Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1899-04-08
HELD IN STOUT GRIP.
DR.. TAlMAGE DRAWS A LESSON FROM
ELEAzAR'S TENAcITY.

DR.. TAlMAGE DRAWS A LESSON FROM
ELEAzAR's TeNAcITY
Closer Adherence 90 the Gospel
UrEed-The Noted Preacher says
He VIII Not Cease 10 Preach BE-
cause He Resigned His Passionate.
fcopyright. 1879 by Am rican Press Assc-
ciaton.l
WASHINGTON, April 9-In the first no
tice concerning DIR. Talmage that Pastor
Charles II. Spurgeon Of London wrote the
great English minister said he was glad to
find preacher that believed something.
This discourse OF DR. Talmage is in that
vein and urges close adherence to the old
gospel; text. II Samuel xiii. 10. And his
hand clavc unto the sword
What glorious thing to preach the
gospel! Some suppose that because have
resigned a fixed pastorate will cease TO
preach. No, Mo- expect 10 preach
more than ever have II the Lord will.
four times as much, though in manifold
places. lwould not dare TO halt with such
opportunity Ia declare the truth through
the ear 10 audiences and 10 the eye through
the printing press. And here we have
stirring theme put before us by the prophet.
A great general Of King David was
Eleasar. the hero Of the text. The philis.
tines opened battle against him. and his
troops reiterated The towards fled
Eleazar and three Of his comrades went
into the hattie and swept the field. for four
men with God on their side are stronger
than whole regiment with God against
Ill a. H.. H.
mander Of the Philistine army. The cry
ran along the host. Fall hacki'' Elcazar,
hayin=r .swept the field. throws himself on
the ground TO rest. but the muscles and
sinews Of his hand had been 50 long bent
around the hilt of his sword that the hilt
was hnbedded in the flesh. and the gold
wire of the ,hilt had broken through the
skin Of the palm Of the hand and he could
not drop this sword which he had so gal
lantly welded His hand clave unto the
sword That Is what call magnificent
fighting for the Lord God Of Israel And
we want more of IT,
! propose to show you how Eleazar took
hold Of the sword and how the sword took
hold Of Eleazar look nj Eleazars hand
and ] come To the conclusion that he took
the sword with very tight grip. The
towards who flcd had no trouble in drop
ping their swords. As they fly over the
rocks | hear their swords changing in ev-
cry direction. IL Is easy enough for them
20 drop their swords But Elcazar's hand
clave unto the sword. In this Christian
conflict we want tighter grip Of the gos-
pei weapons, tighter grasp Of the two
edged sword Of the truth IL makes me
sick To sec these Christian people who hold
only n part of the truth and let the rest
OF .hc truth 60. 50 that the Philistines,
seeing the loOsened grasp. wrench the
whole sword away from them.
The Only safe Thing.
The only safe thing for US To do is e.
put our thumb ON the book of Genesis and
sweep our hand around the book until the
New Testament comes into the palm and
keep ON sweeping our hand around the
book until the tips Of the fingers clutch al
the words, lin the beginning God created
the heavens and the earth like an in
fidel great deal better than | do one of
these Mandy pamby Christians who hold
part Of the truth and let the rest GO. BY
miracle. God preserved this Bible just as
IL l.. and IL is Damascus blade The 80
vercst test Ia which "A sword can he put In
a sword factory is to wind the blade
sround "A gun barrel like "A ribbon, and
NUtils Nutn NIt rNNFNt II ltt iahirt-. IL IlAf
back Ia it, own shape 80 the sword of
Gods truth has been fully tested. and l.
Is bent this way and that way and wound
this way and that way. but it always
comes back 10 its own shape Think of
IL, 4 book written near 10 centuries Hgo
and some Of IL thousands Of years ago
and yet in our time the average sale q.
this book IL more than twenty Thousand
copies every week and more than mil
lion copies year. ! say now that bool.
: which Is divinely inspired and divincly
kept and divinely scattered is a weapon
worth holding tight grip Of BishuIt
Colenso will come along and try Ia wrench
out Of your hand the five books of Moses
and STRAUSS will come along and try T.,
wrench out Of your hand the miracles
and Renan will come along and try e.,
wrench out Of your hand the entire life OF
the Lord Jesus Christ. and your associates
In the Office or the factory ar the banking,
house will try 10 wrench out Of your hanl
the entire Bible. but in the strength of tha
Lord God Of Israel and with Elcazar'- .
grip hold ON 10 il. You give up the Bible
won give up any part of It, and you give up
,ardon and peace and life and heaven.
T do not b. ashamed. young man, To have
the world know that You are a friend 81
the Bible. This book Is the friend of al |
that is good, and IL Is the sworn enemy 81
all that Is bad An eloquent writer IT
Gently gives AN incident of very bad man
who stood in cell of a western prison
This criminal had gone through all styles
Of crime and he was there waiting for III g
galluws The convict standing there az
the window of the cell. this writer says,
looked out and declared i ann an inf
To- "A .
en- and children who happened To be gath
erred there, l am an intidcl and a. 9
eloquent writer says. Every man ANA
woman there believed him And the
writer goes ON % say. II he had stood
there saying. / ann a Christian, every
man and woman would have said, He :
a liar'
The Enemy of wrong.
This Bible is fhe sworn enemy of all
that is wrong and IL Is the friend OF an
that is good oh. hold on H. do not tale
mart Of IL and throw the rest away lIuI
on IN all of IL There are 80 many people
noyy who do not know You ask them 4
the soul is immortal. and they say /
yuess IL is: I don't know. Perhaps il H.:
nerhaps IL isn't l. the Bible true, Well.
,erhapg il Is and perhaps 10 isn't Per.
Inns IL may Ia. figuratiycly. and perhaps
IL NAV be partly. and perhaps it may MT
be at all 50 They dcspise what they call
the apostnIic creed but If their own creed
were written out il would read like this:
II believe, in nothing, the lnakcro heaven
and earth. and in nothing which II ha' b
sent. which nothing was born OF nothit
ana which nothing was dead and buried
sd descended into nothing and ar"-s'
er,,n nothing and assembled Ia nothing ard
noxv sirteth ~ the right hand II nothins''
fr,,m which IL will come Ia Judge n"thih ::
i believe in the holy agnostic church anu
IN the communion Of nothingarlahs ana
n the forgiveness Il nothing ana , tfe
rvsnrrrrtion Of nothing and IN the h'e
shai never shall be Amen" That Is TIE '
creed Of tens Of Thousands oi p'opie III ~ y
das. II You have r:lind % adopt slcn =
theory. / viii not II believe in God ti'e
Father Almighty. Maker Of heaven ana
? sar.h. and in Jesus Christ and In the hoiy