News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1891-01-08
A NEW YEARS SERMON.
PREACHED BY nR TALMAGE, SUM-
DAY, JAN. 4, 1891.

Conflict Between Right and Wrong.
Christians should Not Lose Courage,
but should Press on to Victory.
BROOKLYN, Jan. 4.-Dr. Talmage's
New Years sermon is a ringing battle
cry to ministers and Christians every
where, calling upon them to join in a
combined charge on the intrenchments
of sin and Satan. 1t made 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 a volume
and fervor seldom equaled. After the
singing of the hymn commencing,
Come, Holy Spirit, heavenly dove,
With all thy quckening powers,
DR.. Talinage preached the following
sermon from the text Luke xiv, 40,
''Tarry We 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
Ign and the other in New York, and
through the kindness of the printing
press aH ever widening opportunity.
To all sach hearers and readers l come
with AT especial message. The time
has arrived for a forward movement
such as the church and the world have
never seen. That there is a 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 an organized and
determined effort to overthrow right
eousness and make the Ten Command
ments obsolete and the whole Bible a
derision. Meanwhile alcoholism is tax
inc down its victims by the hundreds
of thousands, and the political parties
get down on their knees, practically
saying: 80 thou almighty rum jugl we
bow down before thee. Give US 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 wallowing. Meanwhile
there are enough houses of infamy in
all our cities, open and unInolested of
the law, to invoke the omnipotent
wrath which buried Sodom under a
deluge of birthstone. The pandemo-
mae 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 ia the saddle. and, riding at the head
OF his 1nyrnidons, would capture this
world for darkness and woe.
THE CHRISTIAN SIDE OF THE FIGHT.
That is one side of the conflict now
raging. On the other side we have the
mostmagnifeent 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 as a class,
more eonsecrated, holier, more consist
emf, 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 reformatory
work. that the clergy of America are
at the head of all good enterprises, and
whoever else fail they may be depend
ed on The truth of this is demonstrate
ed by the fact that when a minister of
religion does fail. it is so exceptional
that the newspapers report it as some
thing startling while a hundred men
ia other callings may go down without
the matter being considered as espe-
ciaIy worth mentioning.
In addition to their equipment in
moral character the clergy of this
country have all that the schools can
give All archaeological, rhetorical,
scientific, scholastic. literary attain
meat. So much for the Christian min
istry Of all denominations. Ia the pext
place. on our side of the conflict we
have the grandest churches of all time,
and higher style of membership and
more of them. and a host without mum
BIER of splendid men and women who
are doing their best TO have this world
purified elevated, 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 yOn save the world, for they over
flow all the land either with their re-
ligion or their infalny
SOME STARTLING FACTS.
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 save
this world, yet the most of the world
alas been no more touched by this most
stupendous fact of all eternity than if
on 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 of the
human race, fourteen hundred million
the werld, the camel driver of Arabia,
Maholnet. with his nine wives, having
half as many disciples as our blessed
Christ, and more people are worship
ing chunks of painted wood and
curved stone than are worshiping the
living and eternal God Meanwhile,
the most of us who are engaged in
Christian work. speak for myself as
we'll as others-are toiling up to our
1uil capacity of body, mind and soul,
g,arnessed up to the last buckle, not
aOle 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
~ower, not social power, not financial
power, not brain power, but power
complisl more in one week than with
from on high. With it we could &C
out it in hundred years And l am
going to get it, if in answer to prayer,
earnest and long continued, God will
grant it me, his unworthy servant Men
and women who know how to pray,