The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1891-01-14
TALMAGE ON NEW YEARS.
MESSAGE TO MINISTERS AND OTHERS.
A Great Religious Movement Needed-Ef-
forts TO Overthrow Righteousness Must
BE Made Inerective-The Weapon
For Victory Named.

IL AAAAa - ~ 49, - 80 NNa ~
ringing battIe-cry to ministers and Chris
tians everywhere, calling upon them to
join in a combined charge on the en-
trenchments Of sin and Satan. 1t made a
deep impression on the vast crowds who
heard it in Brooklyn Sunday morning, and
at the Christian Herald service Sunday
night in New York. The enthusiasm at
the latter service was increased by the ef-
fective aid rendered by a large volunteer
choir which has been organized from the
audiences, who sung with a volume and
fervor seldom equaled. After the singing
of the hymn commencing
Come, Holy Spirit, Heavenly Dove,
With all thy quickening powers
DIR. Talmage preached the following
sermon from the text, Luke, xiv, 40:
''Tarry We in the city of Jerusalem until
We be endued with power from on high"
For a few months, in the providence OF
God, 1 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 Il hear
ers and readers | come with an especial
message. The time has arrived for a for
ward movement such as the church and
the world have never seen. That there Is
need for such a religious movement is
evident from the fact that never since our
world was swung out among the planets
has there been such IN 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: 20 thou al
mighty Rum jug, We bow down before
thee. Give us the Offices, city, state and
national. Oh, give us the offices and We
will worship thee forever and ever.
Amen" The Christian sabbath mean
viii e, appointed Tor physical, mental and
spiritual rest, Is being secularlZed and
abolished. As if the bad publishing
houses of our WI country had exhausted
their literary filth, the French and kus-
sian 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 marts of infamy in all our cities,
open and unmOlested OF the law, To invoke
the OmnipOteGt wrath which buried Sod
ON under a deluge of birthstone. The
pandemOniac world, | think, has massed
Its troops and they are this moment ply
ing their ~..tterirs upon family circles,
church circles. social circles, political cir
Giles and national circles. ApolyOn is in
the saddle and, riding at the head Of his
myrmidOns, would capture this world for
darkness and woe.
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 the first place, in this country are more
than $1,000 ministers of religion and, take
them as a class, more consecrated, holieT,
more consistent, more self-denving, more
faithful men never lived. | know them
by the thousands. / have met them in
every city. i am told, not by them but by
people outside our profession, people en-
gagged in Christian and refOrmatOry work,
that the clergy OF America are at the head
OF ali 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 fail, it is
30 exceptional that the newspaper report
1t as something startling, while a hundred
men IN other ca llngs may 90 down with
out the matter being considered as espe-
CldIAl NOIlll ultlitiOliillZ. III dtlNlAlOn u
their equipment in moral character, the
clergy of this country nave al that the
schools can give. Ali archaeological rhe-
%torical, scientific, scholastic, literary at
tainment. SO much for the Christian
ministry Of all denominations. In the
next place on our side of the conflict we
have the grandest churches OF ali time and
higher style of membership, and more of
them, and a host without number of
splendid men and women who are doing
their best TO nave this world purified. ele-
waited. gOspelized. 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 overflow all the land either with
their religion or their infamy.
But look at some of the startling facts.
1t is neary 1900 years since Jesus Christ
anne by the way of Bethlehem caravan
sary TO save this world, vet he most of the
world has been no more touched by this
most stupendOus fact OF all eternity han
If OF the first Christmas night the beasts
of the stall, amid the bleatings Of their
own young, had not heard the bleating of
the Lamb, that was to be slain. Out OF
the eighteen hundred million If the hui
man race fourteen hundred million are
without God and without hope in the
world. the camel-driver OF Arabia, Mo
manned. with his nine wives, having half
as many disciples as our blest Christ. and
more people are wOrshiping chunks of
painted wood and carved stone than are
worshiping the living and eternal God.
Meanwhile, the most of us who are en-
gagged in Christian work. speak for my
self as well as Others-are toiling up toOur
full capacity of body, mind and soul, har-
messed up to the last buckle, not able to
draw a pound more than We are drawing,
or lift an ounce more than we are lifting.
What is the matter? My text lets out
the secret. We all need more Of the power
from on high. Not muscular power, not
logical power, not scientific power, not So
cial power, not financial power, not brain
power, but power from on high. With it
we could accomplish more IN one week
than without it in a hundred years. Aud
/ am going to get it, if in answer to a
prayer, earnest and long-con tinued, God
will grant it me, His unworthy servant.
Men and women who know how TO pray,
when you pray for yourself, pray for me
that / may be endued with power from on
high. | would rather nave it than all the
diamond fields of Golconda, and all the
pearls of the sea, and all the gold OF the
mountains MANY III the mi0htiast infal-