The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-05-07

IhSCo OuSc ouldSOulSllC puI now friendly
to the gospel and encourages Christian
workers; text, 1 Samuel xxi. 8, There is
none like that: give it me-"
David fed from his pursuers. The
world runs very fast when it is chasing
a good man. The country is trying to
catch David and to Stay him. David
goes into the house of a priest and asks
him for a sword or spear with which to
defend himself. The priest, not being ac-
customed to use deadly weapons, tells
David that he cannot supply him, but
suddenly the priest thinks of an old
sword that had been carefully wrapped
up and laid away-the very sword that
Goliath formerly used-and he takes down
that sword, and while he is unwrapping
the sharp, gHttering, memorable blade it
flashes upon David's mind that this is the
very sword that was used against himself
when he was in the fight with Goliath,
and David can hardly keep his hand off
it until the priest has unwound it. Da-
vid stretches out his hand toward that
old sword and says, There is none like
that; give it me-" In other words, Il
want in my own hand the sword which
has been used against me and against
the cause of God" So it was given him.
Well, my friends, that is not the first or
the last sword once used by giant and
Philistine iniquity which is to come into
the possession of Jesus Christ and of his
glorious church. / want. as well as God
may help me. to show you that many a
weapon which has been used against the
armies Of God is yet to be captured and
used on our side, and / only initiate Da-
vid when | stretch out my HAND toward
hat blade of the Philistine and cry.
There is none like that: give it me-
l remark first that this is true in regard
to all scientific exploration. You know
that the first discoveries in astronomy
and geology and chronology were used to
battle Christianity. Worldly philosophy
came out of its laboratory and out of its
observatory and sail. Nov. we will
prove by the very structure of the earth
and by the mo.nC.rut of the heavenly
bodies that the Bible il a lie and that
Christianity as we nave it among men is a
positive imposition" Good men trem-
bled. The telescope. the Leyden jars, tie
electric batteries. all in the hands Of TIE
Philistines. But one day Christianity,
looking about for some weapon with
which to defend itself. happened to see
the very old sword hat these atheistic
Philistines had been using against the
truth and cried out, There is none like
that: give it me-" And Copernicus and
Galilei and kepler and Isaac Newton
and Herschel and 0. NJ. Mitchell came
forth and told the world hat in their ran
sacking of the earth and heavens they
had found overwhelming presence Of the
GOD whom We worship. and this old BIZ
BILE began to shake itself from the Koran
and Shaster and Zendavesta with which
it had been covered up and lay on the
5ocl> - xha -ah,lor onI ~ <ka lohoroforv
Of the chemist and in the lap of the Chris
tan unframed and unanswered. while
the tower of the midnight heavens struck
a silvery chime in its praise.
The Eternal Master.
Worldly philosophy said: Matter is
eternal. The world always was. God
did not make it." Christian philosophy
plunges its crowbar into rocks and finds
that the world was gradually made, and
if gradually made there must have been
some point at which the process started.
Then who started it? And so that OBJ
lection was overcome, and in the first
three words of the Bible we find that
Moses stated a magnificent truth when
he said. "In the beginning"
Worldly philosophy said:- your Bible
is a most inaccurate book. All that story
in the Old Testament. again and again
told. about the army of the locusts-it is
preposterous. There is nothing in the
coming of the locusts like an army. An
army walks: locusts fly. An army goes in
order and procession. locusts without or
der" Wait" said Christian philosophy.
and in 1868 in the southwestern part of
this country Christian men went out to
examine the march Of the ~locusts. There
are men right before me who must have
noticed i'm that very part of the country
the coming up of the locusts like an
army, and it was found that all the news
papers unwittingly spoke of them as an
army. Why? They seem to have y
commander. They march like a host.
They halt like a host. No arrow ever
went in straighter flight than the locustS
} come, not even turning aside for the
wind. III the wind rises, the locusts drop
| and then rise again after it has gone
down, taking the same line of march, not
/ varying a foot. The old Bible is right
every time when it speaks Of locusts
> coming like an army: worldly philosophy
I wrong
Worldly philosophy said. "All that sto.
~ about the light turned as clay to the
! seal is simply an absurdity." Old time
J worldly philosophy said, THE light
. comes straight" Christian philosophy
ogo wan q nun WhAiC, H ~ SOS~
Q on and makes discoveries and finds that
:, the atmosphere curves and bends the
rays of light around the earth. literally
: "as the clay to the seal" The Bible
: right again: worldly philosophy wrong
+ again. "Ah." says worldly philosophy
t "all that alluiion in Job about the foun
r dations of the earth is simply an absurd
ity. Where vast thou says God. 'wher
] | set the foundations Of the earthT The
( Earth has no foundation" Christian phi
e iosophy comes and finds that the word a.
n translated foundations" may be better
translated sockets" So now see how i
will read if it is translated right, "Wher,
vast thou when l set the sockets Of tn,
e earth?". Where is the socket? 1t is thu
hollow of Gods banda socket larg,
e enough for any world to turn in.
:, Worldly philosophy said: "What IN ab
e surd story about Joshua making the sui
n - cto,I .ksnf To <L1 -Srl