The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-10-20
DR. TALNAGE'S SERMON.
THE BATTLE CRY.

THE BATTLE CRY.
Text: "Let God arise: let His enemies bs
scattered. Psalm, xviii, 1.
A procession was formed to carry the ark
Or sacred box, which, though only three feet
nine inches in length, and two feet three
inches in breadth and depth, was the symbol
Of Gods presence. As the leaders of the pro-
cession lifted this orpamented and brilliant
box by two golden poles run through four
the people chanted the battle hymn Of my
text: Let God arise; let His enemies be
scattered"
The Cameronians Of Scotland, outraged by
James the First, who forced upon them re-
igious forms that were offensive and by the
terrible persecution Of Dlummond, Da Iel and
Turner, and by the oppressive laws Of Charles
the Fist and Char.es the Second, we're
driven to proclaim war against tyrants, and
went forth to fight fer religious liberty, and
the purpl. mountain Of the heathen became
red with carnage, and at Boutwell, bridge
and Aird's Moss and Drumclog the battle
hymn and the battle shout of those glorious
old Scotchmen was the text 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
looked at them. He dismissed Parliament
as easily as schoolmaster school. He
pointed his finger at Berkeley Castle and it
was tahen. He ordered Lord Hopton, the
General, to disnount, and he dsmounted.
See Cromwell marching on with his army,
loud as storm and solemn as death knell,
standards reeling before it and cavalry
horses going back on their launches and
armies flying at MarSton Moor, at Winceby
field. at Naseby, at Bridgewater and Dart
mouth. Let God arise, let His enemies be
scattered"
So YOU see my text is not like a compli-
mentary and tasseled sword that you some.
times see hung up in parior, sword that
was never in battle and only to be used on
general training day, but more like some
weapon carefully hung up in your home,
telling the story Of Chapultepec, Cerro Gordo
and Cherubusco and Thatcher's Run and
Malvern Hill for my text hangs in the Scrip
ture armory, telling of the holy wars of three
thousand years in which it has been carried.
but as keen and mighty as whcn David 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 it the
name Of some man, who only few years
ago began to live and in few years will
cease to live. We 60 into contest against the
armies Of iniquity depending too much on
human agencies We use for battle cry
the name of some brave Christian reformer,
but after a while that reformer dies or gets
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 enemy. What we
want for Eattle cry is the name Of some
leader who will never betray us and will
never surrender and will never die.
All .espect have l for brave men aud
women, but il We are going to get the vic
tory all along the line we must put God first.
We must take the hint of the Gideonites who
wiped out the Bedouin Arabs, commonly
called Midionites. These Gideonites had
glorious leader in Gideon, but what was the
battle cry with which they flung their ene
mics into the worst defeat into which any
army was every tumbled! 1t was 1.-THE sword
of the Lord and Of Gideon" Put God first
whoever you put second. If the army of the
American revolution are to free America,
it must be 'the sword of the Lord and of
Washington" If the Germans want to win
the day at Sedau, it must be ''the sword of
the Lord and Won Moltke." Waterloo was
won for the English because not only the
shippers 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 Wes-
ley.n The Presbyteriaps have gone from
victory to victory with the cry: "The sword
of the Lord and Of John Knox. The
Baptists have conquered millions after mil
lions for Christ with the cry: '.The sword of
Episcopalions have won their mighty way
with the cry: "The sword of the Lord and Of
Bishop McIlvaine." The ,i:tory is to those
who put God first But as we want battle
cry suited to all sects of religionists and to
all lands, nominate as the battle cry of
Christendom in the approaching Armageddon
the words OF my text, sounded before the ark
God arise, let his enemies Ee scattered"
As far as our finite mind can judge it seems
about me for God to rise. Does it not seem
to you that the denominations Of this earth
have gone fer enough! Was there ever a
time " hen sin was so defiant! Were there
ever before so many fists lifted toward God,
telling Him to come on if He dare!
Look at the blasphemy abroad2 What
towering profanit!es. Would it BE- possible
for any one to calculate the numbers Of times
that the na re Of Almighty God and Of Jesus
Christ are every day taken irreverentlY on
the lipss Socommon has blasphemy become
that the public mind and public ear have got
used to it, and a blasphemer goes up and
down this country in his lectures defying the
plain law against blasphemy, and there is
not Mayor in America that has backbone
enough to interfere with him save one, aud
that the Mayor of Toronto. Profane swear
ing is as much forbidden by the law as theft
or arson or murder, yet who executes it!
Profanity is worse than theft or arson or
murder, for these crimes are attacks on hui
manity-that is an attack on God.
This country is pre-eminent for blasphem-
Ing. A man travelling in Russia was sup
me to be clergymanm said the man. ''Oh,"
said the Russian, "all other Americans
swear" The crimeis multiplying in inten-
sity. God very often shows what He thinks
OF it, but for the most part the fatality is
hushed up. A few summers ago among the
Adirondacks met the funeral procession of
Z man who, two days before, had fallen un-
der flash Of lightning while Boosting after
q Sunday of work in the fields, that he had
cheated God out Of one day anyhow, and tho
man vino worked with him on the same Sab
bath is still living, but helpless invalid I'M
der the same fash. On the road from Mar
gate to Ramsgate, England, you may
find a rough monument with the ins cripticn:
"a boy was struck dead here while in the
act Of swearing" Years ago in Pitt burg
prison two men were talking about the Bible
ana CQrlSt0ulIy, duu Oue VI IusL 1uolup-
son by name, applied to Jesus Christ very
low and villainous epithet, and as he was
uttering it he fell. A physician was called,
but no help could be given. After cday,
lying with distended pupils and palsied
tongne, he passed out Of this world. In a
cemetery in Sullivan county, in this State,
are eight headstones in a line and all alike,
and these are the facts: In 1861 diphtheria
ragged in the village, aul physician was
remarkably successful in curing his patients.
So confident did he become that he hoasted
that no case of diphthera could stand before