The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1899-04-14
IN GRIP OF STEEL.
ar. Talmage Draws Lesson from
the Tenacity of Eleazar.
H- Urges n Closer Adherence q" the
Gospel aud Announces That
lie VIII Not Cease TO
Preach.


of London, wrote the great English min
lister said he was glad to find preacher
that believed something This dis
course of DR.. Talmage is in tina; vein
and urges close adherence 10 The ole
Gospel: text. II. Samuel. %: 10, And his
hand clave unto the sword"
What glorious thing TO preach the
Gospel, Some suppose that because
have resigned a fixed pastorate | viii
cease to preach! No! No! lexpect 10
preach more than | ever have. IL the
Lord will. four times as much. though
In manifold places, ! would not dare
10 halt with such opportunity to declare
the truth through the ear to audiences
and TO the eye through the printing
press. And here we have a stirring
theme put before us by the prophet
\ great general of King David was
Eleazar. the hero of the text. The
Philistiues opened battle against him.
and his troops retreatcd. The COW
ards fed Eleazar and three of his com.
rades weut into the battle and swept
the field. FOR four men " tn God on their
side are stronger than a whole reg ment
with God against them. Fall back
shouted the commander Of the Philis-
tine army The cry ran along the host:
"Fall back" Eleazar, having swept the
field. throws himself on the ground 10
rest. bat the muscles and sinews Of his
hand had been so long bent around the
hilt Of the sword that the hilt was inn
beddcd in the flesh and the gold wire of
:he hilt had broken through the skin
Of 'hc pal6 Of his hand and he could
rot drop this sword which he had so
calamity welded His hand clave un-
TO the sword That is what call mag.
nitceut fighting for the Lord God of
Israel. And we want more of ii.
propose 20 show you how Eleazar
took hold of the sword and how the
sword took hold Of Eleazar. ! look at
Elcazar's hand. and ] come TO the con-
clusiou that he took the sword with
very tight grip. The towards who fled
had no trouble in dropping their
swords. As they fly over the rocks
hear their swords changing in every di-
rection. II is easy enough for them 20
drop their swords. But E,eazar's hand
clave unto the sword. In this Christian
conflict we want a tighter grip of the
Gospel weapons, a tighter grasp of the
two-edged sword Of the truth. II makes
me sick to see these Christian people
who hold only part of the truth. aud
let the rest of the truth go. so that the
Philistiues. seeing the ioosened grasp
wrench the whole sword away from
them.
The only safe thing for us TO do is 10
put our thumb on the book Of Genesis
ana sweep our hand around the book
until the tips of the fingers clutch at
the words: "In the beginning God Gre
eted the Heavens ami the earth" like
an infdel "A great deal better than do
owe Of these mandy pamby Christians
who aold part OF the truth and let the
rest go BY miracle. God preserved this
blade The severest test to which a
sword can he put in a sword factory is
10 wind the blade around "A gun barrel
like ribbon. and then. when the sword
is let loose. il flies back 10 its own
shape. So the sword of Gods truth has
been fully tested and il is bent this
way ard that way and wound this way
and that way. but il always comes back
to its own shape. Think of il! A book
written near 70 centuries ago. and some
Of ii thousands of years ago. and yet in
our time the average sale of this Book is
more than 10000 copies every week. and
more than million copies year. | say
now that book which is Divinely in
spired. and Divinely kept. and Divinely
scattered is weapon worth holding
tight grip of. Rishop Colenso will come
along and try to wrench out Of your
hand the i've books of Moses, and
Strauss will come along and try 10
wrench out of your hand the miracles.
and Renan will come along and try TO
wrench out Of your hand the entire life
OF the Lord Jesus Christ. aud your as
soc.ates in The office or the factory or She
banking house will try TO wrench out
OF your hand the entire Bible. but in
the strength of the Lord God of Israel
and with ElSazar's grip hold on to it.
You give up the Bible. you give up any
part of it. aud you give up pardon and
peace and life and Heaven.
Do not be ashamed. young man, TO
have the world know that you are a
friend of the Bible. This book is the
friend Of all that is good. and il is the
sworn enemy OF all that is bad. An clo-
ouent writer recently gives an incident
OF very bad man who stood i'm cell
of western prison. This criminal
had gone through all styles of crime.
and he was there waiting for the gal
lows. The convict standing there at the
window OF the cell. this writer says,
"lool,cd out and declared, i am an in
fidcl.' He said that to all the men and
women and children who happened TO
I've gathered there. i am an iniidei,'"
aud the eloquent writer says. Every
man and woman there believed him"
And the writer goes on to say, IF he
bad stood there saying. ! am "A Chris
tan every man and woman would have
said. He is IA TART"
This Bible is the sworn enemy of all
that is wrong, aud it is the friend Of all
that is good. Oh. hold on it. do not
take part OF ii and throw the rest away.
Hold on to all OF it. there are SO many
Deopc now who do aOt know. You ask