The Washington weekly post., 1900-09-18
Dir. Talmage Bids Christians
Fight Brayely On.
DOUBT, MONSTER FOE OF FAITH
fietary Of the Israeiites Over Og and Of
David Over GoIiarh-Reward for These
Nhe Beat Down the Champions Of Evil
Must Fisht Every Fost OF the Way to tLe
i"emised Laad-Triamph Assured for the
Sword Of TrHth-Text OF Discourse.

/
found SMILES in his sermon for yesterday
Tor the obstacles which ever arise in The
path OF the Christian seeking truth. TIE
Victory he promised should fall 10 the
faithful OF to-day as of old. and the mon-
ster. Doubt, should be slain by the sword
OF Truth in the hands of Faith Dr. Tai
mage took for his text Deut, iii:l1. only
Oe, King OF Bashan, remained of the REM
nant or giants, behold, his bedstead was
eedstead OF iron: is it not in Rabbath Of
/ the children of Ammon? Nine cubits was
the length thereof, and four cubits the
breadth OF IT," He said:
/ The story of giants is mixed with
myth. William the Condueror was said
/ tn have been OF overtowering altitude
but when, in after time his tomb was
opened. his bones indicated that he had
been physically of only ordinary size. Ro-
land, the hero, was said td9kave been Of
astonishing stature, but when his sepul-
/ cheT was examined. his armor was found
only large enough to hit an ordinary man
Alexander the Great had helmets AMI
| shields of enormous size made and left
among the people whom he had conquer
cd, so as 10 give the impression that ne
vas giant, although he was rather IN
der than over the usual height of a man
/ But tlat in other DAYS and lands there
were real giants is authentic One of the
suaTds OF the Duke of Brunswick was
| eight and half feet nigh. In a museum
/ IN London is a skeleton of Charles Birnc,
eight feet four inches in stature The
/ Emperor Maximin was over eight feet.
Pliny tells Of giant nine feet high, ard
/ two other giants nine and a nalf feet. So
| | am not incTedulous when | come TO my
| text and find King Og a giant. and the
| size Of his bedstead, turning the cubits of
1 the text into feet-the bedstead or Og.
/ the king. must have been about thirteen
and half feet long. Judging from that,
the giant who occupied il was probably
about eleven feet in stature, or nearly
twice the average human size. There
was no need of rabbinical writer's trying
I 10 account for the presence OF this giant,
King Cg, as they did, by saying that he
came down from the other side of the
| food, being tall enough 10 wade ths
waters beside Noah's Ark, or that he rode
on the top Of the ark, the passengers ill
side the ark daily providing him with
| food. There was nothing supernatural
about him He was simply a monster IN
| size.
Cyrus and Solomon slept on beds of
/ gold, and Sardanapalus -ad $50 bedsteads
OF gold burned up with him, Dut this bed
stead of my text was of iron-everyt
| sacrificed for strength to hold this ex-
cessiye avoirdupOis, this Alp OF bone and
! flesh. No wonder this couch was kept as
curiosity at Rabbath, and people went
! from far and near TO see 1t, just as now
! people go to museums to behold the ar
| NOR of the ancients. You say what a
| fighter this giant, King Og, must have
been. No doubt Of it. I suppose the size
of his sword and breastplate c0rrespOnded
to the size of his bedstead, and his stride
across the battlefield and the full stroke
of his arm must have been appalling
With an armed host he comes down 10
drive back the Israelites who are march,
ing on from Egypt to Canaan. We have
no particulars of the battle, but / think
the Israelites trembled when they saw
this monster of q man moving down 10
crush them.
Hea's SURROUNDINGS Betray Them.
Alas. for the Israelites, VIII their
troubles never cease? What can men five
and a half feet high do against this war
rior OF eleven feet, and what can short
swords do against a sword whose gleam
must have been like a flash OF lightning?
The battle OF Edrei opened. Moses and MS
army met the giant and his army. The
lord Of hosts descended into the fight,
and the gigantic strides that Og had made
when advancing into the battle were more
than equaled by the gigantic strides with
which he retreated. Huzza for triumphant
Israel! Sixty fortified cities surrendered
10 them. A land of indescTibable Opulence
comes into their possession. and ali thar
Il left OF the giant king is the iron bed
stead. Nine cubits was the length there
of. and four cubits the breadth of it,
WHY did not the Bible give US the size
of the giant instead OF the size of the bed
stead? Why did il not indicate that the
man was eleven feet high, instead of tell
ing US tina: his couch was thirteen and a
half feet long? No doubt, among other
things. il was TO teach US that you can
judge OF man by his surroundings Show
me mans associates. show me a mans
books, show me a mans home. and
Will tell you what he is without your tell
ing me one word about him. You can tell
man not only. according TO the old adage,
by the company he keeps, but By the
books he reads, by the pictures he adj
n.ires, by the church he attends. by the
places he visits. Moral giants and moral
plgmieS. intellectual giants and intelIe,-r-
ical pigmies. may be judged By their sur
rOundings. There Is a man vino has been
thirty years faithful in attendance upon
churches and prayer meetings and Sun
day-schools and putting himself among
intense religious associations. He NAV
have his imperfectiOns but he is a very
good man. Great in his religious stature
The other man has been for thirty years
among influences Intensely worldly. and
he has shut himself cut from all other
influences. and his religious stature is
that OF a dwarf. No man ever has been
or car be independent of his surround
ings. social. intellectual, moral. religious.
The Bible indicates the length OF he
giant by the length Of his bedstead. Lei
no man say. I viii be good. and yet keen
evil surroundings. Let 10 man say. I
will be faithful as a Christian and ger
consor. chiefly With sorldlinzs You ar.
proposing an everlasting inapossIbflffy
y hen a man departs this life. you can
tell what has been MS influence IN q
CONN munity for good by those who MORN
for him. and by how StreeTe and long
continued are the regrets OF his taking
Ch- There may be no p0rnp - obsegsIi-s
and no pretense AT epitaph. but you can 1
tell how high ne was ia conservation and |
how high In usefulness. by hOW long Is nis
shadow when he comes 10 lie dcEn
Masters CT Their Own Pale.
What Is true Of individuals is true Of
cities and nations. Show me the free IL |
braries and schools Of i city. ard / wiz |
tell you the intelligence Of its people. |
Show me its gallery OF painting and
sculpture ard ! will tel you the artistic !
advancement Of its citizens Show me |
It's churchea. and will tell you tho moral |
and religious status o. the place. From |
the fact th4t ogs be5sfSsa vas thirteen /
and half feet iong, / conclude the Kia7t
fimself was about eleven feet high. Bvt /
let no one By this thought be sndueed 20 /
surrender - anfavorshle environments /
man can make hls osfn 6edstead Chan !
tres and Hugh Miller were born stone /
masons. bas the one became Al irnrnor- /
tai sculptor and the other Christian /
Scientist whose name viii never die 1
Turner. tks painter. In whose praise John /,