The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1889-05-01
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
A Discourse Appropriate to the
Centennial
Tho Glorious Condition Of These United
states--Th American Colonies
and the Great Rev
olution.

the Brooklyn Tabernacle to a vast audi
ence. HIS text was II. Kings vi II: "And
the Lord opened the ewes of the young
man; and be saw: and, behold, the noun
tain was full of horses and cnariots of fire
round about e isha." He said:
As it cost England many regiments and
two million dollars year to keep safely
troublesome captive at St II lena, so the
king OF Syria sends out whole army to
capture one minister Of religion-r rerhaps
80 0JO men to take Elisha. During the
night the army Of Assyrians came around
the village oil Dothan, whore the prophet
was staying. At early day break the man
servant of Elisha rushed In and said:
"What shall we dor there is whole army
come to destroy you. We must die, we
mu It die" But Elisha was not scared a
bit for he looked up and saw the
noun aims all around full Of super
natural forces, and he knew that
II there were 80, 0O0 Assyrians against
him there were 100000 angels for him;
and in answer to the prophets PRAYER in
behalf Of his affrighted man servant, the
young man saw IL too Hor,es Of hre har-
messed TO chariots OF fire. and drivers Of
fire pulling reins OF fire IN bits Of fire; and
warriors Of fire with brandi'hei sword Of
FIRE, and tue bril- lance OF that NOR ling
sunrise was eci,sed by the gall ping
splendors OF tho celestial cavalc de. 'And
the L rd opened the eyes Of the young
man; and he saw; and, b,hold. the noun
tain was fu OF horses AMI chariots OF fire
round about Elisha" have often spoken
to you of the AssyrIan perils which threat
en- our American institutions but now as
we are assembling to keep centen nial
celebration OF the inNugura ion Of WASH
ing. .on, speak Of the upper forces OF the
text that are to fight on ou side. IL all
the low levels are flied wi h armed
threats, I have to tel you tIat the noun
I Tins o our hope and courage and faith
are full OF Ihe horses and chariots OF Di-
vine rescue,
You will notice trat the Divine equipage
Il ways represented as a chariot Of fire.
Ezekial and allah and John. when they
cJme 10 describe the Divine equ page. al
was represent 1t as a wheeled, har-
VtNNNut uu uDuOsNbfiNh hkAdAiSh ~
is not enariot like Kings and conquerors
Of earth mount, bu al organized and
G impressed fire. That mea Is purity. JUS
tic, chastisement, deliv rance t1rough
burning escapes. Chariot OF rescu,i yes,
cut cha lot Of fire. AL cur national dis
entnrall mems have boon Through scorch-
ing sgolies and red disasters. Throu III
trlbulation the individual rises. Through
triDula Ions nations rise. Chariots Of res
tu bat chariots Of fire.
But how do / know that this Divine
elulpage Is on the sid, OF our n .nItitutionsf
know 1t by the history OF the lat ono
hundred and eight years. The American
Revolution started from The pen Of job
Hancock In Independence Hall In 1770
Tue colonies without ships, without am
nun tion, without guns, without trained
warriors, without money. without prestige
On the other side the mightiest nation OF
the ca th. the largest armies, and the
gran lest navies, and the most distin-
guished commander, and resources In
exhaustible, and neatly all nations ready
to back them up In the fight Nothing as
against Immensity.
The cause OF the American colonies,
which started at zero, dropped still lower
through TIE quarreling o! the Generals
and through the jealousies at small sue
cesses and through the winters which
surpassed all predecessors In denth OF
snow and horrors Of congealment Elisha
surr unded by the whole Assyrlan army
did not seem TO be worse OF than did the
thirteen colonies oncompassed AMI over
sfadowed by foreign assault What de-
clned the contest In our favorI The upper
70 ces, the upper armies. The Green and
White mountains Of New England,
the Highland, along the HudsoL the
mountains Of Virginia. all the App.
lachian ranges were full OF re-enfo 'ce-
ments which the young man Wash
lngton saw by fai b; and his mon endured
the frog N feet, and the gangrenod ounds,
ami tho exhau sting hun or, and the long
march because 9Th, Lord opened the eyes
Of the young man; and he saws aud, be-
hold, the mountains were full Of norses
and chariots Of fire round alb ut Elisha "
Washington blmself was a miracle. VIVA,
Joshua was In sacred history the fr,t
American Pre- ,ident was In secular history.
A thousand other men exec ID him In dif-
fsrent th ngs, but he excelled them all In
roundness and completeness Of character.
The world never saw his like, and proba-
bly, never will see his like again, because
there probably never will be another such
exigency. He was let down a Divine In
terpositioi. He was from God direct
do not know how any man can read
the history Of those times without admit
ting that the contest was decided by tbs
upper forces.
Tnen In 1851, when our civil war opened,
many at the North and Mt the Souih Drs-
nounced 10 national suicide. II was not
courage against cowardlco. IL was not
wealth against poverty. II was not large
States against small States 1t was hero
ism against heroisni, II was he resources
OF many z 'nerations against the resources
Of generations, IL was the prayer OF the
Norta against tho prayer OF the South. II
was one-half o. tho nation In armed wrath
meeting the other hs Z OF the nati,n In
armed ind gnation. What c .ull como bp
exterminationf
At the opening Of the war the comma I'd.
or IN. chef Of tho United Safes forc e
was man VINO had been great In battle,
but old age had com with many in6rm-
lties. and he had right to quIstude Ha
could no mount bose, and he rode on
the bltlle field In a carriage a.ki 6 the
driver not 10 olt IL too much. Duri g the
most Of the oar years OF lhs contest on
the So rthern lie wa' man IN mid-ilfe,
who had Ia his veins the Uitoi Of many
/ l--..I... of s..arrlnra him uall nna nl