Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1900-09-22


Ill ] westward through Europe, has
81 recently visited scenes of thrilling
historic events. He sends this sermon.
in which he shows that nations are judg-
ed 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 Assyria"
The Bible is the holdeSt book ever
written. There are no similitudeS in Us
sian or the Had or the Odyssey so dar-
ing. It's imagery sometimes seems ON the
verge of the reckless, but only seems so.
The fact is that God would startlc and
arouse aud propel men and nations. \
tame and Iimping similitude W0uld fan
to accomplish the object. 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 6ud the
iron chariot, the lightning the earth
quake, the spray, the sword and. in my
text, the razor. This keen hladcd instru-
ment 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 suggestive sym
boil David said Of Doeg. his antagonist
Thy tongue is a sharp razor working
deceitfuly'- is. it prctendS 10 clear
the face, but is really used for deadly in
cision
In this striking text this weapon Of the
toilet appears under the following cir
cumstances: ,Iudca needed to have some
or its properties cut off. and God sends
against it three AsSyrian kings hrSt
Sennacherih, then EsHrhaddon and after
ward Nehuchadnczzar. These three
sharp inyasions that cut down the glory
OF ,Iudea are compared to so many
sweeps of the razor across the face Of
the land And these devastatons We're
called a 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 spoils and annexations.
These kings were hired to execute the
divine behests And now the text, which
sn its first reading may have seemed triv-
ial or inapt is charged with momentous
import. I'm the same day shall the Lord
shave with a razor that is hired, namely,
| ny lheu DFSohu the river, ny thc Ming Va
Assyria"
Razors of Judgment.
Wen, il Gods judgments are razors,
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 reach them. Such instruments
must be carefully handled or not handled
at all. But how recklessly some people
WELD the judgments 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 INSCRIPTIONS or arrogant or over
reaching or misery. thought he would
get cut down What Il clean sweep Of
everything His city house and country
| house gone His stables cInptied OF all
the fine bays and sorrels and grays that
used to prance by his door. All his re-
sources overthrown and all that he prid-
ed himself on tumbled into demolition.
Good for him" Stop. my brother. Don't
sling around too freely the judgments or
God, fer they are ra20rs.
Some of the most wicked business men
ity, and some of the most honest and
conscientious are driven into bankruptcy
Perhaps the unsuccessful mans manner
was unfortunate, aud he was not really
as proud as he looked to be. Some Of
those who carry their heads erect and
look imperial are humble as a child. while
many man in seedy coat and SLOUGH hat
and unbacked shoes is as proud 4 I.uci-
e., ~
Perhaps he was not unscrupul0us in bus
mess, for there are two sides 10 every
story, and everybody that accomplshes
anything for himself or others gets in
dustriously lied about. Perhaps his bust
ness misfortune was not punishment.
but the fatherly discipline to prepare him
for heaven, and God may love him far
more than he loves You, who can pay dol
lar for dollar and are put down in the
commercial catalogues as Al. Whom the
Lord loveth he gives S4OO.ON and lets
die on embroidered pillows? No: whom
the Lord l0vcth he chaetencth. Better
keep your hands off the Lords razorS lest
they cut and wound people that do not
deserve it. II you want 10 shave off
some OF the bristlinc 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. IL those I-told you-so's got
their desert. they would long ago have
been pitched over the battlemcuts. The
mote in their neighbours eyes. 50 small
that II takes 4 microscope 10 find il.
gives them more trouble than the beam
which obscures their own optics. With
air sometimes superciious and sometimes
pharasaical and always blasphemGus
they take the razor Of divine judgment
and sharpen il on the hone Of their own
hard hearts and then 20 10 work on men
sprawled out at fU,l !"BGth under disas-
ter, cutting merciios>ly. They begin Ivy
soft expressions Of sympathy ana pity
and half praise and lather the victim all
over before they put or the sharp edge
Music Of Kind Words.
Let us be careful how we shoot at
others lest we take down the wrou. one.
remembering the servant Of King VII
liam Rufus. who shot AZ II deer. but he