The Delta independent., 1901-05-17

Copyright. 1901. by Louis Kiopsch. N. "
Washington. May 12.-In this dis
course DR.. Talmage urges all Christian
workers to increased fidelity and shows
now much effort at doing good fails
through lack Of adroitness: text, Gene
sis <. 9. He was mighty hunter be-
fore the Lord"
In our day hunting is 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 a sunshiny
afternoon with a patent breechloader
to shoot reedbirds on the fats, 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 I.
was called the father of hunting. And
Moses. in my text, sets forth Nimrod
as a hero. when II 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 success
practicing archery.
I have thought II 1t is such a grand
thing and such brave thing to clear
wild beasts out of a country. II 1t is
, not a better and braver thing to hunt
down and destroy those great evils OF
society that are stalking the land with
fierce eye and bloody pay and sharp
tusk and quick spring. I 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 ar,
Of angling for an illustration when he
said. II will make you fishers OF men,
And so think have authority for
using hunting as an illustration Of gos-
pei truth. and | pray God that there
may be many man enlisted in the
work who shall begin to study gospel
archery OF whom II may after awhile
be said, He was a mighty hunter be-
fore the Lord
Awkward Christian wort.
ItoN hu'h Nhsis WI
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 IN
gers are thumbs-reliEious blunderers
who upset more than they right. Their
gun has n crooked barrel and kicks rs
II goes on They are like 4 clumsy COM
rade who goes along with sklllful hunt
ers. At the very moment he ought 20
be most quiet he is cracking an alder
or falling over a 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 cup OF water to most
practical religious truths. which won
the woman's soul for God Jesus in the
wilderness was breaking bread to the
people. Il think II was very good
bread. II was very light bread. and
the yeast had done Its work thorough
ly Christ. after he had broken the
bread said to the people Beware Of
.he yeast or OF the leaven OF the Phar-
isees" So natural a transition II was.
and how easily they all understood
him! But how few Christian people
there are who understand how to fas-
the souls OF men!
The archers of olden time studied
their art. They were very precise m
the matter. The old books gave spe-
cial directions as to how an archer
should go and us to what an archer
should do. He must stand erect and
Arm, his left foot little In advance
Of the right foot with the left hand
he must take 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 Il
to the string-so precise was the d.
rection given. But how clumsy We are
about religious work. How little skill
and care we exercise! How often our
arrows miss the mark! am glad
that there are Institutions established
In many cities OF our land where men
may learn the art OF doing good
studying spiritual archery and become
known as mighty hunters before the
Lord."
How IN he E6ectusl
In the FIRST place, II you want to be
esYectual In doing good you must be
very sure OF your weapon. There was
something very fascinating about the
archery Of olden times. Perhaps you
do not know what they could do with
the bow and arrow. Why. the chief
battles fought by the English Plan
tagenets were with the longbow. They
would take the arrow Of polished wood
and feather II with the plume OF
bird. and then It would hy from the
bowstring OF plated silk. The bloody
fields Of Agincourt and Solway Noes
and Neville's Cross heard the loud
thrum Of the archer's bowstring. Nov.
my Christian friends, We have a
miRhtier weapon than that. II II the