The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1902-01-23
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
MIRACLE OF THE AK HEAD WHICH
FLOATED AT ELlsHA's COMMAND.
Natures Laws Suspended to Show the
Power of God-Examples of Notable
Conversions Strange as the Text The
Iron Did SWIM"

Copyright, 1902 by Louis Klopsch, N. W
Washington, Jan. 19.-In this dis
course DR.. Talmage makes practical
use of an occurrence in the orient
which has seldom attracted particular
attention; text, III Kings, vi, 6, "The
iron did swim"
A theological seminary in the valley |
of palms, near the river Jordan, had |
become SO popular in the time OF |
Elisha, the prophet, that more accom-
modations were needed for the stu
dents. The classrooms and the dor
mitories must be enlarged or an en-
tirely new building constructed. What
will they do? Will they send up to
Jerusalem and solicit contributions for
this undertaking? Having raised the
money, will they send for cedars of
Lebanon and marble from the quar-
ries where Ahab got the stone for the
pillars and walls of his palace? No;
the students propose to build it them
selves. All they ask is that Elisha,
their professor and prophet. go along
with them to the woods and boss the
job. They start for the work, Elisha
and his students. Plenty of lumber
in those regions along the Jordan.
The sycamores are attacked by Eli
sha's students, for they must have
lumber for the new theological SEM
mary. Crash goes one OF the trees
and another and another. But some
thing now happens so wonderful that
the occurrence will tax the credulty
of the ages, SO wonderful that many
still think it never happened at ALL
One of the students, not able to own
an AK, had borrowed one. YOU must
remember that while the AK of the
olden time was much like our modern
ak, it differed in the fact that instead
of the helye or handle being thrust
into socket in the iron head the head
of the AK was fastened on the handle
by leathern thong, and SO it might
slip the helye. student of the sem
mary was swinging his ak against one
of those trees, and the AK head and the
handle parted. Being near the river
side, the ak head dropped into the
river and sank to the muddy bottom.
Great was the students dismay. If it
had been his own AK it would have
been bad enough, but the AK did not
belong to him. He had no means to
buy another for the kind man who
had loaned it to him, but God helps
the helpless, and he generally helps
through some good and sympathetic
soul, and in this case it was Elisha,
who was in the woods and on the riv-
er bank at the time. He did not see
the ak head fly off. and SO he asked
the student where it dropped. He was
shown the place where it went down
into the river. Then Elisha broke off
branch of a tree and threw it into
the water, and the AK head rose from
the depths of the river and floated to
the bank, so that the student had lust
to stoop down and take up the re-
stored property. Now you see the
meaning Of my text, THE iron did
swim"
Suppose hundred years ago some
one had told people that the time
would come when hundreds of thou
sands of tons of iron would float on
the Atlantic and Pacific-iron ships
from New York to Southampton, from
London to Calcutta, from San Fran
cisco to Canton. The man making
such prophecy would have been sen,
to an asylum or carefully watched as
incompetent to go alone. We have al
in our day seen iron swim. Now, il
man can make hundreds of tons Of
metal float, l am disposed to think
that the Almighty could make an a,
head float.
What" says some one, would BIZ
the use of such a miracle?" OF vast
of infinite, of eternal Importance
Those students were preparing for the
ministry. They had Joined the theolog
zeal seminary to get all its advantages
They needed to have their faitl
Strengthened; they needed to be per
they needed to learn that God take.
notice of little things; that there is nj
emergency of life where he is not will
ing to help.
| hear from different sources tina
there is a great deal of infldcIity il
some Of the theological seminaIies o
our day. We think that most of tn
so-called miracles of the Old and tn
New Testaments We're wrought by nat
ural causes. When those infdels grad
uate from the theological seminar,
and take the pulpits of America a
expounders of the Holy Scriptures
what advocates they will be of tina
gospel for the truth of which the mar
tyrs died! Would to God that som
great revival OF religion might swee
through all the theological seminarie
of this land, confirming the faith O
the coming eXpounders of an entir
Bible!
Furthermore, in that scene of th
text God sanctions borrowing and set
forth the Importance of returning
There are times when we have no
only right to borrow. but it is dut
~ torrow There arc tin7ac y,bo, w