Democratic messenger., 1889-04-20

Talmage gave nut The hymn:
People and realms Of every tongue
Dwell on his love with sweetest sung.
Text, Revelations xix, I: "Amcn ALE
luia."
The 10Th century is departing. Amer IL
has taken few more steps, if each year
hcla step Il will be gone into the ctcrni.
ties. In short time We shall bc in the
last decade Of this century. which fac,
makes the solemnest book outside the Bi.
bic, the almanac, and the most suggestive
aud the most tremendous piece OF ma.
chincry in all the earth the clock. The
last decade of this century upon which we
shall soon enter will he the grandesi.
mighticst and most decisive decade In all
the chronologics. ] am glad il Is not Ia
come Immediately, for We need by a new
baptism Of the Holy Ghost to prepare for
Il. That last 10 years Of the 10Th century.
may we all live to see them! Does any
one say that this division Of time is arbi-
irary: Oh. no. in other Ases the divis.
ions of time may have been arbitrary but
our years date from Christ. Does anyone
say tha, the grouping Of ten together is
an arrangement arbitrary! oh no. next
to the figure Z, 10 Is with God iayorite
number. Abraham dwelt 10 years in Ca.
nan. Ten righteous men would have
saved Sodom. In the ancient tabernacle
were 10 curtains, their pillars 10 and their
sockets 10. In the ancient temple were 10
LAYERS and 10 candle sticks and 10 tables
and molten sea of 10 cubits. And the
commandments written on the granite
of Mount Sinai were 10. and the Kingdom
Of God was likencd To ten virgins. and
10 men should lay hold of him that was a
jew. and the reward of the greatly faith.
ful is that they shall reign over 10 cities.
and in the effort to take the census Of the
New Jerusalem the number 10 swings
around the thousands crying "iO. .000 times
10000" So come To look toward the
closing 10 years Of the 10Th ccniur: with
an intensity of interest | can hardly dc-
scribc
have also noticed that the f;ivorilc time
in many OF the centuries for great events
was the closing fragment Of the century.
Is America To hc discovered, il must br in
the las, decade of The 18th century, name
~ tig! Was free constitutional govern.
mcnt Ia be- well established in America. the
last years ot the 18th century must achieve
H. Were three cities 10 he submerged 10y
one pitch Of scoriT, llcrcnlancum and
Strahir nj Pnmpcii IN the latter part oi
The Isl century must go under. The iih
century closed with the most agitating
ecclesiastical war nf history, Cbram the
sixth against Cicmcu the Seventh. Alfred
the Great closes the 9th century aud Ed
waid Ironsiics the | lth century with their
rcsoundins deeds The 18th century
closed with the establishment of Religions
independence in the United Netherlands,
Aye. almost every century has had lis Pc
roraiion of OvertoweriEg achievements :
A. the closing years of the centuries seem
u favorite time tor great scenes uf cmanci.
patton or disaster, and the number IN
seems E,vori,c number in the Scriptures.
written by divine direction. and as We are
soon to enter upon the last 10 years of the
10Th century. what does the world pro.
pose: What does the Church of Christ
propose: What lo rcformcrs propose
| know not hut now in the presence Of
this consecratr,i assembly propose that
We make ready, got all our batteries
planted and all our plans well laid in what
remains of This decade, aud then in the
las, decade or The 18th century march up
and take this round world for God.
GIDEON ASD IIis SMALL. BAND.
When | say we mean the i'm. .O00, 900
Christians now alive but. as many of
them will not have enough heart for the
work, let Us copy Gideon. AMI rs he had
~ 400 men in his army 10 fight the Mid.
ianitcs. hut Many Of them were not male
Of the righ, stun and hs promulgated n
military order saying: whatsoever is
fearful and afraid let him return aud lie.
part early from Gilcad," and s?,OOo were
afraid Of getting hurt and went home aud
only iOOO0 were left. aud Gud told them
that even this reduced number was ton
large number. for they might think they
had triumphcd independent OF divine help,
and so the number mus, he still further
reduced and only those should bc kept in
the ranks who In passing the river should
be- 81 in haste for victory over their enc
mics that. though very thirsty. they would
wiihou; stopping second just scoop up
the water in the palm Of their right hand
and scoop up the water in the palm ofthcir
leil hand, aud only 3OO men did that an,l
those 100 men with the battle shout The
sword of the lord and of Gideon scat.
tered the Midianics like leaves in an cqui.
nox; 50 out 0i The jO0.OO0.u0O nominal
Christians Of today let all unhclicVcrs and
towards 20 home aud get ou, ui the way
And suppose we have only IW~@NM
len. suppose only sO0,0OO,O0 lett, suppose
only 100000, ,OOO lcil, yea, suppose weonly
have jO,OOO.OO0 lcfi. with them We will
undertake the divine crusade. and each
one just scooping up a palm full OF the
river of Gods mercy in one hand and n
palm full of the river Of Gods strength in
the other. let us with the cry The sword
of the Lord and Of Gideon" the sword al
the Lord aud of John Knox, the sword oi
the Lord ami of Matthew simpson. the
sword of the Lord and Of bishop Me-
Ilvainc, the sword of the Lord and Of AL.
oniram .Iudson, the sword Of the Lord
aud &c Martin Luther. go into the last de.
cadc Of the 10Th century.
\ SHORT crr To VICTORY.
l. Il audacious for me to propose Il 4,
oh; no a captive servant in the kitchen
oi Naaman told the cOmman,lcr.in.chiei