The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1900-05-04
THE FIGHT ON SATAN
Dr.. Talmsge Says We Have Los,
Many Of the Weapons.
Warning TO the Christian Church
to Protect Itself Against the As
saults Of UnrighteousnCss
and Unbclief.
copyright. 1900. by Louis Klopschl
Nanf in rfor Tr.E 4

Washington Feb. 4.
In this discourse DR.. Taimage shows
how the cause of Righteousness has lost
many of its weapons and how they are
to be recaptured and put into effective
operation: text, l. Samuel xiii. 1921:
'NOw there is no smith found through
out all the land of Israel. for the Pbiiis-
tines said: Lest the Hebrews make
them swords or spears. But all the
Israeltes went down TO the Philistines.
10 sharpen every man his share. and
his coulter. and his AK, and his mat
took. Yet they had a file for the mat
took. and for the coulters. and for the
forks. and for tbs axes, and TO sharpen
the goads."
What a CALLING subjugation for the
Israelitesl The Phiistines had carried
off all the blacksmiths and torn down
all the b.acksmiths' shops and abol-
ished the blacksmiths' trade in the land
of Israel. The Philistines would not
even allow these parties to work their
valuable mines of brass and iron. nor
might they make any swords or spears.
There were only two swords left in
all the land. Yea. these PhiiisinCs went
on until they had taken all the grind
stones from the land of Israel. so that
if an lsraelitish farmer wanted TO
sharpen his piow or his AK he had to
90 over TO the garrison Of the Philis-
tines 10 get it done. There was only
one sharpening instrument left in the
land. and that was a file, the farmers
and mechanics having nothing to whet
up the coulter, and the goad, and the
pickax. save a single file. Industry was
hindered and work practically dis
graced. The great idea Of these Philis-
tines was to keep the Israeliies un-
armed They might get iron out Of
the hills 10 make swords of. but they
would not have any blacksmiths 10
weld this iron. If they got the iron
welded. they would have no griudstones
on which TO bring the instruments of
agriculture or the military weapons up
to an edge.
Oh, you poor, weaponless lsraehtes.
reduced to a file, how pity you! But
these Ph.listines were not forever 10
keep their heel on the neck Of God S
children. jonathan, on his hands and
knees. climbs up a great rock, beyond
which were the Phiiistines, and his ar
NOR bearer, on his hands and knees,
climbs up the same rock, and these two
men, with their own swords. hew TO
pieces the Philistines, the Lord throw
ing great terror upon them. So II
was then; 50 it is now. Two men Of
God on their knees mightier than a
Phiistine host on their feet!
l learn. first, from this subject, that
il is dangerous for the church Of God
10 allow its weapons to stay in the
hands Of its enemies. These lsraelites
might again and again have obtained
a supply of swords and weapons as,
for instance, when they took the spoils
of the AmmOuites, but these lsraelites
seemed content to have no swords,
no spears, no blacksmiths, no grind
stones. no active iron mines, undl 1t
was too late for them TO make any re-
sistance. see the farmers tugging
along with their pickaxes and piow,
nd l say: "Where are you going with
these things?" They say: "Oh, we
are going to the garrison Of the Phil
istines to get these things sharpened.
| say: "You foolish men, why don't
you sharpen them at home?' "Oh'
they say. "the blacksmiihs' shops are
all torn down, and we have nothing
eft US but file"
SO it is in the church of Jesus Christ
to-day. We are too willing TO give up
our weapons TO the enemy. The world
boasts that it has gobbled up the
schools and colleges and the arts and
the sciences and the literature and the
printing press. lnfdslity is making
mighty attempt to get all our weapons
in its hand, and then 10 keep them.
You know it is making this boast all
the time, and after awhile, when the
great battle between sin and righteous
ness has opened, if we do not look out
we will be as badly of as these Israel
ties. without any sharpening instru-
ments. l call upon the superintend-
ents of literary institutions TO see to