The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1900-10-20
TALMAGE SERMON.
'UNDAY's DISCOURSE BY THE ABlF D,.
VINE

VN0Ns DISCOURSE BY THE A6lF 0l.
Subject: Nations Are JuIRed-God Re.
| wards and Furnishes Them on Earth-
| Gods Judgments Likened to til Swift
Sweep OF . Razor.
| tCopyright lsool
| WASHINGTON, D. CDR. Tamage, in
his journey westward through Europe, has
recently visited scenes of thrilling his
torio events. lie sends this sermon, in
which he shows that nations are judged
in this world and that God rewards them
| their crimes. The text is Isaiah vii. 20,
"In the same day shall the Lord shave
| with q razor that is hired, namely, by
them beyond the river, by the king Of
| Assyria"
The Bible is the Oldest book ever writ
Ten. There are no similitudes in Ossian
Or the Had or the Odyssey so daring. Its
Imagery sometimes seems on the verge of
the reckless, but only seems so. The fact
is that God would starte and arouse and
| propel men and nations. A tame and
limping similitude would fail to accom-
plish the object. While there are times
when He employs in the Bible the gentle
and the daybreak in the presentation OF
truth, we often find the iron chariot, the
lightning. the earthquake, the spray, the
sword and in my text the razor. This
keen bladed instrument has advanced in
usefulness with the ages. In Bible times
and lands the beard remained uncut save
in the seasons of mourning and humilia-
tive symbol. David said of Doeg, his an
| tagonist, "Thy tongue is sharp razor
working deceitfuly"-that is. it pretends
to clear the face, but is really used for
deadly incision.
In this striking text this weapon Of the
toilet appears under the following cir
cumstances: Judea needed to have some
against it three Assyrian kings-irst Sen.
nacherib, then Esarhaddon and afterward
Nebuchadnezzar. These three sharp nva-
sions that cut down the glory Of Judea
are compared to so many sweeps OF the
razor across the face of the land. And
these devastations were called hired
razor because God took the kings of AS
do the work, and paid them in palaces
and spoils and anneXations. These kings
were hired to execute the divine behests.
And now the text, which on its first read
ing may have seemed trivial or inapt, i,
charged with monfentous import, I'm the
same day shall the Lord shave with a razor
that is hired namely, by them beyond
Well, if Gods judgments are raaors,
we had better be careful how we use
them on other people. In careful sheath
these domestic weapons are put away,
where no one by accident may touch them
and where the hands of children may not
teach them, Such instruments must be,
farefully handled or not handled at all.
But how recklessly some people WELD the
Judgment of God! If man meets with
business misfortune. how many there are
ready to cry out: THAT is judgment of
God upon him because he was unscrupu-
lous or arrogant or over-reaching or mis-
erly. thought he would get cut down!
What a clean sweep of everything! Ills
city house and country house gone. His
stables emptied of all the fine bays and
sorrels and grays that used to prance by
his door. All his resources overthrown,
and all that he prided himself on tumbled
into demolition. Good for him. Stop,
my brother. Don't sling around too freely
the judgments of God, for they are razors.
Some of the most wicked business men
succeed, and they live and die IN pros.
perty, and some OF the most honest and
conscientious are driven into bankruptcy.
Perhaps the unsuccessful mans manner
was unfortunate and he was not really as
proud as he looked to be. Some Of those
who carry their heads erect and look I'M
peral are humble as a child, while many
a man in seedy coat and slouch hat and
unblackened shoes is as proud as Luclfer.
You cannot tell by mans look. Per-
haps he was not unscrupulous in business,
for there are two sides to every story, and
everybody that accomplishes anything for
himself or others gets industriously lied
about. Perhaps his bus misfortune
was not a punishment, but the fatherly,
discipline 20 prepare him tor heaven, ana
God may love him far more than He loves
you, who can pay dollar for dollar and are
put down in the commercial catalogue as
"Al." Whom the Lord loveth He gives
$4O0, GOO and lets die on embroidered pill
lows? No; whom the Lord loveth. He
chasteneth. Better keep your hand oil
the Lords razQrs lest they cut and wound
people that do not deserve it. IT you
want to shave of some of the bristling
pride of your own heart do SO, but be
very careful how you put the sharp edge
on others. How do dislike the behavior
of those persons who, when people are
unfortunate, say, II told you so; getting
punished; served him right" If those !
told you SOS got their desert they, would
long ago have been pitched over the bat
Elements. The mote in their neighbor
} eyes, so small that it takes microscope
to find it, gives them more trouble than
the beam which obscures their own optics
With air sometimes supercilious and some
times pharisaical and always blasphemou,,
| they take the razor of divine judgment anc
be and il ten hs bsoe so d S hefk AeTk Sn
sprawled out at full length under disaster
cutting mercilessly They begin by sof,
expressions of sympathy and pity, and
half praise and lather the victim all ove'
J before they put on tbs sharp edge.
, Let us be careful how we shoot at oth
ers, lest we take down the wrong @ one
remembering the servant of King. William
Rufus who shot at deer, but the arrow
glanced against tree and killed the king
Instead Of going out with shafts to pierce
and razors to cut, we had better initiate
, the friend of Richard Occur de Lion
Richard, in the war of the Crusades, wa
captured and imprisoned, but none OF hi
friends knew where, SO lis loyal frIent
went around the land from stronghold II
stronghold and sang at each window I
snatch of a song that Richard Occur d.
Lion had taught him in other days. AM
one day coming before Jail where b
, suspected his king might be incarcer
ated, he sang two lines of song and lmme
diately King Richard responded from n NJ
, cell with the other two lines, and 80 NJ
whereabouts were discovered, and 2 sue
cessfu movement was at once made 10
his liberation. So let US go up and dow
the world with the music of kind word
and sympathetic hearts, serenading tn
,, unfortunate and trying to get out Q
| x,.,,blo ,,,o- who bod nohlo natures. bu