The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1901-02-22
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sILlgN.I! RELIGION,
Dr.s Talmage Seta Forth Its Evils
Lii His Sermon,


& Duty Sof ohr,stians to speak on,
sssaruiy or tile Side OF Sisht-
. S, /, 9 aousnesa--CastinS Out the
Y a s3 ,iH3, Duil,b spirlt. ~ II.
1901. BY Louis 1slopaeh. \ n: J S' Z
In this discourse DIR. Talmage calls
xor "a more dem mcnst atiye religionsand a
5 hearty speaking out on tho right side
s5t OF everything; text. Mark 0:26; 'HIhou
q dumb and deaf spirit, charge thee,
IS come out, OF him."
Here was case OF great domestic
NJ anguish. Tho son OF the household was
possessed OF an evil spirit which,
4 among other things, paralyzed his
tongue and madehim speechless. When
the influence was on tho patient, he
3$%ennld not say o Word-ast circulation was
Impossible. The spirit that captured
this membor Of the household was o
dumh spirit-so called by Christ-a
spirit abroad to-day aud as lively and
potent rs in the New Testament times.
&et in all the realms Of sermondom I
cannot find discourse concerning this
dumb devil which Christ charged up
on In any text, saying: "Come out Of
4 him. T.
There has been much destructive su-
HerRtition abroad in tho world concern
ing possession by evil splrit5. Undsr
the form of belief in witchcraft, this de-
lusion swept tho continents. Persons
were supposed to bo possessed with
some evil,sph.it, which made them able
20 destroy others In tho sixteenth con-
tury' In Geneva 1900 persons >wero
burned to death as witches. In one
borhood OF Franco 1000 persons
were burned In two centuries 100000
persons wevo slain as witches. So
mighty was the delusion that it inolud-
ed among its victims some OF the great
est intellects Of all timc, suoh az Chief
Justice Matthew Balc end Sir Edward
Coko, and sueh renowned ministers Of
religion as Cotton Mather, one OF whose
books, Benjamin franklin said, shaped
his ufc--and Richard Baxter, and Arch
bishop Cranner and Martin Luther;
and, among writer's and philosophers.
lord Bacon. That hel!ef, which. has
become stho laughing stock Of all SCH
eible people, counted its disciples
j among the wiscst and best people Of
Sweden, Germany, England, France,
iSpain and.New England. But while we
reject witohcraft, any man who be-
hoyeB tho Bible must believe that there.
are diabollcal agencies abroad In tho
world. Wbilo there aro ministe1ing
apiTits to blessthere aro internal spirits
to hinder. to poison and to destroy.
Christ was speaking to spiritual ex-
tstenoe when, standing before the af-
aicted one Of the text. he said: "Thou
dumb and deaf spirit, come out Of him"
Against this dumb devil Of the text
putiyou on your guard, Do not think
shat this agent OF evil has put his blight
on thoae who, hg omission Of the vocal
organs, have had tho goldon gates Of
Epcach bolted and barred. Among
chose who have never spoken a word
\ aro the most gracious and lovely and
q talented aoulS that We're ever incarnat-
y ed. The ehaplains Of tho asylums for
q the dumb can tell you enchanting
2stories OF those who never called the
name of fatl or mother or child, and
3, many OF the most devout and pruyerful
souls will never In this world speak tho
NJ name Of God or Christ.
/ h Il There has been apotheosization OF 81
Ience. Some one has said silence 10
M golden, and some times the greatest tri-
Imph Is to keep your mouth shut. But
4 Eoisettmes silence Is a cr1me and the
direct result Of the baleful influence Of
4 The dumb devil of our text. There Is
hardly man or woman who has not
been present on some occasion when
the Christian religion became target
for raillery. i Perhaps it was over in
tho store some day when there was not
pluoh going on, aud the clerks wero IN a
group, or 1t was In the factory at the
noon spell, or 1t was out Oh the farm
under the trees whilo you wore resting,
Dr 1T WAS In tho clubroom, or it was
3 In q SOCIAL circle, or 1t was in the strect
ON the way home from business, or It
wasI!on some occasion which you re-
menber without my describing 1t.
Some ono got tho laugh on the Bible
ndS5caricatured the profession OF re-
hgion 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 eilont? Modesty? No.
ancapaoity 10 answer? No. Lack Of
opportunity? No. 1t was a blow OH
both your lips by tho wing Of the dumb
devil. II some one should malign your
Gather or mother or Wifs or hus sband
or child, you would flush UP quick and
either with an Indignant word or
doubled UP hat make response. And
get here is our Christian religion which
has done 80 much for you and 80 much
Sor the world that it Will take all eter>
nity,t to celebrate 1T, and yet whom 1T was
attacked you did not so much no say:
~ differ. I object. I am sorry to hear
ssyou say that. There is another aide
40 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 Ave questions with which you
eould confound any man who attacks
Chfistianity.s;A man 90 years old was
telling me how he put to flight scofper.
My aged friend said to the skeptic:
"Did you ever read the history OF
Joseph in tho Bible?" Eyes," said the
man, ut ia q tlno story, and as interest
Eng n story az ever read" swell,
now," said my old friend, suppose that
account Of Joseph stopped half way?"
"Oh," said, tho man, "then 1t would not
be entertalning." swell, now," said nay
friend, 1--WE have in this world only half
Of everything, and do you not think
that whom we hear the last half things
may bo consistent. and that then we
may find that God was right2''
Oh, friends, better load UP with few