The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1886-11-04
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
A Pointed Discourse on Profanity,
Drunkenness and Kindred Evils.

The Occasion Ripe for God to Arise and
Scatter His Enemies-The Blighting
Evils of Intemperance ana Swear
ing Throughout the World.
Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage, in a recent SER
mon at the Brooklyn Tabernacle, made q
determined onslaught on the prevailing
vices of the time, taking for his text:
Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered.
Psalms xviii. /.
You will observe my text is not like a
complimentary and tasseled sword that
you sometimes see hung up in a parlor, a
be used on general training day, ut more
like some weapon carefully hung up in
your home, telling its story of Chapulte-
pee, Cerro Gordo and Cherubusco, and
Hatcher's Run, and Malvern Hill; for my
text hangs in the Scrip ure armory, telling
of the holy wars of 5000 years in which it
has been carried, but as keen and mighty
as when Davli first unsheathed it. 1t
seems to me what in the Church of God,
and in all styles of reformatory work, we
most need now, is battle cry. We raise
our little standard and put on Is the name
of some man who only few years ago
began to live, and in few years will
cease to live. We go into contests against
the armies OF iniquity, depending too
much on human agencies. We use for a
battle cry the name of some brave Chris
tian reformer, but after while that re-
former dies, or gets old, or loses his cour-
age, and then we take another battle cry,
and this time perhaps we put the name of
some one who plays Arnold and sells out
to the enemy. What we want for battle
cry is the name of some leader who will
never betray US, and will never surrender,
and will never die.
All respect have for brave men and
women, but if we are going to get the vic
tory all along the line we must put God
first. We must take the hint of the Gid
eonites, who wiped out the Bedouin Arabs,
commonly called Midianites. These, Gid
eonites had a glorious leader in Gideon.
but what was the battle-cry with which
they flung their enemies into the worst de-
feat into which any army was ever tum-
bled? 1t was: -
The sword of the Lord and of Gideon.
Put God first, whoever you put second.
If the army of the American Revolution is
to free America, it must be-:
The sword Of the Lord and of Washington.
II the Germans want to win the day at
Sedan, it must be-: % tJ
The sword Of the Lord and Won Moltke.
Waterloo was won for the English be-
cause not only the armed men at the front
but the worshipers in the cathedrals at the
rear were crying:
The sword of the Lord and Wellington.
The Methodists have gone in triumph
across nation after nation with the cry:
The sword Of the Lord and of Wesley.
The Presbyterians have gone from vic
tory to victory with the cry:
The sword of the Lord and OF john Knox.
The Baptists have conquered millions
after millions for Christ with the cry:
The sword OF the Lord and o; Jordan . -
The Americans Episcopalians have won
their mighty way with theory lf
The sword Of the Lord and OF Bishop Ne.
Ilvaine. N.s
The victory is to those who put God
first. But as we want hatchery suited
to all sects OF religionists, and to alllands.
nominate as the battle-cry of ,Christen.
dom in the approaching .Armageddonsth the
| words OF my text, sounded before the ark
as it was carried to Mount Zion: M
Let God arise; let his enemies be scat
tered a "
As far as our finite mind can Judge. it
seems about time for God to rise. Does It
not seem to you that the denominations of
this earth have gone far enough9 Was
there ever time when sin was so defiant?
Were there ever before so many fists lifted
toward God, telling him to come on IL he
dare! Look at the blasphemy abroad |!
what towering profanity! Would it be
possible for any one to calculate the mum .
Der OF times that the name of Almighty
God, and OF Jesus Christ, are every day
taken irreverently on the lips? So COM
mon has blasphemy become that the pub.
lie mind, and public ear, have got used to
1t, and q blasphemer goes up and down
this country In his lectures defyinp the
plain law against blasphemy, and there is
not mayor In America that has back
bone enough to interfe with him save
one, and that the mayor of Toronto. Pro-
fame swearing is as much forbidden by the
law as theft, or arson, or murder; vet who
executes It! Profanity is worse than
theft, or arson, or murder, for these
crimes are attacks on humanity-that is
an attack on God.
This country is pre-eminent for bias.
phemy. A man travelling in Russia was
supposed to be clergyman.
"Why do you take me to be a clergy
manW said the man.
"Oh," said the Russian, "all other Amar.
leans swear"
The crime is multiplying in intensity.
God very often shows what He thinks Of
1T, but for the most part the fatality ia
hushed up. A few summers ago among
the Adirondacks / met the funeral process :
zion of man who, two days before, had
fallen under a fash Of lightning while
boasting, after Sunday of work in the
fields, that he had cheated God out Of one
day anyhowi and the man who worked
with him on the same Sabbath is still liv-
Ing, but helpless invalid under the same
lash. On the road from Margate to Rams
gats, England, you may find rough mon
ument with the inscriptions:
A boy was struck dead iicre while in the
act OF swearing.