The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1888-05-14
=" "OBSCURATI0N."
Rev, DR., Talmage's Sunday Sermon,
His Text: "The Sun Shall Be Turned
Into Darkness"
Christianity is the Rising Sun Of
Our Time.
What the World Would Bo If
Atheism Triumphs.
The Condition of woman-Demoraliza-
ton of Society--A World With
out Head; Universe
Without a King.

BROOKLYN, N. Y, May lS.-This morn
ing the Rev. T. Dewitt IAlmage, ID. d.,
preached at the Tabernacle to an overflow
ing congregation. The hymn beginning
"stand up my soul, shake OF thy fears,
And gird the gospel armor on"
was sung with magnificent effect. DIR,
Talmage's subject was "0bscuration, and
his text ''rhe sun shall be turned into
darkness. Acts H., 20. He said:
Solar eclipse is here prophesied 10 take
place about the time OF the destruction Of
ancient Jerusalem. Josephus, the histo-
rian, says that the prophecy was literally
fulfilled, and that about that time there
were strange appearances in the heavens.
The sun was not destroyed, but for little
while hidden.
Christianity is the rising sun ofour time,
and men have tried with the uprolling
vapors of skepticism and the smoke Of
their hlasphemy TO turn the suninto dark
ness. Suppose the archangels of malice
aId horror should bo let loose little
while and be allowed TO extinguish and
destroy the sun in the natural heavens
They would take the oceans from other
worlds and pour them on this luminary Of
the planetary system, and the waters go
Kissing down amid the rlvines and the
cavems, and there is explosion after ex-
plosion, until there are only a few peaks Of
fire left in the sun, and these are cooling
down and going out until the vast con-
tincnts OF flame are reduced TO
small acreage OF fire, and that
whitens and cools Off until there
are only few Goals left, and these are
whitening and going out until there is not
spark left in all the mountains OF ashes
and the valleys Of ashes and the chasms Of
ashes. An cxtinguishc1 sun. dead
sun. a buried sun. Let all worlds wall
at the stupendous obsequies.
OF course, this Withdrawal OF the solar
light aud heat throws our tatth into uni.
versal chill, and the trogjcs become tb,
temperate. aud the tcmpttlaie becomes th,
| Arctic, and there are irusen rivers and
frozen lakes and frozen aoncans. From
Arctic and Antarctic regions tho inhabit-
ants gather in toward the center and find
| the equator as the poles. The slain forests
are piled up into a great bonfire, aud
around them gather the shlyering villages
and cities. The wealth OF the coal mines
il hastily poured into the furnaces and
stirred into rage Of combustion, but soon
the boniircs begin 20 lower, and the fur
naccs begin 10 60 out, and the nations be-
gin 10 die. CotopaXi, Nesuyius, Etna,
Slromboli, Californian geysen cease to
smoke, and the Ice Of hail storms remains
unmelted in their crater. All the flowers
have brcathcd their last breath. Ships
with sailors frozen nj the mast, and helms.
men frozen at the wheel, and passengers
frozen in the cabin; all nations dying, int
nj the north and then at the south. Child
frosted and dead in the crade. 0ctogcna.
rian frosted and dead at the hearth. Work
mon with frozen hand on'thc hammer and
frozen loot ON the shuttle Winter from
sea 10 sea. All-congealing winter. Per
pctual winter Globe Of frigidiiy. Hem
ispherc shackled to hemisphere by chains
Of Ice. Universal Nova Zembla. Thccarth
an ice-iloc grinding against other ico-iloos.
The archangcls Of malice and horror have
done their work, and now they may take
their thrones Of glacier and look down up
on the ruin they have wrought.
What the destruction Of the sun In the
natural heavens would be 20 our physical
earth the destruction of Christianity would
be 10 the moral world--the sun turned
into darkness. Inhdelity In our time "
considered great Joke. There are people
| who rejoice TO hear Christianity carica-
turod aud 10 hear Christ ussailed with
quibblc and quirk and Misrepresentation
aud bandinagc and harlequinade.
propose this morning TO take inildelity
and atheism out Of the realm oi j0cularily
into one of tragedy, and show YOU what
they propose, and what, II they are sue
cessiul, they will accomplish. There are
those In all our c0mmuniiies who would
like b. see the Christian religion over.
thrown, and who say the world would be
better without H. | want 10 show you
what Is the end Of this road aud what II
the terminus OF this crusade, and what
this world will be- when atheism and inf.
deity have trumphcd oyur H. i they can.
| say, II they can. i reitcute, II they can.
In the first place, II will be tho COM
pleto and unuttorable degradation Of wom-
anhood. will prove Il by facts and argu'
ments which no honest man will dispute.
In all communities aud cities and States
and nations where the Christian religion
has been dominant wOman's condition
has been amelioraiod and improved, and
she Is deferred 10 aud honorc1 in thou
sand things, and every gentleman takes
of his hat before her. II your associa-
tions have been good you know that the
name Of wife, mother, daughter suggcs,
gracious surroundings. You know there
are no better schools and Bcminaries
In Brooklyn or in any city Of
this country than the schools and
sominaries for our young ladies. You
know that while women may suffer in
justice In England and ie United states,
she has more Of her righ In Chrislendom
than she has anywhere lse.
| Now, compare this wi,h woman's condi-
ton In lands where Christianity has made
little or no adyance--in China, In Bar
barry, In Borneo, In Tariary, In Egypt In
llindostan. The Burme.e sell their wives
aud daughters M 20 many sheep. The
Ilindoo Bible makes II disgraceiul end m
Outrage for q woman % listen 10 music OF
look out Of the window IN the absence o.
ber husband, and gives as a lawful ground
for divorce a woman's beginning TO eat be
fore her husband has finished his meal
What mean those white bundles ON tn,
ponds and rivers In China In the morning.
lnfanticide following inianticidc. Female
| ehildrou elcairovo.l ~.....,.lv hagatHp the,