Virginia gazette. [volume] (Williamsburg, Va.) 1893-192?, 1901-06-01
SPIRITUAL WORKERS
DR.. Talmage Uses Hunting as al
Illustration of Gospel Truth.
Urges All Christian Workers 40 fu-
creased Fidelity and Tells How
Much Effort ne Doing
Good Fails

all Christian workers 10 increased
fidelity and shows how much effort "a
doing good fails through lack OF
adroitness: text, Genesis. 1859: lie
was a mighty hunter before the Lord.
In our day hunting is sport. but In
the lands and the times infested OF
wild beasts IL was matter Of life OF
death with the people. IL was very oit-
ferent from going out on a s0nshiny
afternoon with a patent bTeeehioaueF
70 shoot reed birds on the Hats. Wheh +
POuuX and Achilles and Diomedes !
went out TO clear the land Of lions ana
panthers and bears. Nenophon grew I
eloquent in regard 20 the art OF hun'- /
ing. In the far east people, elephant
mounted. chased the tiger. Francis 1.
was called the father OF hunting And
Moses. in my text. sets forth Nimroo
as hero, when il presents him with
broad shoulders and shaggy apparel
and sun Drowned face and arm
punched with muscle. "a mighty hunt
CT before the Lord l think he used
the bow and the arrows with great
success practicing archery.
have thought If II is such grand
thing and such a brave thing TO clear
wild beasts out OF country II 1t Is not
a better and a drawer thing 60 hunt
down and destroy those great evils OF
society that are stalking the land with
fierce eve and bloody paw and sharp
tusk and quick spring. 1 have won
dcred If there Is not such thing as
| Gospel archery. by which those who
! have been flying from truth may be
/ captured Tor God and Heaven The
/ Lord Jesus in His sermon used the art
| OF angling FOR an Illustration when He
said: Il viii make you fishers of
/ men" And 50 think 1 have authority
for using hunting As an illustration OF
! Gospel truth. and I pray God that
there may be many n man enlisted in
the work who shall begin 90 study
/ Gospel archery. OF whom IL may after
/ awhile be said: "He was a mighty
| hunter before the Lord"
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-religious blunderers who up
set more than they right. Their gun
has crooked barrel and kicks as IL
goes OF. They are like a clumsy COM
rade who goes along with skiliful
hunters. Al the very moment he
ought 20 Zoe most quiet lac. Is cracking
an alder or falling over log and
! frightening away the game. How few
| Christian people have ever learned
/ how the Lord .Ie sus Christ az the well
went from talking about cupful of
water 20 the most practical religious
truths, which won the woman's sou
for God. Jesus ia the wilderness was
breaking bread TO the people. think
IL was very good bread. IL was very
light bread. and the yeast had done It's
work thoroughly. Christ. after II,
had broken the bread, said 90 the peo
pie: Beware Of the yeast or of the
heaven OF the Pharisees" So natural q
transition 10 was and how easily thel
. all understood Him. But how few
| Christian people there are who under
stand how 20 fasten the truths OF Coo
and religion te the souls OF menl
. The archers OF olden time studie,
their art. They were very precise il
] the matter. The old books gave spe
s cial directions as TO how an archie
= should go and as TO what an archie
Z should do. He must stand erect an
\ firm, his left foot little in advanc
K OF the right foot With his left ham
he must take hold OF the how in tn
n middle. and then with the three finger
?. and the thumb OF his right hand h
4 | should Law hold the arrow and afiix
p TO the string-so precise was the d
r. rection given. But how clumsy we ar
a about religious work. How little ski
c and care We exercised How often on
arrows miss the mark am glad tha
a there are institutions established
h. many cities of our land where me
a may learn the art OF doing good
u studying spiritual archery and becon
le known as mighty hunters before n
- Lordi"
re- In the first place. If You want 10
De effectual in doing good you must /
very sure Of your weapon. There va
- something very fascinating about II
a archery OF olden times Perhaps VI
q do not know what they could do wit
\. the bow and arrow. Why. the chi,
Id battles fought by the English Plant
M ( genets were with the longbow. The
II would take the arrow Of polished woe
ii and feather IL with the plume OF
bird, and then IL would fiy from Il
bowstring Of plated silk. The bloOs
fields Of Agincourt and SOlway Mo
10 and Neville's Cross heard the lol
10 fhrum OF the archer's bOwstrin
IL Now, my Christian friends. we have
10 mightier weapon than that. IL is q
ad arrow Of the Gospel; IL is a sharp q
TO row; IL is a straight arrow; "a is feat
n cred from the wing of the dove