at the beginning
OF this service, how that the Lord Jesus
Christ at the well went from talking about
a cup OF water 10 the most practically re-
ligious truths, which won the woman's soul
Tor God. Jesus in the wilderness was break
ing bread to the people. think it was good
bread 1t was very light bread and the
yeast had done Its work thoroughly. Christ
after He hal broken the bread, said to the
people, "Bewire Of the yeast or Of the In
ven OF the Pharisees" So natural n transit
tion il was, and how easily they all I'M
derstood Him, But how few Christian peo-
pie there are who understand how to fasten
the truths OF God and religion to the souls
OF men. Truman Osborne, one Of the evan
gelists who went through this country vears
ago, had wonderful art in the right direc-
tiOn. He came to my fathers house one
day, ana while we We're all seated in the
room ne said sNTr. TaImaga ara alI ,,C1r
children ChristiapsY" Father said yves MI
but De Witt Then Truman Osborne
looked down into the fireplace and began to
tell story OF storm that came on the
mountains, and all the sheep were in the
fold. Iut there was ore lamb outsida tbat
peri.hel in the storm. Had he Inolyed mo in
the eve l should have been anvpreJ when bn
told that story. Dut he looked INFO Ina A.
nIgce nud il was 90 ratbeticall,, ma Leo,,,i-
f.lly done thar never found on,, ,,e,n.,, mn
iii / was sure was inside the 'f6lJ ain.
the other sheen were.
The arebars of oil limos stndia1 THAR
Rrt They we're worry rrssiea IL, tl,a ,,,.ttar
The Old books cave goacioI directions as to
how nm archer should ro.opl os IN ,ch"t IN
archer sbculd do He must etanI oraot ,nJ
firm hi. I.ft foot a uttIe in advance ~ A.
ripht foot Win bis inft b1rJ h., -. +ot.a
hoII Of the how in tho y,id.IIa or1 tL.,
with the three 0rg.rs and tha fbnr,L If bis
right hand he shauId law hold If The ,rrnu,
and affix If 10 the string---so rraaisa ,vos,tbs
direction given Rut how GInps,, YEA orn
about religions wrrki How bttIa el,iII ma
care we cxercisel How often our arrows mise
the mark, Oh. that there were more insti.
tutous established in all the towns and cit
les Of our land where men might learn fine
nrt ar h,i"" "o..-' I,.-- r-s-4s--.-, .-.-'.-
tIy' anu KNOWN rs mighty hunters before
the Lord.
~ me IirSt place, II you want to be efec-
tual IN dong good, you must lee very sure Of
your weapon. There was something very
fascinating ABOUT tue archery OF olden times.
Ferhaps you 90 not know what they could
40 WIN lAe DOW ana arrow. why, the chief
battles fought by the English Pantagenets
were win the long DOW They would take
we arrow oil pohshed wood, and feather 1t
WIN luo pune oil ORA, anu then II would
ny IRON me DOW string OF plated silk. The
pfoaa httds OF Agneourt and Solway Moss
ana NevIiies Cross heard the loud thrum Of
me "TcherS DOW string. Now, my Christian
!iithus; we nave mlghtIer weapon than
tnal' II Is the arrow OF the gospel; it is a
suaTP artoWi II Is straight arrow: it is
l le"lHeIe" rom tue wing OF the dove OF GODS
oP.rIt' II mes from DOW made out Of the
WOOD OF inc cross. As lar as can estimate
VI T"lcI,'tG II mas brought down 400 ,OOO,UOO
SVu!S' ""l knew now 10 brIng the notch OF
tnat aIro" on 10 th@t DOW string, and its
mhli was 4eiFd thfough the .CQrlntQian
lnea.FeS, anu through the courtroom, until
the knees OF Felix knocked together. 1t was
that arrow that struck in Luther's heart
when he cried out ION, my sinsl Oh. my
sins!' If it strike man in the head, it kills
his skepticism; If it strike a man in the heel.
it will turn his step; IL il strike him in the
heart, he throws up his hands. as did the
Emperor Julian OF old when wounded in the
battle, crying, 80 Galilean, Thou has con
quered."
In the armory of the Earl of Pembroke
there are old corselets which show that the
arrow OF the English used to 20 through the
breast plate, through the body of the warrior
and through the backplate What symbol
of that gospel which is sharper than n two
edged sword, piercing TO the DIVIDING asun-
der Of body and soul, and of the Joints ana
marrow! Would to t1od we had more faith
in that gospell The humblest man If ba hod
enough faith in it. could bring 100 souls TO
Jesus-perhaps 500 Just in proportion as
this age seems to believe less and less in it,
believe more and more in it. What are
men about that they will not accent their
own deliverance? There is nothing proposed
by men that can DO anything like this gospel.