Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1901-05-18

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| WASHINGTON, May 12.-In this dis.
course DR.. Talmage urges all Christian
workers to increased fidelity and
shows how much effort at doing good
fails through lack Of adroltness; text,
Genesis Z, 0, "He was mighty hunter
before the Lord"
| In our day hunting ls sport, but In
the lands and the times infested Of
wild beasts 1t was a matter OF life or
death with the people. 1t was very
different from going out on sunshlny
I afternoon with patent breechloader
to shoot reedblrds on the flats when
Pollux and Achilles and Diomedes
went out to clear the land OF lions and
panthers and bears. Xenophon grew
eloquent In regard to the art Of hunt
Ing. In the far east people, elephant
mounted, chased the tiger. Francis
was called the father of hunting And
Moses, In my text, sets forth Nimrod
as a hero when it presents him with
broad shoulders and shaggy apparel
and sun Drowned face and arm bunch
ed with muscle-"a mighty hunter be-
fore the Lord" think he used the
bow and the arrows with great sue
cess practicing archery.
l have thought II it is such a grand
thing and such brave thing to clear
wild beasts out Of a country If It Is
not better and braver thing to hunt
down and destroy those great evils Of
society that are stalking the land with
fierce eye and bloody paw and sharp
tusk and quick spring. l have won
dered II there Is not such a thing as
gospel archery, by which those who
have been flying from the truth may
be captured for God and heaven. The
Lord Jesus In his sermon used the art
of angling for an Illustration when he
said, II will make you fishers of men,"
And so l think l have authority for
using hunting rs an Illustration Of gos-
pei truth, and I pray God that there
may be many man enlisted In the
work who shall begin to study gospel
archery, Of whom 1t may, after awhile,
be said, ''He was mighty hunter be-
fore the Lord"
Religious Blunderers.
How much awkward Christian work
there Is done In the world! How many
good people there are who drive souls
away from Christ instead Of bringing
them to him! All their fingers are
thumbs-relglous blunderers who up
set more than they right. Their gun
has a crooked barrel and kicks as 1t
goes of. They are like clumsy CON-
rade who goes along with skillful hunt |
ers. At the very moment he ought to
be most quiet he is cracking an alder
or falling over log and frightening |
away the game. How few Christian |
people have ever learned how the Lord |
Jesus Christ at the well went from |
talking about a cup Of water to the
most practical religious truths, which |
won the woman's soul for Godl Jesus !
in the wilderness was breaking bread |
to the people. think 1t was very good |
bread. 1t was very light bread, and
the yeast had done its work thoroughly.
Christ, after he had broken the bread,
said to the people, Beware Of the
yeast or of the leaven of the Phari-
and how easily they all understood
himl But how few Christian people
there are who understand how to fas-
ten the truths of God and religion to
the souls Of men!
The archers Of olden time studied
their art. They were very precise in
the matter. The old books gave spe-
cial directions as to how an archer
should 90 and az TO what an archer
should DO. he must stand erect and
firm, his left foot a little In advance
Of the right foot With his left hand
be must take hold Of the bow In the
middle, and then with the three fin
gers and the thumb of his right hand
be should lay hold the arrow and afiix
It to the string, so precise was the di-
rection given. But how clumsy we are
about religious work! How little skill
and care we exercise! How often our
there are institutions established in
many of the cities Of our land where
men may learn the art Of doing good
spiritual archery and become
known as mighty hunters before the
Lord"
The Gospel Arrow.
In the first place, if you want to be
,ffectual In doing good you must be
very sure of your weapon. There was
very fascinating about the
archery of olden times. Perhaps you
10 not know what they could do with
he bow and arrow. Why, the chief
'attles fought by the English Plan
agenets were with the longbow. They
would take the arrow of polished ! ,
wood and feather 1t with the plume OF
| bird, and then 1t would fly from the
'owstring Of plated silk. The bloody
ields Of Agincourt and Solway Moss
md Neville's Cross heard the loud ,
hrum Of the archers bowstrlng. Now.
ny Christian friends. we have a
nightier. weapon than that. 1t Is the :
rrow OF the gospel. 1t Is a sharp !
rrow; 1t Is straight arrow; 1t Is
from the wing Of the dove
4 Gods Spirit; IT dies from a bow
made out Of the wood Of the cross.
Is far as can estimate or calculate. 1t
as brought down 400,000.000 of souls.
'aul knew how to bring the notch Of
hat arrow on to the bowstring. and its