The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1901-02-15


for a more demonstative religion and
hearty speaking out on the right side
of everything; text. Mark 1925; Thou
dumb and. deaf spirit. 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 speeches.. When
the influence was on the patient, ne
could not say a woro-articulauon was
impossible. The spirit that captured
this member of the household was a
dumb spirit-so called by Christi
spirit abroad to-day and as lively and
potent as in the New Testament times
Yet in all the realms OF sermondom
cannot find a discourse concerning this
dumb devil which Christ charged up
on in my text, saying: Come out OF
him"
There has been much destructive SUI
psrstition abroad in the world concern
iuS possession by evil spirits. Under
ths form of belief in witchcraft. this de-
fusion swept the continents. Persons
were supposed TO be possessed with
some evil spirit, which made them able
TO destroy others. In the sixteenth cen
fury in Geneva $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 il includ-
&c 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 a Cotton Mather, one of whose
books. Ben iamin 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
slbie 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 6iabolical agencies abroad in the
world. While there are miuistering
spirits to bless there are in fernal spirits
TO hinder, 10 poison and TO destroy.
Christ was speaking TO a spiritual ex-
istence when. standing before the af-
flicted 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
that this agent of evil has put his blight
OF those who. by omission of the vocal
organs, have had the golden gates of
speech bolted 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 child, and
many of the most devout and prayerful
sse-;ls will never in this world speak the
n ne of God or Christ.
There has been apotheosization Of ST.
lsace. Some one has said silence is
& den, and sometimes the greatest tri-
U:nph is to keep your mouth shut. But
sometimes silence is crime and the
direct result of the baleful influence of
the dumb devil of our text. There i
hardly man or woman who has not
been present on some occasion when
the Christian religion became a 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
y in he So
noon spell, or it was out on the farm
under the trees while you were resting,
or il was in the clubroom, or il was
IL a social circle, or il was in the street
on the way home from business, or ii
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 something that Christ said. The
laugh started. and you joined in, and
not one word of protest did you utter.
What kept you silent? MoGesty? No.
Incapacity to answer? No. Lack of
opportunity? No. It.was 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:
81 differ. l 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
Chrss:jan:ty. A mau 90 years old was
telling me how he put to fight scoffer.
Ny aged friend said to the skeptc:
did you ever read the history of
Joseph in the Bible?" YES" said the
man, lit is a fine story. and as interest
ing a story as | ever read" well,
now" said my old friend. suppose that
account of Joseph stopped half way
On said the man. then it would not
be entertaining" well. now" saiu my
FREUD. I'VE have in this word only half