Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1878-01-16
T0RRlD TALK
Dewitt Talmege Believes In the
veritable.

Rev. Dewitt Talmege Believes In the
Verftable.
New York, Jan. 13.-Whatever others
may believe, Dewitt Timlage believes in
veritable fire and birthstone, and 10 the kind
of q hell he preached this morning. Five
thousand people crowded into his Tabernacle
to hear him. He talked hardly more than
half an hour, and from beginning to end
there was not a fresh thought. Talmage
did not attempt to give all his ideas in one
sermon, but reserved the duration of that
unpromising state for consideration to NOR
row night. He took an octagonal text, each
eide of which was q "thus saith the Lord'
which he uttered eight times, with increas-
ing tone and drawl. He assumed the truth
of the Bible as q starting point, and chal-
lenged his audience to hand up a book that
was q better revelation from God
than the Bible. He went to
the front Of the platform and
reached down for any such publication tina,
might be offered, but none came, and after a
briet pause he continued: II do not know
how any one can joke upon this subject, and
yet more puns are perpetrated and more
silly remarks made about it Just now than
on all other subjects combined. Why not
joke about the wreck and death at Ashtabu-
Ia, or the earthquake that crushed Lisbon,
or the London plague"
He then grouped the Bible passages rela-
ting to the separation of the wicked from
the just by the angels Of God, and the hurl-
ing Of the former into a ~furnanoe of FIRE.
"You ask ne, can't you explain this
away? 1 answer yes, but what is the use OF
Explaining away . ~furnance of fire when
God says there is one? If there is any
mistake about il Christ made the mistake,
for He spoke it. i appeal 70 Paul, who
was nc coward, and before whom gov
ernments trembled, who declared
that the Lord Jesus Christ .should
be revealed in q flaming fire, taking
vengeance upon those who know not
God. st. John, the inspired, affirmed that
the lost should b tormented in fire and
birthstone, and that the book of the New
Testament closes with a dark scroll on the
sky. That darkness il no smoke when there
is no fire. Christ said, depart from me, ye
cursed, into everlasting fire. L. not this fig
urative language? l 10 not say it is not, but
lift is igurative, and means actually other
than fir, it il something a. terrible a. fire.
When they say burning fire. I know it is
torment unmitigated. Call the Bible Ian
guage metaphor, If you like, but metaphor
does not sooth the subject. But accept it as
figure, any Of your own. Let hell be . pee
i~tentiary to which the wicked are assigned,
or a maslstorn which swallows down ali
within it, reach. / prefer Gods language.
God says it is q Furnaces OF FIRE. l don't
know thatit is. 6xurative. It may be literal.
The Bible says sixteen times that it is fire.
The whole race is rebellious, and beneath
that is q furnace roaring. And
all shall be plunged in, except on one
condition. Read the passage showing the
indignation Of God against sin and sinners.
The Bible speaks of the wrath,of God Of.
tener than Of His love, and yet ninetyeieht
out of every hundred sermons preached are
on the love Of God. II two are preached
on His wrath the preacher Is called sulphu.
ric. American preaching needs 1econsiruc-
ton. It has not back bone enough to show
forth the whole Bible. God plainly says
6fty-six times that there is . hell burning.
1t has now been burning . long time, and
has probably grown hotter and hotter with
its victims. The probability IL that, ever
in this house before ne, are some who will
spend eternity in the lost world. You may
shuttle of ths whole subject from your At
tention, but your impenitent course Is lead
ing you to hell % surely Is Fulton street
leads you to Fulton ferry"