The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1901-02-27
DIR, TALMAGES SERMON
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE 6YTHE NOTED
DIVINE.
Subject: Speak For the Richt-Dlabolical
Agencies Actiye-Silence Is Not Gold
en- While There Are Evils - Be Ready
When Christianity is Assailed.
Copyright lsOl.l

When ChrlStlanlty Is AsSalicu.
Copyright lsOI.l
WASHINGTON, ID. C.-In this discourse
DR.. Talmage calls for a more demonstra-
tive religion and hearty speaking out
Marx thE x t5A 95 hos fos DUMB snd ea p
I charge thee, come out of him.
Here was a case of great domestic an
guish The son of the household was pos
sessed of an evil spirit, which among other
things paralyzed his tongue and made him
speechless. When the influence was on
the patient he could not say a word-.ar-
ticulation was impossible. The spirit that
captured this member Of the household
was dumb spirit-so called by. Christ-a
spirit abroad to-day and as lively and po-
tent as in New Testament times. Yet, in
all the realms Of sermonology | cannot
find a discourse concerning this devil
which Christ charged upon in my text,
saying, "Come out of him."
There has been much destructive super
stition abroad in the world concerning
possession Of evil spirits. Under the form
Of belief in witchcraft this delusion swept
the continents. Persons were supposed to
be possessed with some evil spirit which
made them able to destroy others. In the
sixteenth century in Geneva 1900 persons
were burned to death as witches. Under
one judge, in Lorraine. 900 persons We're
burned to death as witches. In one neigh
borhood of France 1000 persons were
burned. In two centuries 200; 900 persons
were slain as witches. So mighty was the
delusion that it included among its vic,
tins some of the greatest 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 Benjamin Franklin
said shaped his life-and Richard Baxter
and Archbishop Cranmer and Martin
Luther, and among writers and philoso-
pliers Lord Bacon. That belief which has
become the laughing stock. of all sensible
people counted its disciples among the
wisest and, best people Of Sweden, Ger
England But while we reject witchcraft,
any man who believes the Bible must be-
lieve that there are diabolical agencies
abroad in the world. While there are
rninistering spirits to bless there are in
fernal spirits to hinder, to poison and to
destroy Christ was speaking to a spirit
ual existence when standing before the
afflicted one of the text He said, 'tThou
dumb and deaf spirit, come out of him"
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 or
gans have had the golden gates of speech
bolted and barred. Among those who
have never spoken word are the most
gracious and lovely and talented souls
that were ever iucarnated. The chaplains
of the asylums for the dumb can tell you
enchanting stories of those who never
child, and many Of the most devout and
prayerful souls will never in this world
speak the name of God or Christ.
Many deaf mute have seen with the
angel Of intelligence seated at the window
of the eye, who never came forth from the
door of the mouth. What miracle of
loveliness and knowledge was Laura Bridg-
man, of New Hampshire, not only without
faculty of speech, but without hearing
and without sight, all these faculties re.
moved by sickness when two years OF, age,
yet becoming wonder at needlework, at
the piano, at the sewing machine and an
confounding philosophers who came from
all parts of the world to study the phe-
nomenon. Thanks to Christianity for
what it has done for the amelioration of
the condition of the deaf and the dumb.
Back in the ages they were put to death
as having no right, with such .paucity OF
equipment, to live, md Or centuries they
were classed among the :diotic and unsafe.
But in the sixteenth century came Pedro
enteenth century came Juan Pablo Bonet,
another Spanish monk, with dactylology,
or the finger alphabet. and in our own
century we have had John Braidwood and
Drs. Mitchell and Ackerly and Peet ard
Gallaudet, who have given to uncounted
thousands Of those whose tongues were
forever silent the power to spell out on
the air by q manual alphabet their
thoughts about this world and their hopes
for the next. We rejoice in the brilliant
inventions in behalf of those who were
born dumb.
One of the most impressive audiences I
ever addressed was in the Far West, an
audience of about 600 persons, who had
never heard sound or spoken a word, an
interpreter standing beside me while I
addressed them. 1 congratulated that au-
the most of us-the one that they escaped
hearing a great many disagreeable things
and on the other fact that they escaped
saying things they were sorry for after
ward.
Yet after all the alleviations OF
shackled tongue is an appalling limitation
But we are not this morning speaking of
congenial mutes. We mean those who are
born with all the faculties of vocaiization
and yet have been struck. by the evil one
mentioned in the text-the. dumb devil
'.Thou dumb and deaf spirit, 1 charge.
thee, come out of him."
There has been apotheosization of 81.
lence. Some one has said silence is gold
en-, and sometimes the greatest triumph
is to keep Your mouth shut. But some
times silence is a crime, and the direct
result of the balcful nfuence of the dumb
devil of our text. There is hardly a man
or woman who has no, not been present a,!.; on
became target for railery. Perhaps it
was over in the store some day when there
was not much going on and the clerks
were 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 rest
ing, or it was in the clubroom. or it was
in a social circle, or it wa in the street on
the way home from business, or it was on
some occasion. which you remember with
laugh on the Bible and caricatured the
profession of religion 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? Mcdesty?
No. Incapacity to answer? No. Lack of
opportunity? No. 1t was blow on both
your lips by the wing of the dumb devil.
If some one should malign your father or
mOCner OF wire or nuSDdnQ OF cnllQ. 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 80 much for the world that it will
take all eternity to celebrate it, and yet
when it was attacked you did not so much
rs say: 'I differ. I object. I am sorry to
hear you say that. There is another side
to this" You Christian people ought in
such times as these go armed, not with
earthly weapons, but with the sword of
the Spirit. You ought to have four or five