Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-10-04
CRYING SINS OF THE DAY
REV. DIR. TALMAGE DWELLS ON
MODERN WICKEDNESS.

Arise, Let His Enemies be Scattered. -
BROOKLYN, n. Y, Oct. 3.-The opening
hymn at the Tabernacle this morning be-
gins:
Arm Of the Lord, awake! awake!
Put on thy strength, the nations shake"
Having expounded the account of PauPs
conversion as given in the twenty-second
chapter of Acts, the Rev. 7. De Witt Tai
mage, ID. D., took for his text the first
verse of the siXty-eighth Psalm: LET
God arise, let His enemies be scattered" )"
from which he preached the following
sermon:
procession was formed to carry the
Ark, or sacred box, which, though only 3
feet 8 inches in length and feet inches
in height and depth, was the symbol OF
Gods presence. As the leaders of the
procession lifted this ornamented and
brilliant box by two golden poles run
through four golden rings, and started lor
Mount Zion, all the people chanted the
battle hymn of my text: LET God arise,
let His enemies be scattered"
The OamerouJsns of Scotland, outraged
by James l., who forced upon them relig-
iOus forms tnat we're offensive, and by the
terrible persecution of Drummond, Dali
ziel and Turner, and by the oppressive
driven to proclaim war against tyrants,
and went forth to fight for religious lib
erty, and the mountain heather became
red with carnage, and at Boutwell, Bridge
and Ards Moss and Drumclog the battle
hymn and the battle shout OF those glori-
Gus old ScOtchmen was the text L have
chOsen--"Let God arise, let His enemies
be scattered"
What a whirlwlnd of power was Oliver
wr..lI l.. 81 Il s.
name, "Uhe Ironsidee," ne went from vic
tory to vlctOryl Opposing armies melted
as he looked at them. He dismissed Par
lament as easily as a schooimaster a
school. He pointed his niger at Berkeley
Castle, and IL was taken. He ordered Lord
Hopton, the General, TO dismount, and he
dismOunted. See Cron we'll marching on
with his army, and hear the battle cry OF
1.-THE Ironsides," loud as a storm and SOL
emn as Il death kuelI, standards reel
ing before it, and cavalry horses going
back on their launches, and armies fly
ing. at NaTstOn Moor, at Wincepy Field,
at Naseby, at Bridgewater and Dartmouth
-"Let God arise, let his enemies be scat
tered"
So you see my text is not like a COM
plimentary and tasseied sword that you
sometimes see hung up In a parlor--a
sword that was never in battle and only
to be used ou general training dsy--bnt
more like some weapon carefully hung
up in your home, telling its story OF
Jhapultepec, Cerro 9ordo and Cheru-
busco, and Thatchsr's Run, and Malvern
Hill; for my text hangs In the Scripture
arm0ry telling OF the molly wars of 5000
years in which it has been carried, but as
keen and mighty as when David first uu-
sheathed it. 1t seems TO me what In the
Church of God, and in all styles OF re-
iormatory work we most need now
is a 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 go 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 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 il we are going to get the
victory all along the line we must put
GIdeonltes, who wiped out the BedOuin
Arabs. commonly called Midianites.
These GideonItes had glorious leader in
Gideon, but what was the battle cry with
which they flung their enemies into the
worst defeat into which any army was
ever tumbIed? 1t was ''the sword OF the
Lord and Of Gideon" Put God first, who.
ever you put second. If the army of the
American revolution are to free America,
it must be "the sword of the Lord and of
w ashington." II the Germans want to
win the day at Sedan, 1t must be
''the sword of the Lord and Won
Moltke" Waterloo was won for the
English, because not only the armed men
at the front but the worshipers in the ca
thedrals at the rear, were crying: "The
sword of the Lord aud wellington" The
Methodists have gone in triumph across
nation after nation with the cry: "The
sword OF the Lord and OF Wesley" The
Presbyterlans have gone from victory tn
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: ''rhe sword OF the
Lord aud of Judson." fhe American
Episcopalians have won their mig ghty way
with the cry: ''The sword Of the Lord
and of Bishop McIlvaiue." The victory
Is to those who put God first. But as we
want a battle cry suited to all sects of re-
llgiouists, and TO all lands, nominate as
the battle CRY OF Christendom IN the ap-
preaching ArmageddOn the words OF my
text, sounded before the ark as it was car
ried to Mount Zion: LET God arise, let
His enemies be scattered"
AS far as our finite mind can judge, il
seems about time for God to rise. Does
IL not seem to you that the abominatIons
Of this earth have gone far enough? Was
there ever a time when sin was 20 dehantf
Were there ever before so many fists
lifted toward God, telling Him to come on
il He dares LOOK at the blasphemy
abroad! What towering profanity Would
il be possible for any one TO calculate the
numbers OF times that the name of Al
mighty God, and of Jesus Christ, are
every day taken irreverently on the
lips. So common has blasphemy become
that the public mind, and public ear,
have got used to IL, and blasphemer
goes up and down this country In his lee
lures defyiag the plain law against bias
phemy, and there ie not mayor IN Ameri-
ca that has backbone enough TO Interfere
with him save one, and that the Mayor
OF Toronto. Profane swearing Is az much
forbidden by the law as theft, or arson. or
murder; yet who executes iti Profanity
Is worse tnan THEFT, or arson, or murder,
| for these crimes ara attacks on humani-
| ty--that ia an attack on God.
! This country Ia pre-eminent for blasphe.
my. A man travelling in Russia was cup
| posed 70 be a clergyman. "Why DO you
take me to be clergyman" said the
man. "Oh," said the Russian, sail other
Americans swear.v The crime is multi