The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1886-10-21
pR. HALMAGE'S SERMON.
THE BATTLE CRY.
Text: "Let God arise, let His enemies be
ntlernl N-psnim Xviii L

llno lnCNeS III lenStn, ana TWO ieeJ tnreo
inches in breadth and depth was the symbol
of Coils presence. AS thu leaders of the pro-
ceSSion lifted this oruamented and brilliant
toN by two golden poles ran through four
golden rings and started for Mount Zion, all
tho people chauted tho battle hymn OF my
text; Let God arise; let His enemies DO
scatterol.n
The Cameronians Of Scotland, outraged by
James the First, who forced upon them no.
Ii gious forms that were Offensive aud by the
terrib'ep persecution Of Drummond, Ia zie! aud
Turner, and by the oppressive laws OF Charles
the Fist aud Char.e5 tho Second, were
driven to proclaim war against tyrants, and
went forth to fight for religious liberty, and
the purpl mountain of the heather became
red with carnage, and at Boutwell, bridge
and Ards Moss and Drumclos the battle
hymn and the battle shout Of those glorious
old ScotChmen was the teSt | have chosen;
LET Gcd arise, let His enemies be scat
tered"
What whirlwind OF power was Oliver
Cromwell, and how with his followers, called
the "Ironsides, he went from victory to
victory! Opposing armies melted as he
locked at them, lle dismissed Parliament
as easily as q schoolmastor school. He
pointed his finger at Berkeley Castle and it
was ia, en-. He ordered Lord Hopton, the
General, to dsmount and he diSmounted.
See Cromwell marching on with his army,
and hear The battle cry OF ''the lronsides"
IOlll MS u STORM anu sul5uln Us Il ueliu hnel
standards reeling before it and cavalry
horses going hack on their haun hes and
armies flying at Marston Moor, at Winceby
field, at NaScby, at Brdsewater and Dart
mouth Let God arise, lot His enemies lie
scatteredm
So you see my text is not like compli-
mentary and tasseled sword that you some-
times see hung up in q par.or a sword that
was never in battle and only TO be used on
general ira ming day, but more like some
weapon carefully hung up in your home,
telling tbs story of ChapuIterec, Cerro Go"do
md Cherubusco and Th2tcher's Run and
Malvern Hill fer my text hangs in the Scrip
ture armoly telling of the holy wars Of three
thousand years in which it has been carried,
but as keen and mighty as wh,n David first
unsheathcd it. 1t seems 10 mo what in the
church of God and in all styles ofreformatory
work we most neeirow is a battle cry. We
raise our little standard and put on it the
name of some msn, who only few years
ago began to live and in q few years will
cease to live. We 20 into contest against tina
armies of iniquity depending too much on
human agencies We uso ior battle cry
the name of sons brave Christian reformer
but after whilo that retormor dies or sets
old or loses his courage and then we take an
other battle cry, and this time perhaps we
put on the name OF some one who plays Ar
mold and sells out to the enony. What wo
want for hattie cry is the name Of some
never surrender and will never die
All respect have l for brave men and
women, bat ii We are going to get the vic
tory all along the line we must put God first.
We must take the hint OF tdc Gideonltes who
wired out the Beioain Arab, commonly
called Midiontos. These Gideonites had
glorious leader in Gideon, b&t hat was the
battle cry with which they flung their enc
mics into the worst de,eat into which any
army vas every tumbled 1t was 1.-THE sword
of the Lord and of Gideon Put God first
whoever you put seconl. If the army Of the
American revolution are t. free America,
it must be 'the sword OF the Lord and Of
Washington" If the Germans want to win
the day at Sedan, it must lie 'the sword of
the Lord and Von Moltko" Waterloo was
won for the English be aCse not only the
armed men at the front, Tut the wor-
shippers in the r, Cathadra,5 at the rear
were crying: The sword of tie Lord and
Wellington" The Metlodist5 have gone n
triumph across nation alter nation with the
cry: THE sword Of the Lord and of Wes-
ley" Tho Presbyteriars have gone from
victory TO victory with the cry: The sword
of this Lord and OF John Knox. The
Baptists havo conquered mill ons alter mil
lions for Christ with the cry: The sword of
tho Lord and OF Judson' The American
EpiS ,oraliuns have won their mighty way
with the cry: "The sword OF the Lord and Of
Bishop McIlvaine." The Vi tory is to those
VINO put tOu III ST. DuU as we WauU u Duttl5
cry suited to all sects of relig onists and to
ali lands, l nominate a. the battle cry of
Chrstendcn in the approaching Arranged Ion
the words of my text, SOuade before the ark
as it was carried to Mount Zion: 'Let
God arise let his enemies lie scattered"
As far as our finite min 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 enough! Was there ever a
time nhen sin was SO do!}Grsi Were there
ever before SO many fist, lift d toward God,
telling Him TO come on ii He dare!
Look at the hlasph)ny abroad! What
towering profanit.es. Would it be possible
for any enc to calculate tac Numbers of limos
that tie ra lie Of Almighty Goianl Of Jesus
Christ are every day taken il"everentlv on
the lips. So common La hlas henry become
that the public mind aud L lie oar have got
used to it and bla>ph nc gees up and
down this country in his % ,turos de ying the
plan law against blaIThemy AMI there "a
not a Mayor in America that has backbone
enough to interfere with bin save one and
that the Mayorof Toronto. Profano swear.
ing is q. much forbidden b. the law as theft
or arson CIR murder, yet who executes it
Profanity is worse than theft or arson OF
murder, for these crimes are attacks on hu
manity-that is an attack on God.
This country is pre- eminent for blasphem
ing. A man travelling in Russia was sup
posed to be clergyman. "Why do you TAX
said the Russian, ''all other American.
swear This crime is multiplying in intcn
sity. God very often shows what He think
of it, but for the most part the fatality
hushed up. A few summers ago among tn
Adirondacks ! met the funeral procession o
der flash of lightning while boasting ate
a Sunday of work in the fields, that he ha
cheated God out OF one day anyhow, and TIN
man who worked with him on the same Sab
bath is still living, but helpless Invalid un
der the same fash. On the road from Mar
gate to Ramsgato, England, you ma
find rough monument with the inscription
GA boy was struck dead here whilo in tn
act of swearing" Years ago in q Pitt bur
prison two men were talking about the Bib
and Christianity, and one Of them, ThomT
son by name, applied to Je'us Christ a yer
uttering it he fell. A physician was called
but no help could be givon After day
lying with distended pupils and pasie
tongue, ho passed out of this world. In
cemetery in Sullivan county, in this Stat,
are eight headstones in line and all alik.
and these are the facts: In 1861 diphtheri
ragged in the village, and physician wa
remarkably successful in curing his patient.
So confident did he become that he b0aste
that no case Of diphtheria could stand befoI
him, and finally he defed Almighty God !
produce a case Of diphtheria that he coul
J
took the disease and died, and one child afte
another until all the eight had died Of dipl
iberia. The blasphemer challenged A
mighty God and God accepted the cballeng,
But | come later down and give you ia
that is proved by scores of witnesses. Th
last August of 1885, man in Ohio got pr
voked at the continued drought and the ru
Of his crops and in the presence Of his neig
bors he cursed God, saying that he would G.
His heart out if he would come, calling Hi
liar and coward and flashing knife, al
while he was speaking his lower jaw droppe
smoke issued from mouth and nostrils al
the heat of his body was 50 intense it dro7
back those who would come near. 1t w
several DAYS before he became sufficient
cool to remove to his room, and his body h;
turned into stone. Hundreds of people ha
visited the scene and saw the blasphemer
awful process of expiring.
Do not think that because Col has be
silent in your case, Oh profane swearer, tn
He is dead Is there nothing now in t
peculiar feeling of your tongue or nothing
the numbness of your brain that indicat
that God may come to ayenge your bl
phemies or is already ayenzing them! /
these cases | have noticed believe are on
a few cases where there ara hundre,