The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-10-01
TALMAGE'S StRMVH.
AN ELOQCENT nlSCOrHSE Bl THE
BKOUkLIN DIfitE.


1ne NlneUeenth century is departing. Al
ter it has taken few more steps, II each
year be step, it will be gone into the eterni-
ties In short time we shall - n the last
decade OF this century, :; ..--A Ie.GC inaKes the
solemnest book outside the Bible the al
manac, 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 grandest, mightiest and most
decisive decade in all the chronologies. I am
glad it is not to come Immediately, for we
need by new baptism of the Holy Ghost to
prepare for it. That last ten years of the
Nineteenth century, may we all live to see
theml Does any one say that this division
Of time is arbitrary? Oh, no; in other ages
the divisions Of time may have been arbi-
Tary, but our years date from Christ. Does
any one 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 sock
cts ten. In the ancient temple were ten law
ers and ten candlesticks and ten tables and
molten sea Of ten cubitS And the command
ments written on the granite of Mount
Sinai were ten, and the kingdom of God was
ikeIed to ten virgins, and ten men should lay
hold Of him that was 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
thousands times ten thousands" So come
to look toward the closing ten years Of the
Nineteenth century with an intensity Of in
terest / can hardly describe.
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,
1892. Was free constitutional government to
be well established in America, the last years
of the Eighteenth century must achieve it.,
We're three cities to be submerged by one
pitch Of scorisa, Herculaneum and Strabie
and Pompeii in the latter part of the First
century must 60 under. The Fourth CEN
tury closed with the most agitating ecclesi-
astical war of history, Urban the Sixth
Great closes the Ninth century and Edward
honsides the Eleventh century with their re-
sounding 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 clos
ing years of the centuries seem favorite
time for great scenes of emancipation or dis
aster, and as the number ten seems favor
ite number in the Scriptures, written by di-
vine direction, and as we are soon to enter
upon the last ten years of the Nineteenth CEN
tury, what does the world propose? What
does the church of Christ propose? What do
reformers propose? / know not; but now in
the presence of this consecrated assembly
propose that we make ready, get all our bat
teries 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 l say we, I mean the five hundred
million Christians now alive. But, as many
of them will not have enough heart for the
work let us copy Gideon, and ash he had thirty
two thousand men in his army 70 fight the
Midianites but many Of them were not made
of the right stuff and he promulgated mill
tary order saying; "Whosoever is fearful
and afraid let him return and depart early
from Gilead," and twenty-five thousand
We're afraid of getting hurt and went
home and only ten thousand were left and
God told them that even this reduced number
was too large a number, for they might think
they had triImphed independent of divine
help, and so tho number 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
stopping second just scoop up the water
In the palm of their right hand and
scoop up the water III the palm Of their
left hand, and only three hundred men did
that and those three hundred men with the
battle shout: 'vThe sword Of the Lord and of
Gideon" scattered the Midianites like leaves
In an equinox, so out of the five hundred mil
hon nominal Christians of to-day let all un-
believers and towards 60 home and get out
of the way. And suppose we have only four
hundred million left. suppose only two hun
dred million left suppose only one hundred
million left ypn ny,lU hoUa f1ftv
million 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 the river Of Gods
strength in the other, let us with the cry,
'"The sword of the Lord anf Gideon" the
sword of the Lord and Of John Knox, the
sword OF TIE Lord and of Matthew Simpson,
the sword Of the Lc-G and OF Bishop Nell
vaine, the sword Of the Lord and of Adoniram
JuGsol the sword Of the Lord an3 Of Martin
Luthcr, so into the last decade Of the Nine
teenth century.
Is is a,;dacious for me to propose It2 Oh,
no: captive servant in the kitchen Of
Naaman told the conmander-in-chief where
he could get rid Of the blo+ches of his awful
leproSy and his complexion became as fair as
babes. And didn't Christ in order to take
the ophthalmia cut of the eyes of the blind
man use mixture of spiGtle and dust? And
who showed Blucher short cut for his army,
so that instead Of 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 unknown lad, who perhaps
could not write his own name? And so 7,
''who am less than the least Of all saints"
propose short cut to victory and am willing
to be the expectoration on some blind eye
and tell some of the brigadier generals of the
Lord of host how this leprosied world may in
the final decade Of the Nineteenth century
have its flesh come again US the flesh of
little child.
Is there anything in prophecy to hinder
this speedy contamination? No. Some one
begins to quote from Daniel about ''time,
times and half time" and takes from Re
velation the seven trumpets blowing them all
at once in my ear But with utmost rever-
ence take up all the prophecies and hold
them toward heaven and say God nerer
has and never will stop consecrated
effort and holy determination and
mag ;fcent resolve, and that if
the church Of God will rise up to its
full work it can make Daniels time
twenty wears and his half time fen wears