Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1900-09-22

Judgments TO the Swift sweep of a
Raror-NationsI Sins Cali Dorn the
Lords Wrath.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 16.-Dr. Talmage,
in his Journey westward through Eu-
rope, has recently visited scenes of
thrilling historic events. He sends this
sermon, In which he shows that ma
tions are judged In this world and that
God rewards them for their virtues
and Furnishes them for their crimes.
The text is Isaiah vii, 20, "In the same
day shall the Lord shave with razor
that is hired, namely, by them beyond
the river, by the king Of Assyrla."
The Bible Is the boldest book ever
written. There are no similltudes 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
startle and arouse and propel men and
nations. A tame and limping simili-
tude would fall to accomplish the OBJ
1ect. 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 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 sea-
sons Of mourning and humiliation, but
the razor was always a suggestive
symbol. David said Of Doeg. his an
tagonlst, "Thy tongue is sharp razor
working deceltfully"-that Is, II pre-
tends to clear the face. but Is really
used for deadly incislon.
In this striking text this weapon OF
the toilet appears under the following
circumstances: Judea needed to have
some of Its properties cut Off, and God
sends against II three Assyrlan kings
first Sennacherib. then Esarhaddon
and afterward Nebuchadnezzar. These
three sharp invasions. that cut down
the glory Of Judea. are compared to so
many sweeps of the razor across tho
face of the land. And these deyasta-
tlons were called hired razor because
God took the kings Of Assyria. with
whom he had no sympathy. to do the
work and paid them In palaces and
spolls and annexations. These kings
were hired to execute the divine be-
hests. And now the text, which on Its
first reading may have seemed trivial
or lnapt. Is charged with momentous
import. "In the same day shall the
Lord shave with a razor that Is hired,
namely. by them beyond the river, by
the king Of .lssyria."
Well. if Gods judgments are razors,
we had better be careful how we use
them on other people. In careful
sheath these domestic weapons are pnt
away, where no one by accident may
touch them and where the hands OF
children may not reach them. Such
instruments must be carefully handled
or not handled at all. But how reck-
lessly some people WELD the judg-
ments Of God! III man meets with
business misfortune. how many there
are ready to cry out: THAT Is n judg-
ment Of God upon him because he was
unscrupulous or arrogant or overreach-
ing or mlserly. | thought he would
get cut down! What a clean sweep OF
everything! His city house and coun-
try 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 him self on tumbled into
demolition. Good for him" Stop, my
brother. Don't sling around too freely
the judgments Of God. for they are ra-
Zors.