The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1901-06-15
TALAAGE SERMON.
'vHoV's DISCOURSE Dy rnt AXE D.
VIM

Subject: Influences Once Hostile Nov
Friendly to Christ-Weapons Former
ly Used Against tho Lords Armie
Captured and Put to His Service.
copyright 1901
WASHINGTON, d. C.-In this discours
DIR. Ialmage calls the roll of influence
once antagonistlc but now friendly to tn
gospel and encourages Christian workers
text, l Samuel xxi, 9, There il none lik,
that; give it me-"
David fed from his pursuers. The world
runs very fast when it is chas: 1g a goot
man. The country is trying to catch DaviC
and to slay him. David goes into the
house of priest and asks him for a sword
or spear with which to defend himself
ihe priest, not being accustomed to use
deadly weapons, tells David that he can
not supply him. but suddenly the priest
thinks of an old sword that had been care.
fully wrapped up and laid away-the very
sword that Goliath formerly used-and
he takes down that sword, and while he is
unwrapping the sharp, glittering, memoir
able blade it flashes upon Davi6's mind
that this is the very sword that was used
against himself when he was in the tight
with Goliath, and David can hardly keep
his hand off it until the priest has I'M
wound it. David stretches out his hand
toward that old sword and says, There
is none like that; give it me'-in other
words, Il want in my own hand the
sword winch has been used against me and
against the cause Of Cod" So it was
given him. Well. my friends, that is not
the first or the last sword once used by
giant and Philistine iniquity which is to
come into the possession of Jesus Christ
and of His glorious church. / want, as well
as God may help me, to show you that
many weapon which has been used
against the armies of God is yet to be cap
tured and used on our side and only imi-
tate David when l stretch out my hand
toward that blade of the Philistine and
cry, "There is none like that; give it me-"
l remark, first, that this is true in regard
to all scientific exploration. You know
that the first discoveries in astronomy and
geology and chronology were used to battle
Christianity. Worldly philosophy came out
of its laboratory and out of its observatory
and said, Now we will prove, by the very
structure of the earth and by the move
ment of the heavenly bodies, that the
Bible is lie, and that Christianity, as we
have it among men, is positive imposi-
ton" Good men trembled. The telescope,
the Leyden jars, the electric batteries, all
in the hands of the Philistines. But one
day Christianity, looking about for some
weapon with which to defend itself, hap
pened to see the very old sword that these
atheistic Philistines had been using against
the truth and cried ont, There is none
and Galilel and Kepler and Isaac Newton
and Herschel and O. NJ. Mitchell came
forth and told the world that in their
Of the earth and heavens they
found overwhelming presence of the God
whom we worship, and this old Bible be-
gan to shake itself from the Koran and
Shaster and Zendavesta, with which it had
been covered up, and lay on the desk of
the scholar and in the laboratory of the
chemist and in the lap Of the Christian I'M
harmed and unanswered, while the tower
Of the midnight heavens struck silvery
chime in its praise.
Worldly philosophy said, "All that story
about the light turned as clay to the seal
philosophy said, 'The light comes straight
Christian philosophy says, "Wait little
while" And it goes on and makes discov-
cries and finds that the atmosphere curves
and bends the rays of light around the
earth literally cas- the clay to the SEAL"
The Bible right again; worldly philosophy
wrong again. "Ah," says worldly philoso-
ply, "all that allusion to Job about the
of the earth is simply an alb
surdity. Where vast thou says God,
when set the foundations of the earth?'
philosophy comes and finds that the word
is translated foundations" may be better
translated sockets" So now we see how
t will read if it is translated right. |
Where vast thou when l set the sockets |
# the. earth?" Where is the socket? 1t |
. the hollow of Gods hand-a socket large |
enough for any world to turn in.
Worldly philosophy said: what an alb |
Iurd story about Joshua making the sun |
Ind moon stand still. If the world had |
topped an instant, the whole universe
would have been out Of gear" "stop,"
aid Christian philosophy, mot quite SO
luick!" The world has two motions-one
N its own axis and the other around the |
un. It was not necessary, in making them |
tand still, that both motions should be |
the one turning the world |
n its own axis. There was no reason why |
he hating of the earth should have Jared
nd disarranged the whole universe.
Joshua right and God right; infdelity
wrong every time. knew it would be
wrong.
I thank God that the time has come
vhen Christians need not be scared at any
cientifc exploration. The fact is that re-
igion and science have struck hands in
tSIHdl friendship, anu Ine ueepeI uo"H |
eology can dig the higher up astronomy
an soar all the better for us.
The armies of the Lord Jesus Christ
ave stormed the observatories of the
7orld's science, and from the highest tow
rs have flung out the banner of the cross
nd Christianity now, from the observator-
Is at Albany and Washington, stretches
ut its hand toward the opposing scien-
i6c weapon, crying, There is none like
hat; give it mel"
I was reading of Herschel, who was
boxing at meteor through a telescope,
nd when it came over the face of the tel
scope it was SO powerful he had to avert
is eyes. And it has been just so that
lany an astronomer has gone into an OBJ
,rvatory and looked up into the midnight
eavens, and the Lord God has, through
ome swinging world, famed upon his
ision, and the learned man cried out:
Who am /? Undone! Unclean! Have
lercy, Lord God!"
Again, remark, that the travelling dis
osition of the world, which was adverse
} morals and religion, is to be brought on
ur side. The man that went down to
ericho and fell amid thieves was a type
great many travellers. There is many
man who is very honest at home who
hen he is abroad has his honor filched
i'd his good habits stolen. There are but
Fry few men who can stand the stress of
1 expedition. Six weeks at a watering
ace have ruined many a man. In the
den times God forbade the travelling of
en- for the purposes of trade because of
le corrupting influences attending it. A
,od many men now cannot stand the
ansition from one place to another.