The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1896-07-04
SOME MIGHTY HUNTERS.
Something Very Fascinating In
Those of Early Times.
Rev. t. Dewitt Talks to Hit
Washington congregation About
the Archers of Old and APP
piles the Lesson.

on a subject inspiring as we'll as unique.
His text vas Genesis x:9: HE was a
mighty hunter before the Lord" He
said:
In our day, hunting is a sport; but
in the lands and the times infested
with wild beasts, it was a matter OF
life or death with the people. 1t was
very different from going out on a
sunny afternoon with a patent breech
loader, to shoot reed birds on the flats,
when Pollux and Achilles and Diome-
des went out to clear the land of lions
and tigers and bears. My text sets
forth Nimrod as a hero when it repre-
sents him with broad shoulders n
shaggy apparel and sun Drowned face,
and arms punched with muscle-"a
mighty hunter before the Lord" ]
think he used the bow and the arrows
with great success practicing archery.
L have thought that if it is such a
grand thing and such a brave thing to
clear wild beasts out of a country, if it
is not a better and Drawer thing to
hunt dow and destroy those great
evils of society that are stalking the
land with fierce eye and bloody paw,
and sharp tusk and quick spring. /
have wondered If there is not such a
thing as Gospel archery, by which
those who have been flying from the
truth may be captured for God and
Heaven. The Lord Jesus in his SER
mon used the art of angling for an
illustration when He said: 81 will
make you fishers of men," And SO 1
think 1 have authority for using hunt
ing as an illustration of Gospel truth;
and 1 pray that there may be many a
man to-day who will begin to study
Gospel archery, of whom it may be
said, after a while: HE was a mighty
hunter before the Lord"
How much awkward Christian work
there is done in the worldl How many
good people there are who drive souls
away from Christ instead of bringing
them to himl All their fingers are
thumbs-religious blunderers who up
set more than they right Their gun
has a crooked barrel, and it kicks as it
goes off. They are like a clumsy COM
rade whogoes along with skillful hunt
ers; at the very moment when he ought
to be most quiet, he is cracking an
alder or falling over a log and frighten-
ing away the game. How few Chris
tian people nave aver learned the
lesson Of which 1 lead at the begin
ming Of this ~serice, how that the Lord
Jesus Christ at the well vent from
talking about a cup of water to
the most practical religious truths,
which won the woman's soul for Godl
Jesus in the wilderness was breaking
bread to the people. 1 think it was
good bread; it was very light bread,
and the yeast had done its work thor
ouRhly. Christ, after he had broker
the bread, said to the people: Beware
of the yeast, or of the ~leaven, of the
Pharisees." So natural a transition it
was; and how easily they all under
stood Himi But how few Christian
people there are who understand how
to fasten the truths of God and re-
ligion to the souls of men. Truman
Osborne. one of the evangelists who
went through this country years
ago, had a wonderful art in the
right direction. He came to
my fathers house one day, and
while we were all seated in the room
he said: "Mr. Talmage, are all your
children Christians?' Father said:
Yes, all but Dewitt" Then Truman
| Osborne looked down into the fireplace
and began to tell a story of a storm
that came on the mountains, and all
the sheep were in the fold; but there
was one lamb outside that persisted in
the storm. Had he looked me in the
| eve / should have been angered when
he told hat story; but he looked into
the fireplace, and it was so pathetic
ally and beautifully done that 1 never
found any peace until 1 vas sure l was
| inside the fold where the other sheep
were.
The archers of olden times studied
their art. They were very precise In
| the matter. The old books CAV special
directions as to how an archer should
go, and as to what an archer should
do. He must stand erect and firm, his
left foot q 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 afix it
to the string-so precise was the
direction given. But how clumsy
we are about religious work! How
often our arrows miss the mark!
Oh, that there were more institu-
| lions established in all the towns and
cities Of our land, where men might
learn the art of doing good-studying
spiritual archery, and known as
''mighty hunters before the Lord"
In the first place. If you want to be
effectual in doing good, You must be
very sure of your Weapon. There was
something very fascinating about the
archery of olden times Perhaps you
do not know what they could do with
the bow and arrow. Why, the chief
battles fought by the English Planta-
eenets were with the long bow. They
would take the arrow of polished
wood, and feather it with the plume
of a bird, and then it would fly from
the bow string of plated silk. The
broad fields of Agincourt and Solway
Moss and Neville's Cross heard the
loud thrum of h archer's bow string.
Now, my Christian friends, we have a
mightier weapon than h 1t is the
arrow of the Gospel; it is a sharp ar
row; it is a straight arrow; it is feath-
ered from the wing of the dove of Gods
spirit; it flies from a bow made out of
the wood of the Cross. As far as
I can estimate or calculate, it
has brought down 400, O00, 900 souls.
Paul knew no to bring the Dotch
of that arrow on to that bow
string, and its whirr was heard through
the Corinthian theaters, and through
bhO COuIb EOOhp uhblL VIC hHCCS VI
Felix knocked together. 1t was hat
arrow hat stuck in Luther's heart
when he cried out, "Oh, my sinsl oh,
my sins!' If it strike a man in the
head, it kills his skepticism; If it
strike a nan in the heel. it will turn
his step; if it strike him in the heart,
he will throw up his hands, as did the
Emperor Julian of old, when wounded
in the battle, crying: ''oh. Galileap,
Thou hast ~conquered!"
In the armory Of the earl of Penn
broke there are old corslets which
show that the arrow of the English
used to 60 through the breastplate,
through the body of the warrior, and
out through the backplate. What a
symbol of that Gospel which is sharper
than a two-edged sword, piercing to
the dividing asunder of body and soul,
and of the joints and marrow Would
to God we had more faith in that Cos
pei! The humblest man, if he had
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, 1
believe more and more in it.