Milford chronicle., 1891-01-09

BROOKLYN, Jan. 4.-Dr. Talmageis New
Years sermon is ; ringing battle cry K
ministers and Christians everywhere, call
ing upon them 10 join in combined
charge on the intrenchments of sin and Sa
tan. It made a deep impression on the
vast crowds who heard it in this city this
morning, and at The Christian Herald ser
vice tonight in New York. The enthusi
asm at the latter service was increased by
the effective aid rendered by a large vol
unteer choir which has been organized
from the audiences, who sung with a vol
ume 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 ser
mon from the text, Luke xiv, 40, "Tarry
ye in the city of Jerusalem until ye be en-
dued with power from on high;"
For a few months, in the providence Of
God, have two pulpits, one in Brooklyn
and the other in New York, and through
the kindness Of the printing press an ever
widening opportunity. To all such hear
ers and readers 1 come with an especial
message, The time has arrived for for
ward movement such as the church and
the world have never seen. That there is
a 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 de-
termined effort to overthrow righteous
ness, and make the Ten Commandments
obsolete and the whole Bible a derision
Meanwhile alcoholism is taking down its
victims by the hundreds of thousands, and
the political parties get down on their
knees, practically saying: 80 thou al
mighty rum jugl we bow down before
theel Give us the Otfices-city, state and
national. Oh, give us the offices, and we
will worship thee for ever and ever,
Amen"
The Christian Sabbath meanwhile, ap-
pointed for physical, mental and spiritual
rest, is being secularized and abolished.
As If the bad publishing houses of our
own country had exhausted 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 wallowing.
! Meanwhile there are enough houses of in /
fanny in all our cities, open and unmolested /
Of the law, to invoke the omnipotent
wrath which buried Sodom under deluge
of birthstone. The pandemOniac world, /
think, has massed its troops, and they are (
at this moment plying their batteries upon I
family circles, church circles, social circles, [
political circles and national circles. |
Apollyon is in the saddle, and riding at I
the head of his myrmidOns would capture /
this world for darkness and woe.
THE MINISTERS OF THE UNITED STATES.
That is one side of the conflict now rag
ing On the other side we have the most
magnificent gospel machinery that the
world ever saw or heaven ever invented. In
than eighty thousand ministers of religion
and, take them as a class, more conse-
Grated, holier, more consistent, more self
denying, more faithful men never lived l
know them by the thousands. I have met
them in every city am told, not bythem,
but by people outside our profession, peo-
pie engaged in Christian and reformatory
work, that the clergy of America are at the
head OF all good enterprises, and whoever
else fail they may be depended on. The
truth Of this is demonstrated by the fact
that when a minister OF religion does fall,
it is so exceptional that the newspapers re-
port it as something startling, while hun
dred men in other callings may 60 down
without the matter being considered as es-
pecially worth mentioning.
In addition to their equipment in moral
character the clergy of this country have
all that the schools can give. All archao-
logical, rhetorical scientific, scholastic,
literary attainment. So much for the
Christian ministry of all denominations.
In the next place on our side of the con
fict we have the grandest churches OF all
time and higher style of membership and !
more of them, and host without number
of splendid men and women who are doing
their best to have this world purified, ele- /
waited, gospelized. But we all feel that
something is wanting. Enough hearty !
songs have been sung and enough earnest T
sermons preached within the last six :
months to save all the cities of America, ;
and saving the cities you save the world, !
for they overflow all the land either with !,
their religion or their infamy. i
CHRISTIANITY HAS YET MUCH TO WIN. +
But look at some Of the startling facts, =
It is nearly nineteen hundred years since 4
Jesus Christ came by the way Of Bethle- +
hem caravansary to save this world, yet 4
the most of the world has been no more 7
touched by this most stupendous fact Of :,
all eternity than if on the FIRST Christmas y
night the beasts Of the STALL amid The bleat- n
ngs of their own young, had not heard the s
bleating of the Lamb that was to be slain. h
Out of the eighteen hundred million Of the 4
human race fourteen hundred million are e
world, the camel driver Of Arabia, Ma II
lomet, with his nine wives, having half as N
many disciples as our blessed Christ, and -
more people are worshiping chunks of 4,
PAINTED wood and carved stone than are 4,
gorshiping the living and eternal God. 8
Meanwhile, the most Of US who are engaged l.,
II Christian work. speak for myself as se
veil as others-are toiling up to our full -
apacity of body, mind and soul, harnessed AZ
Up to the last buckle, not able to draw n
Dound more than We are drawing or lift so
N ounce more than we are lifting ~
What is the matter2 Ny text lets out fo
he secret. We all need more of the power ~
rom on high. Not muscular power, not "
ogical power, not scientific power, not so nj
ial power, not financial power, not brain dr.
over, but power from on high. With it an
70 could accomplish more in one week II
han without it in hundred gears. Ana ss
am going to get it, If in answer to prayer, e.
arnest and long continued, God win
rant it me, his unworthy servant. Men a
nd women who know how to pray, when ~ ~
ou pray for yourself, pray for me that "
may be endued with power from on z
igh. / would rather have it than all the 20
iamond fields of Golconda, and all the Fel
earls Of the sea, and all the gold Of the
fountains. Many OF the mightiest intel
cts never had a touch Of it, and many Of WI
ie less than ordinary intellects have been tn
with it. And every man and br
oman on earth has a right to aspire to it, sol
right to pray for 1t, and, properly per- pa
stentS will obtain it, da
Power from on the level is a good thing, "
lch pcwer as / may give you, or you may no
We me, by encouraging words and ac- thl
ons Power from on the level when we thl
and by each other ia any Christian up- ine
srtaking. Power from on the level when spl
her pulpits are in accord with ours Wo
over from on the level when the religious cal
Id secular press forward our Christiaq
But power from on the
vel is not sufficient. Powe @h
what we need to take
over straight fror
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