Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1891-01-09
RBV. DR.. TALNAGF.
The Eminent Brooklyn Divine'S Gun
day Sermon.
Subjects "ARs' sious Movement In 'si."

n %
kindness OF tine printing press an ever
widening opportunity. TO all such hearers
and readers come with an especial message.
The time has arrived for forward move
ment suca 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 an
organized ami determined effort TO over
throw righteousness, and make the Ten
Commandments obsolete and the whole Bible
a derision. Meanwhile alcoholism is taking
down its victims Ivy ths hundreds of thou
sands, and the political parties get down on
their knees, practically saying; 20 thou al
mighty run jug, we DOW down before thee!
Give us the Offices -city, State and national.
Oh, give Us tie Offices, and we will worship
thee for ever and ever; Amen"
The Christian Sabbath meanwhile, APP
pointed for physical, mental and spiritual
rest, is being secularized and abolished. As
If the bad publishing houses OF our own couu-
try hal exhausted their literary filth, the
French and Russian sewers have been invited
to pour their scuTiiity and moral slush into
the troue IN where our American swine are
now wallOwing. Meanwhile there are enough
houses OF insamy in all our cities, open and
unmOleSted OF the law. to invoke the OmnlpO-
tent wrath whica buried So ,Om under a de
huge Of birthstone. The pandemOniac- world,
| think. has massed lis troops. aud they are
at this moment olying 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 aud woe.
That is one side of the conflict nov raging.
On the other side Wa have the most magnii-
cent gospel machinery that tho world ever
saw or heaven ever invented. In the first
place there ere in this country more than
eighty thousand ministers OF religion and
take them as a class, more cOnsecratsd,
holler, more consistent, more self denying,
more faithful men never lived. ! know them
by the thousands. have met them in every
city | all told, not by them, but by people
outside of our profess OF. people engaged in
Christian and refOrmatory work, that the
clergy Of America are at thehead of all good
enterprises, AID whoever else fail they may
be depend ID on. The truth of this is demon
strated by the fact that when a minister OF
religion does fall it is so exceptional that the
newspapers report it rs something startling,
while hundred men in other callings may
goodwin without the matter being considered
as especially worth mentioning.
In addition to their equipment in moral
character the clergy of this country nave all
that the schools can give. All archaeology
cal rhetorical, scientific. scholastic. literary
attainment. So much for the Christian
ministry of all denominations. In the next
place on our side Of the conflict we have the
ersudest churches Of all 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 have this
world purified, elevated g0Speiizsf. But
we all feel that something is wanting
Enough hearty songs have been sung ant
enough earnest sermons preacher wltoln ths
last six months 10 save all the cities OF Amer
lea, and saving the cities YOU save the world,
for they overflow all the land either with
their religion or their iufamy.
But look ct son Of the startling facts
II is nearly nineteen hundred years sincs
Jesus Christ came by the way OF Bethlehem
caravsnsary TO save this world, vet tia
most of the world has been no more
touched 10y this most stupen1ous fact OF
all eternity than If on the irSt Christmas
night the beasts OF the stall amid the bleat-
ingS of their own young, had MT heard the
bleating Of the Lamb that was TO be slain.
Out Of the eighteen hundred million of the
human race fourteen hundred million are
without God and without hope in the world,
the camel driver of Arabia. MahOmet vita
bis nine wiz 5. having hall as many disciples
as our blessed Christ. and more people are
worshiplng chunks Of painted wood and
carved 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 otheTs-are toll
ing I'D TO our full capacity of body, mind aud
soul. barnessed up to the last buckle, not
able to draw a pound more than we are
drawing or lit an ounce more tnan We are
lifting.
" nat is the matter Ny text lets out the
secret We all iced more OF the power from
On high. Not muscular power, not logical
power. MOI scientific power not social power,
not financial power, not brain power. Tut
power from on high. With it we could &C
complisa more in one week than without it
in a hundred years. And am going to get
it, il in answer 10 prayer. earnest and long
continued, God will grant it to me, His un-
worthy servant. Men and women who know
how to pray, when YOU pray for yourself,
pray Tor me that may be endued with power
from on high. | would rather have it than
all the diamond fields OF Goc0nda, and all the
pearls Of tina sea- and ell tie gold OF the
mountains Many cfthe mightiest intellectS
never had touch OF it. an many OF the less
than ordinary intell9cts have been surcharged
with it. Ana every man and woman on earth
hesa right TO espire to it, right to pray for
i, end. proper persistent, will obtain it.
POTer from on the lavel is a good thing
such power Is J may give you, or you may
give me, by enc0UIl ling words and actions.
Power from On the level when we stand by
each other in any Christian undertaking.
Power from on the level when other pulpits
are in accord with ours Power from on the
level when ire religious and secular press
forward our Christian undertakings. But
power from on the level is not sufficient
Power from on high is what we need to take
possession OF US. Power straight from God.
Su9erna. urai powel, omnipotent power, all
conqueTing power. Not more than one out
Of thousand Of the m nisters has it con-
tinuOusiy. Not more than one out OK tsn
thousand Christians has it all the time. Given
in abundance, these last tel years of the
nineteenth century would accomplish more
for Goi, aud the church, and the world than
the previous ninety years of this century.
A few men and women in each age OF the
world have possessed it. Caroline Fry. the
immortal Quakeress, had it, and three hun
dred of the depraved and suffering Of New
gate pr GOD, under her exhOrtation, repented
and believed. Jonathan Edwards had lt, and
Northampton meeting house heard the out
burst % religious emotion as he spake OF
Righteousness and Judgment to come. Samue
BLQEeII. Tue INfisI'dN MERCHANT, ndu II ALL
his beneiactions showerel the world. john
Newton had it. Bishop Latiner had il. lsa
bella Graham hai IL. andrew Fuller hal It
The great evangeliSts Daniel Baker and DR.
Nettleton aud Truman Osborn and Charlie:
g. Finney had it. Ia my boyhood ! saw Tru
man Osborn rise 10 preach in the village
church at Somerville, n. j., and before h,
had given out his text on uttered WORD
people in the audiences sO0bed aloU1 with re-
IigiOus emotion. 1t WAS the power from Oh
high All in greater or less degree may have
it,. Once get it and nothing can stand before
YOU. Satan zoe, down. Caricature goe'
down. Inidelity goes down. Worldines'
goes down. All opposition goes down.
Several times in ths history Of the church
aud the world has this power from on higf
been demonstrated. In the seventeenth
century, after great season OF moral de
preston, this power from on high came
down upon JOnn fiiiotson and Owen AM
IFlavel and Baxter and Bunyan, and Their
was deluge Of mercy higher than the top
of the highest mountains OF sin. In TN
eighteenth century. in England and Am arica
religion was al low water Inarl: William
Cowper, writing Of the clergy of these days
said
Except a few with Eips spirit blest.
Hophn AMI Phness NAV describe tie rest.
The infdal writings Of Shaftssbury an
Hobbies and Chubb ha0 done their work