The Iola register., 1901-02-15
A SILENT RELIGION.
DR.. Talmage Sets Forth Its Evils
in His Sermon.
Duty OF Christians to Speak out
Heartily on the side OF Right
eousness-Cnsting Out the
Dumb Spirit.
Copyright, 1901, by Louis klopsch, N. "
Washington, Feb TO-

In this discourse DR.. Talmage calls
for more demonstatiye religion and
hearty speaking out on the right side
of everything; text, Mark 0:25: Thou
dumb and. deaf spirit, l charge thee,
come out of him"
Here was a 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 word-articulation was
impossible. The spirit that captured
this member of the household was a
dumb spirit--so called by Christ--a
spirit abroad to-day and as lively and
potent as in the New Testament times.
Yet in all the realms of sermondom l
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
perstition abroad in the world concern
ing possession by evil spirits. Under
the form of belief in witchcraft, this de-
iusion swept the continents. Persons
were supposed to be possessed with
some evil spirit, which made them able
to destroy others. In the sixteenth cen
tury in Geneva 1,500 persons were
burned to death as witches. In one
neigh borhood of France 1000 persons
were burned. In two centuries 100000
persons were slain as witches. So
mighty was the delusion that it 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, Ben jamin 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 sen
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-
leves the Bible must believe that there
are diabolcal agencies abroad in the
spirits to bless there are internal spirits
TO hinder, to poison and to destroy.
Christ was speaking to a spiritual ex-
istence when, standing before the af-
fiicted one of the text, he said: Thou
dumb and deaf spirit, come out of him"
Against this dumb devil of the text I
put you on your guard Do not think
that this agent of evil has put his blight
on those who, by omission of the vocal
organs, have had the golden gates of
speech boted and barred. Among
those who have never spoken a word
are the most gracious and lovely and
talented souls that were ever incarnat-
ed. The chaplains of the asylums for
the dumb can tel you enchanting
stories Of those who never called the
name of father or mother or chil6, and
many of the most devout and pruyerful
souls will never in this world speak the
name of God or Christ.
There has been apotheosization Of ST.
lence. Some one has said silence is
golden, and sometimes the greatest tri-
umph is to keep your mouth shut. But
some etimes 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 a target
for rai.lery. Perhaps it was over in
the store soma day when there was not
much going on, and the clerks We're in
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-
member 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 some thing 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..
Jncapacity to answer? No. Lack of
opportunity? No. 1t was a blow on
both your lips by the wing of the dumb
devil If 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
for the world that it will take all eter~
nifty to celebrate it, and yet when it was
attacked you did not so much as say:
VI differ. ! object. ] am sorry to hear
you say that. There is another side
to this" You Christian people ought
In such times as these to go armed, not
with earthly weapons, but with the
sword of the spirit, You ought to have
four or five questions with which You
could confound any man who attacks
Christianity. \ man 30 years old was
telling me how he put to flight a scotfer.
My aged friend said to the skeptic
''Did you ever read the history of
Joseph in the Bib.e?' Yes" said the
man, sit is fine story, and as interest
suu etorv as | ever rpn1 ~ 'Npll