Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-04-15
Nd OF A REMARKABLE ERA.
PROPHECY MAY BE FULFILLED.
ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DrsrArcH.j

sages descriptive OF the world as IL sna1 De
when gospeIized, DR.. Talmage gave out the
hymn:
People and realms of every tongue
Dwell on his love with sweetest song.
Text Revelations xix. 4: "Amen; Allie
lula"
The nineteenth century is departing. After
it has taken a few more steps, if each year be a
step, it will be gone into the eternities. In a
short time we shall be in the last decade of this
century which fact makes the solemnest book
outside the Bible the almanac, and the most
suggestive and the most tremendous piece of
machinery in all the earth the clock. The last
decade of this century upon which we shall
soon enter will be the gTandest, mightiest and
most decisive decade in all the chronologies. l
am glad it is not to come Immediately, for we
need by a new baptism of the Holy Ghost to
prepare for it, That last ten years of the nine
teenth century, may we all live to see them!
Does anyone say that this division of time is
arbitrary? Oh, no; in other ages the divisions
of time may have been arbitrary, but our years
date from Christ Does anyone say that the
grouping of ten together is an arrangement
arbitrary? Oh, no; next to the figure seven, ten
is with God favorite number. Abraham dwelt
ten years in Caanan. Ten righteous men
WOULD HAVE SAVED soDoM.
In the ancient tabernacle were ten curtains
their pillars ten and their sockets ten. In the
ancient temple were ten LAYERS and ten candle
sticks and ten tables, and a molten sea of ten
cubits. And the commandments written on
the granite of Mount Sinai were ten, and the
kingdom of God was likened to ten virgins,
and ten men should lay hold of him that was a
Jew, and the reward of the greatly faithful is
that they shall reign over ten cities, and in the
effort to take the census of the New Jerusalem
the number ten swings around the thousands,
crying ten thousand times ten thousand" So
come to look toward the closing ten years of
the nineteenth century with an intensity of in
terest can hardly describe.
1 have also noticed that the favorite time in
many of the centuries for great events was the
closing fragment of the century. Is America
TO be discovered, it must be in the last decade
of the fifteenth century, namely, 1872 Was
free Constitutional Government TO be well eS-
tablished in America, the last years of the
eighteenth century must achieve it, Were
three cities to be submerged by one pitch of
scoris, Herculaneum and Strab8 and Pom
peii in the latter part of the first century must
60 under. The fourth century closed with the
most agitating ecclesiastical war of history,
Urban the Sixth against Clement the Seventh.
Alfred the Great closes the ninth century, and
Edward Ironsides the eleventh century with
their resounding deeds. The sixteenth century
closed with the establishment of religious in
dependence in the United Netherlands. Aye
almost every century has had its peroration of
overtowering achievements. As the closing
years of the centuries seem faYorite time for
great scenes of
EMANCIPATION OR DISASTER, 7
and as the number ten seems a favorfte num-
Der in the Scriptures, written by divine direc-
tion, and as we are soon to enter upon the last
ten years of the nineteenth century. what does
the world propose? What does the church of
Christ propose? What do reforlners propose?
1 know not; but now in the presence of this
consecrated assembly propose that we make
ready, get all our batteries planted and all our
plans well laid in what remains of this decade,
and then in the last decade of the nineteenth
century march up and take this round world
for God.
When say we, mean the 500, 600 900 Christ
ians now alive. But as many of them will not
have enough heart for the work, let US copy
Gideon, and as he had 32, 900 men iTi'lis army
to fight the Midianites. but many of them were
not made of the right stuff, he promulgated
military order saying: "Whosoever is fearful
and afraid let HIM return and depart early
from Gilead," and 2, 600 were afraid of getting
hurtand went home. and onlyl00O 600 were left, and
God told them that even this reduced number
was too large a number. for they might think
they had triumphed independent of divine
help, and so the nun Der must be still further
reduced, and only those should be kept in the
ranks who in passing the river should be so in
haste for victory over their enemies that
though very thirsty, they would without stop.
ping second just scoop up the water in the
palm of their right hand and scoop up the
water in the palm of their left hand and only
800 men did that, and those 800 men, with the
battle Shout THE sword of the Lord and of
Gideon" scattered the Midianites
LIKE LEAVES IN AN EQUINOX,
so out of the SOC, ,OOO 900 nominal Christians of
to-day let all unbelievers and towards go home
and get out of the way. And suppose we have
only 100000 600 left, suppose only 200 O0O OOO
left, suppose only l00, 900 left yea, suppose
we have only 100000 left, with them we will
undertake the divine crusade, and each one
Just scOoping up palm full of the river of
Gods mercy in one hand and palm full of
Gods strength in the other, let us with the cry,
''The sword of the Lord and of Gideon" the
sword of the Lord and of John Knox, the sword
of the Lord and of Matthew Simpson, the sword
of the Lord and of Bishop McIlvane the sword
of the Lord and of Adoniram Judson the
sword of the Lord and of Martin Luther 20 in
to the last decade of the Nineteenth century.
Is il audacious for me to propose it? Oh,
no; captive servant in the kitchen of Naaman
told the commander-in-chief where he could
get rid of the blotches of his awful leprosy, and
his complexion became as fair as a babe's. And
didn't Christ in order to lake the ophthalmia
out of the ewes of the blind man, use mixture
of spittle and dust? And whb showed BlucEer
n short cut for his army. so that instead of
taking the regular road by which he would
have come up too late, he came up in time to
save Waterloo and Europe? Was it not an un-
known lad, who perhaps could not write his
own name? And so l. ''who am less than the
least of all saints" propose short cut to vic
tory, and am willing to be the expectoration on
generals of the Lord of Hosts how this
leprosied world may in the final decade of
the nineteenth century have its flesh come
again as the flesh of
A LITTLE CHILD.
Is there anything in prophecy to hinder this
speedy consummation? No. Someone begins
70 quote from Daniel about time times and a
half time," and takes from Revelation the
seven trumpets blowing them all at once in
my ear. But with utmost reverence L take up
all the prophecies and hold them toward
heaven and say God never has and never will
stop consecrated effort and holy determination
and magnificent resolve, and that if the church
of God will rise up to its full work it can make
Daniels time 20 years and his half time II
years Neither Isaiah, nor Ezekiel nor Micah
nor Malachi, nor jeremiah, nor any of the ma
Suppose the Bible had announced the millen
MUM to Degin the year $3.50. that would be no
hindrance.
In one sense God never changes His mind
being the same yesterday, to-day and forever
But in another sense He does change His mind
and times without number every day, and thai
is when His people pray. Didn't He change
His mind about Nineveh? By Gods command
Jonah, 1t the top of his voice, while standing
on the steps Of the Merchants Exchange anC
the palatiat residences of that city, cried out
"Het 40 DAYS and Nineveh shall be over
thrown" Was il overthrow in 40 days? No
The people gave up their sins and cried fol
mercy, and though Jonah got mad because hi
whole course of sermons had been spoiled anC
went into a disgraceful pouting. we have thu
record so sublime cannot read il without feel
ing a nervous chill running through me- "GoC
saw their works that they turned from thei
evil way, and GOD repented of the evil that HI
had said he would do unto them and be diS