The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1901-02-16
A SILENT RELIGION.
DR.. Talmage Sets Forth Its Evils
In His Sermon.
Duty OF Christians TO Speak Out
Heartily on the side Of Right
commemorative Out the
Dumb Spirit.
copyright. 1901. by Louis Klopsch. N. 70
Washington. Feb. 10.

copyright. 1901. by Louis Klopsch. N. ~
Washington. Feb. TO-
In this discourse DR.. Talmage calls
for a more demonstative religion and q
hearty speaking out on the right side
Of everything; text, Mark 9:25: Thou
dumb and deaf spirit, l charge thee
come out of him."
Here was case of great domestic
anguish. The son of the household was
possessed of an evil spirit, which,
among other things, paralyzed his
tongue and madehim speechless. When
the influence was ON the patient, he
| could not say a word-articulation was
impossible. The spirit that captured
this member of the household was a
dumb spirit-so called by Christ
spirit abroad to-day and as lively and
potent as In the New Testament times.
Yet in all the realms of sermondom /
cannot find discourse concerning this
dumb devil which Christ charged up
on in my text, saying: "Come out of
him."
There has been much destructive SUI
ing possession by evil spirits. Under
the form of belief in witchcraft, thisde-
fusion swept the continents. Persons
were supposed to be possessed with
some evil spirit, which made them able,
to destroy others. In the sixteenth cent
fury in Geneva 1900 persons were
burned to death as witches. In one
neighborhood of France 1000 persons
were burned. In two centuries 100000
persons were slain as witches. So
mighty was the delusion that 1t includ-
ed among its victims some of the great
est intellects of all time, such as Chief
Justice Matthew Hale and Sir Edward
Coke, and such renowned ministers of
religion as Cotton Mather, one of whose
books, Benjamin Franklin said, shaped
his life-and Richard Baxter, and Arch
bishop Cranner and Martin Luther;
and. among writers and philosophers,
Lord Bacon. That belief, which has
become the laughing stock of all sem
sible people, counted its disciples
among the wisest and best people of
Sweden, Germany, England, France,
Spain and New England But while we
reject witchcraft. any man who be-
lieves the Bible must believe that there
are diabolical agencies abroad in the
world. While there are ministering
spirits to bless there are internal spirits
to hinder, to poison and to destroy.
Christ was speaking to spiritual ex-
ficted one of the text, he said: Thou
dumb and deaf spirit, come out of him."
Against this dumb devil of the text
put you on your guard. Do not think |
thatthis agent Of evil has put his blight,
on those. who, by omission of the vocal
organs, have had the golden gates of
speech bolted and barred. Among
those who have never spofen-a word
are the most gracious and lovely and
ed. The chaplains of the asylums for
the dumb can tell you enchanting
stories of those who never called the
name OF father or mother or child, and |
many of the most devout and prayerful |
souls will never in this world speak the
name of God or Christ.
There has been apotheosization of si-
lence. Some one has said silence is
golden, and sonnet times the greatest tri- |
umph is to keep your mouth shut. But
silence is a crime and the |
direct result of the baleful influence of |
the dumb devil of our text. There is |
hardly a man or woman who has not.
been present on some occasion when |
the Christian religion became target
for raillery. Perhaps it was over in
the store some day when there was not
much going on, and the clerks were in a
group, or it was in the factory at the
noon spell, or it was out on. the farm
under the trees while you were resting,
or it was in the clubroom, or it was
in social circle, or it was in the street
on the way home from business, or it
was on some occasion which you re-
without my describing it.
Some one got the laugh on the Bible
and caricatured the profession of re-
ligion as hypocrisy, or made pun, out
Of something that Christ said. The
laugh started, and you joined in, and
not one word of protest did you utter.
What kept you silent? Modesty? No
to answer? No. Lack Of
opportunity? No. 1t was blow on
both your lips by the wing of the dumb
devil. II some one should malign your
father or mother or wife or husband
Or child, you would flush up quick and
either with an indignant word or
doubled up fist make response. And
yet here is our Christian religion which
has done so much for you and so much
'or the world that twill take all eter.
,ity to celebrate it, and yet when II was
attacked you did not so much as say:
I differ. l object. ! am sorry to hear
you say that. There is another side
o this" You Christian people ought
n such times as these to go armed, not
With earthly weapons, but with the
word of the spirit. You ought to have
our or five questions with which you
could confound any man who attacks
A man 30 years old was
elling me how he put to fight a scoffer.
Ny aged friend said to the skeptic:
Did you ever read the history Of ,
Joseph in the Bible?" EYES," said the
nan, sit is fine story, and as interest ,
ng story as / ever read" swell, /
Iow," said my old friend, suppose that
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