The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-11-03
DR. TALMAGE'S SERMON.
THE VICTORY.

SASACol. ~LeCudIIau,
Glimpse Of our cities redeemed. Now, 10y!
and girls playing in the streets are exposed
to so much peril that multitudes of them enc
In ruin; but in the glorious time spoken Of
In my text the cities are to be so completely
purified and evangelized that lads AMI girls
will be just as safe in the public thorough
fares as they are in their own nursery. Tc
arouse the people to the work before them
preach this sermon about the dark shadows OF
the city. The surgeon puts in the probe
to the very bottom of the wound before
he puts on the healing salve. There is
no use in our undertaking the enemy. No
wise general does that. We want to count
all the foes Of darkness and admit that they
are courageous, and admit they are mighty,
and then come to the other truth, that the
Lord God OF Joshua is mightier than them
all, and that He will make the sun and moon
of this Christian dispensation stand still until
the last evil is extirI a.ed. Printing presses
and pulpits now are chiefly busy in describing
the condition Of the present time; but will 1t
= not be healtnful this morning for oil Christian
workers and all men and women who are
trying to make the world better-and there
are thousands of them here-if we look for
ward to the time when our cities shall be COM
pletely revolutionized by the Gospel of the
Son Of God and all sn and all sorrow and al!
suffering shall forever be done away, "aud
the streets of the city shall be full Of boys
and girls playing in the streets thereof"
Every man has pride in the city Of his ma
tiyity, or of his present residence, if it be q
city distinguished for dignity and prowess.
Cesar boasted of his native Rome, and Vir.
gil of Mautua, and Lycurgus of Sparta, and
Syracuse, and Paul of Tarsus l should Ge
very suspicious Of mans character
should think there was in him baSehearted-
ness if be had no JOY in the city of his birth,
or the city of his adoption, no exhllaration at
its moral progress or its commercial achieve
ment. I have motto ed that man never
thinks well of place where he las not be-
haved well. Swaito did not like New
York, and Prof. Webster did mol Ike Bos-
the city van never like the city that furnishes
the vehicle! When find Argos and Rhodes
and SMYRNA all Gaining the birthplace OF
Homer I conclude that Homer behaved we'll.
They liked him and he liked them. We
ought never to war on laudable city pride,
or try to build ourselves up by irving to pull
others down. ] hore Boston will continue to
point to its Faneuil Hall and its Commons and
its surerior educational advantages. l hope
independence Hall and its mint and its
Girard College. It's always bad sign when
people have no pride Of city. Now, New
York is beautiful city, lovely city. 1t
lies on both sides the river. The East River
is the main artery of this great throbblng
life. In our time, or in the time OF our chill
dren, there will be two or three or foar
bridges across the East River. More and
more We will be one, so that when l sleak OF
New York mean everything from Spuyten
Duvyil Creek to Gowanus, and mean more
than 1000, 900 poru .ation, and what blesSes
that part OF the city that is on the other side
the river will bless this; what curses
that will curse this. Sin is gigantic,
and when it comes to the Hudson or the
East River it steps across it as easily as
you step across the figure in carpet GODS
blessing has two wings, and one wing it puts
over that part of our city on the other side
OF the river, and the other wing of Blessing
it puts over us In its infan"y, the great me-
tropolis was let down on the bank Of the Hud-
son. It was as feeble as Moses in the ark OF
bullrushes by the Nile, and, like Miriam there
our fathers came and watched it. The royal
spirit Of American CONNER, Q came down to
battle, and she lifted it in her arms, and it
grew in strength, and foreign shipping brought
GOLD and silver to its feet, and it stretched it.
self upin great metropolis, looking up to the
mountains and off upon the seq, the mightieSt
energy in our American civilization. Cities al
ways feel the impress of those who founded
them. Romulus left his impress upon Rome.
The Pilgrim Fathers will never release their
grir from New England. Will am Penn left his
spi it of fair dealing and honesty in Phila.
delp;iia, and any day on its streets you may
So, his manners, you nay see his morals, you
may see his hat and his wife'S hat, and his
meeting house So the Hollanders wto
founded New York city in which we live,
put their impress upon the city and it will he
let for all following generations; What
southern epidemic in which our physicians
have not thrown themselves in sacrifice:
l,.., fay oy,6
our ships have not put out with bread
stuffs? What national struggle and our
citizens have not poured their blood into the
trcn' hes. What street Of Damascus or Bay
reut or Madras has not reSounded with the
step Of our missionaries! What art gallery
and our painters have not hung in it their
pi lures! What department Of science or
literature in which our scholars have not
made their contributions? / need not speak
of our common schools in which the childr
OF the cordwainer and the mechanic and the
glassblower sit side by side with the favored
children Of fortune; or of the insane aSy-
lums or these islands where those who cut
themselves among the tombs are
clothed and in their right mind: Or
of tie retreats for the deaf and the
dumb and the lame and the blind and
the widows and the orphans and the outcastS
Let us thank God fer the city Of our resi-
Thousand evils to be cured. there are a
thruslnd wrongs to be rishted. Let us thank
Cos! for what has been achieved, and look
forward to a glorious future Let US toll
with the sunlight in our face. We are nos
fighting at n miserable Bull Run defeat, but
in contest which will be complete victory.
We are not following the rider on the black
bcrse down to doom and darkEe and delth;
we are following the leader on the white
horse the moon under his feet and the stars
of heaven for his tiara. Hail conqueror.
hal Just as in cold winter when we throw
our arms about us to keen our thumbs form
free ing, it's pleasant to think of the SPRING
time that is soon coming, and just as en-
cold winter night we look Up and see the
northern lights. tie windows Of Heaven il.
lunlined for some great victory, just so from
the darkness and the suffering and the sin of
our cities, we look mp to the glorious light
ing without clc u,ls. And say to all OF you
who are toiling in Sundays hools, and all
these who are doing reformatory work In
Eenitentiaries, and al those who are preach
ing the Gospel in almshouses, and all those
who are in any way trying to improve the
condition of the people temporarily and
spirituality say to them, the last fortress
Of sin will be captured and will be cleansed
and will be illuminated. The victory Of
Christ in this city is going to be so positive
that there will not be a man on earth. nor an
angel in Heaven, nor devil in hell that will
dispute it. How do I know? I know be-
cause this Bible declares il. Yousay you do
not believe the Bible. Then khave not time
this morning to argue about its authenticity.
We will tell about it some other day. But
sunrosing that the vast majority Of YOU do
believe in the Bible, it is high time to believe
in the complete salvation OF all the
cities. Does it not declare that tho
nations are to te saved! Well, if nations are
to be saved. would not that include the C: ties!
Does not the larger include the leSss Shall
England be saved aud not Loudon? Shall
tie United States be saved and not New