The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1901-05-24
TALMAGE's sERMAN.
Dr.. Talmage in a Timely Discourse,
& Dis ousses Spiritual Archery.

.
good fails through lack Of adroitnesa;
toxt, Genesis K, 8, "He was a mighty
hunter before tho Lord"
In our day hunting is sport, but in
tho lands and tho times infested Of
wild boasts it was matter of life or
death with tho people. It was very
different from going out on sunshiny
afternoon with patent broeohloador
to shoot rodbirds on the flats, whom
Pollux and Achilles and Diomodos
went out to scar the land Of lions and
panthers and bears Xonophon grow
eloquent in regard to the art Of hunt
ing. Ia tho far east people, elephant
mounted, chased the tigor. Francis 1
was called tho father Of bunting. And
4 Moses, in my text, sots forth Nimrod as
9 a hero, when it prosonts him with broad
shoulders and shaggy apparel and sun
Drowned faoo and arm bunobod with
muscle, "a mighty hunter before tho
Lord" / think he used tho bow and
the arrows with great SUCCESS practic.
ing archery.
I have thought if it is such grand
thing and suoh brave thing to olear
wild boasts out of a country if it is not
better and bravor thing to huut down
and destroy those great evils Of society
that are stalking the land with force
oyo and bloody paw and sharp tusk
and quick spring. have wondered if
4 there is not suoh thing as gospel aroh-
ory, by which those who have boon fly
ing from the truth may be captured for
God And heaven. The Lord Jesus in
his sermon usod tho art of angling for
an illustration whom no said, II will
make you fshors of mon" And 30 I
think have authority for using hunt
ing as an illustration Of gospel truth,
and pray. God that there may bo msny
q man enlisted in the work who shall
begin to study gospel archery Of whom
it may after awhile bo said, s'Ho was
mighty hunter before the Lord
How much awkward Christian wol k
there is done in tho worldI How many
& good people ther are who drive souls
4 away from Christ instead Of bringing
them to himi Ali their fingers arc
thumbs religious blunderers who 10.
Ny set moro than they right Their gun
5G has crooked barrel and kicks 81, it
off. They are like clumay com.
@% 3 fsde who goes along with skilsful hun
ters, AZ tho Very noment he ought to
3s3 be most quiet hois ofStkling an alder
n or falling over q log and frightening
4 Il away tho game. How few Christian
1f people have ever learned how tho Lord
~ esps Christ ct tho vel went from talk
hi ing about CUP, Of water to the most
u practical religious truths, which won
n tho woman'a soul for God jesus in
the wilderness was breaking bread to
tho people. ! think it was very good
bread 1t was very light bread, and
the yeast had done It's work thorough
~. Christ, after he had broken tho
bread, said to the people, 1Beware Of
the yeast or Of the leavon Of the Phari-
$685.. So natural q transition it was
and how easily they all understood him
But how few Christian people thero are
who understand how to faston the
truths Of God and religion to the souls
Of menl
The arohors Of olden time studied
theil art. They wero very precise in
the matter. The old books gave special
directions as to how an archer should
60 and aB to what an archer should do.
He must stand erect and firm, his loft
foot q little in advance of the right
foot. With his left hand no must take
8 hold Of the bow in the middle, and then
with the three fingers and the thumb
Of his right hand he should lay hold the
arrow and affix it to the string-so
precise was the direction given. But
how clumsy we are about religious
work How little akill and care We ex-
erciae! How often our arrows miss the
mark | am glad that there arc institu-
tions established in many cities Of our
land where mon may learn the art Of
doing good--studying spiritual archery
and become known as ''miehty hunte,a
before the LtrdI'' .@ @' d + 4
In the frs. place, If you want to bo
effeotual in doing good you must be
4 yeiy sure of your weapon. There was
something very fascinating about tho
archory Of olden times. Perhaps you
DO not know what thoy GOULD do with
the bow and arrow. Why, tho chief
battles fought by tho English Planta-
genets wore with the longbow. They
would take tho arrow Of polished wood
& and feather it with tho plume Of bird,
and then it would fly from the bow
string Of plated silk. The bloody folds
Of Agincourt and Solway Moss and
Neville's Gross heard the loud thrum
OF tho archer's bowstring. Now, my
Christian friends, wo have mightier
.weapon than that. It 10 the arrow Of
the gospel; it Is a sharp arrow;it is a
straight arrow; it is feathered from the
wing Of the dove of Gods spirit; it lies
from a bow mado out Of tho wood Of tho
GROSS. As far as I can estimate or cal.
Youlate, 1t has brought down 400. 600, 600
Of souls. Paul know how to bring tho
II notch Of that arrow on to the bowstring,
and its whir was hoard through the
Oorinthian theaters and through tho
courtroom until tho knoes Of Felix
knocked together. It was that arrow
that struck in Luthor'e heart when ho
Dried out: son, my Gina! Oh, nv
einBi II 1t ptriko d man In tho head.
it kills his skeptioiam; if It strike him
in the heel, it will turn his stop; IL It
strike him in the heart, no throws up
his hands, as did ono Of Old when
wounded ii tho battlo, crying, 20
Galilesn, thou hast .conqti erodl'
In tho armcry Of, the Earl Of Pom.
broke thore are 9ofd oorsolots which
show that the, arrow Of the English usod
to 60 through tho breastplato, through