The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1891-01-08
A NEW YEARS SERMON.
PREACHED BY pR TALMA6E, SUM-
DAY, JAN, 4, 1891.

He Describes "a Forward Movcmcnt-The
Conflict Betwcen Right and Wrong.
Christians should Not Lose Courage,
hut should Press on to Victory.
BRooKIyN, Jan. 4.-Dr. Talmage's
New Years sermon is ringing battle
cry to ministers and Christians every
where, calling upon them to join In
combined charge ON the intrenchments
OF sin and Satan, 1t made "A deep i'm
preston on the vast crowds who heard
it in this city this morning, and at The
Christian Herald service tonight in
New York The enthusiasm at the lat
ter service was increased by the effect,
i've aid rendered by a large volunteer
choir which has been organized from
the audiences, who sung with n volume
and fervor seldom equaled After the
singing of the hymn commencing,
Come, Holy Spirit, heavenly dove
With all thy quickening powers,
DR.. Talmage preached the following
sermon from the text Luke xiv, 40,
''Tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem I'M
til We be endued with power from on
high"
For few months, in the providence
of God, Ihave two pulpits, one in Brook
lyn and the other in New York, and
through the kindness of the printing
press an ever widening opportunity
To all such hearers and readers come
with an especial message The time
has arrived for a forward movement
such as the church and the world have
never seen. That there is need for
such religious movement is evident
from the fact that never since our
world was swung out among the planets
has there been such an organized and
determined effort to overthrow right
eousness and make the Ten Command
ments obsolete and the whole Bible
derision. Meanwhile alcoholism is tax
ing down its victims by the hundreds
of thousands, and the political parties
get down on their knees, practically
saying: 20 thou almighty rum jug! we
bow down before thee. Give ns the
Offices, city, state and national. Oh,
give us the offices and we will worship
thee for ever and ever, Amen"
The Christian Sabbath meanwhile,
appointed for physical, mental and
spiritual rest, is being secularized and
abolished. AS if the bad publishing
houses of our own country had ex-
hausted their literary filth. the French
and Russian sewers have been invited
to pour their scurrility and moral slush
into the trough where our American
swine are now waAowing. Meanwhile
there are enough houses of infamy in
oil our cities, open and unmolested of
the law, to invoke the o,nnipotent
wrath which buried Sodom under
deluge of birthstone The pandemo-
MAC world. | think, has massed its
troops, and they are this moment ply
ing their batteries upon family circles,
church circles, social circles, political
circles and national circles Apollyon
IS in the saddle, and, riding at the head
of his myrmidons, would capture this
world for darkness and woe.
THK CHRISTIAN SIDE OF THE FIGHT.
That is one side of the conflict now
raging. On the other side we have the
most magnificent gospel machinery that
the world ever saw or heaven ever in
vented. In the first place, there are in
this country more than so, 600 ministers
of religion, and, take them rs a class.
more donscerated, holier, more consist
ent, more self denying, more faithful
men never lived know them by the
thousands. have met them in every
city am told, not by them, but by
people outside our profession. people
engaged in Christian and reforinatery
work, that the clergy of America are
Mt the head OF all good enterprises, and
whoever else fail they may be depend
ed on The truth of this is de,nonStrat
ed by tho fact that when minister OF
religion does fail. it is 50 exceptional
that the newspapers report it rs some
thing startling, while a hundred men
in other calling. may 60 down without
the matter being considered RS espe-
cia,ly worth mentioning.
In addition to their equipment in
moral character the clergy OF this
country have all that the schools caa
give. All archaeological, rhetorical,
scientific, scholastic. literary attain
ment. So much for the Christian min
istry of all denominations. In the next
place, on our side OF the conflict we
have the grandcst churches of all time,
and higher style of membership and
more of them. and host without NUM-
Der of splendid men and women who
are doing their best to have this world
purified, elevated, gospclized. But we
all feel that something is wanting.
Enough hearty songs have been sung
and enough earnest sermons preached
within the last six months to save all
the cities of America; and saving the
cities you save the world, for they over
HOW I'LL tIlt EiLlu elbiltf Will tItT re
ligion or their iafany.
SOME STARTLING FACES
But look at some of the startling
facts 1t Is nearly nineteen hundred
years since Jesus Christ came by the
way of Bethlehem caravansary to saw,
this world, yet the most of the worlt
has been no more touched by this mos
stupcndous fact of all eternity than /
on the first Christmas night the beast
of the stall. amid the bleatings of thei
own young. had not heard the bleatins
of the Lamb that was to be slain. Gu
of the eighteen hundred million of tn,
human race, fourteen hundred million
are without God and without hope il
the world, the camel driver q Arabia
Mahomct. with lis nine wives, favinl
half rs maDy disciples a. our blesset
Christ. and more people are worship
ing chunks OF painted wool and
carved stone than arc worslliping the
living and eternal God. Meanwhile
che most of us who are engaged iI
=: I l. e. n.