The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1900-09-22
ARE SWIFT AND SURE
Gods Judgments Are Like Sharp
Razors, Says DR.. Talmage.
xationa Of the World Are Either Pun
ished or Rewarded-Au Calami-
ties Are Directed By Di-
vine Wisdom.
copyright, 1900, by Louis Klopsch.
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ward through Europe, has recently Wis
tied scenes of thrilling historic events
He sends this sermon, in which he
shows that nations are judged in this
world and that God rewards them fol-
their virtues and Furnishes them fol-
their crimes. The text is Isaiah z
20: "In the same day shall the Lord
shave with a razor that is hired, name.
", by them beyond the river, by the
king of Assyria."
The Bible is the boldest book ever
written. There are no similitudes in
Ossian or the Had or the Odyssey sc
daring. Its imagery sometimes seems
on the verge of reckless, but only
seems so. The fact is that God would
s%tartle and arouse and propel men and
nations. A tame and limping simili-
tude would fail to accomplish the OBJ
feet. While there are times when He
employs in the Bible the gentle dew
and the morning cloud and the dove
and the daybreak in the presentation
Of truth, we often find the iron char
lot, the lightning, the earthquake, the
spray, the sword and, in my text, the
razor. This k~een-bladed instrument
has advanced in usefulness with the
ages. In Bible times and lands the
beard remained uncut save in the sea
sons of mourning and humiliation, but
the razor was always a suggestive SYM
Dol. David said Of Doeg, his antagon.
list: "Thy tongue is a sharp razor work
ing deceitfully"-that IL, it p~retends
to clear the face, but Is really used
for deadly incision.
In this striking text this weapon OF
the toilet appears under the follow
ing circumstances: Judea needed to
have some of its properties cut off,
and God sends against it three Assyrian
kings-first Sennacherib, then Esar-
haddon and afterward Nebuchadnez-
Ear. These three sharp invasions that
cut down the glory of Judea are com
pared to so many sweeps of the razor
cross the face of the land. And these
~devastations were called a hired ra.
zor because God took the kings of AS
syria, with whom He had no sympathy,
to do the work, and paid them in pal.
aces and spoils and annexations. These
kings were hired to execute the Di-
vine behests. And now the text, which
on its first reading may have seemed
trivial or inapt, is charged with mo-
mentous import: "In the same day
shall the Lord shave with a razor that
is hired, namely, by them beyond the
river, by kings of Assyria."
We'll 70 Codsv i,duroar4e - -.
zors, 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 oil
children may not reach them. Such
instruments must be carefully handled
or not handled at all. But how reck
lessly some people WELD the judgment
of God! If a man meets with bust
ness misfortune, how many there ar,
ready to cry out: THAT is a judgmen'
of God upon him because he was un
scrupulous or arrogant or overreach
ing or misery. I thought he would
get cut down What a clean sweeJ
of everything! His city house ant
country house gone. His stables emp
tied of all the fine bays and sorrels ant
grays that used to prance by his door
All his overthrow and al
that he prided himself on tumb,ed int,
demolition. Good for him!" Stop, m,
brother. Don't sling around too free
ly the judgments of God, for they ar,
razors.
Some of the most wicked bushes
men succeed, and they live and di
In prosperity, and some of the mos
honest and conscientious are driver
into bankruptcy. Perhaps the unsuc
cessful mans manner was unfortu
nate, and he was not really as prou,
as he looked to be. Some of thos
who carry their heads erect and loo
imperial are humble as a child, Will
many a man in seedy coat and sloucl
hat and unblacked shoes is as
as Lucifer. You cannot tell by
mans look. Perhaps he was not mn
scrupulous in business, for there ar
two sides to every story, and every
body that a~ccomplishes anything 70
himself or others gets industriousl
lied about. Perhaps his business mis-
fortune was not a punishment, bu
the fatherly discipline to prepare hir
for Heaven, and God may love hir
far more than He loves you, who ca,
pay dollar for dollar and are pu
down in the commercial catalogue
as Al. Whom the Lord loveth II
gives s4oo,ooo and let's die on embroid
cred pillows? No; whom the Lor
loveth He chasteneth. Better kee
your hand off the Lords z les
they cut and wound people that d
not deserve it. If you want to shaw
off some of the bristling pride Of You
own heart, do SO, but be very carefr
how you put the sharp edge on otl
ers. How I do dislike the behayio
of those persons who when peop,
are unfortunate say: 81 told you So
getting punished-served him right!
If those I-told-you-so's got thei
desert they would long ago have bec
pitched over the battlements. Tn
mote in their neighbours eyes, 4
small that IL takes a microscope I
find it, gives them more trouble tina
the beam which obscures THAR 80,