The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-01-05
TALMAGE'S BATTLE CRY.
A FORWARD MOVEMENT THE SUB
JECT OF HIS SERMON.

the Need of the Hour.
BROOKLYN. ". Y, Jan. 4.-Dr. Talmege's
New Years sermon is a ringing battle-cry
to ministers and christians everywhere,
calliog upon them to join in a combined
charge on the entrenchments of sin and
Satan. It made deep impression on the
vast crowds who heard it In this city this
morning and at The Christian Herald
service tonight in New York. The ems
thusiasm at the latter service was increased
by the effective aid rendered by large vol
unteer choir which had been organized
from the audiences, who sang with a vol
ume and fervor seldom equa led. After
the singing Of the hymn commencing
Come Holy Spirit Heavenly d we
With all thy quickening power
DR.. Talmage preached the following sermon
from the text, Luke XIV, 40: "Tarry ye in
the city Of Jerusalem until ye be endued
with power from on high"
For 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 hearers
| and readers come with an especial mes
| sage. The time has arrived for a forward
| movement Sucu as tue cnurCn ana tno WOFIu
| have never seen. That there Is need for
| such a religious movement is evident from
| the fact tuat never since our world was
| swung out among the planets has there been
| such an organized aud determined effort to
overthrow righteousness and make the
ten commandments obsolete and the whole
| Bible 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 almighty Rum jug, we bow DOWN
| before thee Give us the offices, city, state
and national o, give us t offices and wa
will worship thee for ever and ever, amen.'
The christian Sa bath meanwhile, appointed
| 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
aud Russian sewers have been invited
to pour their scurrihty and moral slush into
| the trough where our American swine are
now wallowing, Meanwhile, there are
enough resorts of infamy in all our cities.
open and unmolested of the law, to invoke
the Omnipotent wrath which bu led So1om
under q douge Of birthstone. The pande-
mouiac world, think, has massed its troops
and they are this moment plying their
batteries upon family circles, church circles,
social circles, political circles and ma ional
circles. Apollyon is in the saddle, and riding
tuTe this world for carkness and woe.
That is one side Of the conflict now
raging. On the other side we have tho
most magnificent gospel machinery that
the world ever saw or heaven ever invented.
In the frat place, In this country more than
eighty thousand ministers OF religion and.
take them as a class, more consecrated,
holier, more consistent, more self-denying,
more faithful men never lived. know
them by the thousands. / have met them
in every city. l 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
else fail, they may bo depended on.
The truth of this is demonstrated
by the fact that when minister Of religion
does fall, ii is so exceptional that the news
papers report it as something startling,
while a hundred men In other callings may
20 down without the matter being consid-
cred as especially worth mentioning In
addition to their equipment in moral char
acler, the clergy Of this country have all
that the schools can give.
All archaeological, rhetorical, sciA
entihc, scholastic, literary attain
ment SO much for the christian ministry
Of all denominations. In the next place ON
grandest churches Of all time and higher
style of membership and more OF thems
and host without number of splendid men
and women who are dong their best 70
have this world purified, elevated, gospel
lied. But we all feel that something Ia
wanting. Enough hearty songs have been
sung, and enough earnest sermons preached
wi hin the last six months to save ell the
cities of America, and saving the cities you
save the world, for they overflow all the
land either with their religion or their in
fanny.
But look at some OF the startling facts. 10
is nearly nineteen hundred years since
Jesus Christ came by the way Of Bethlehem
caravsnsary to save this world, yet tho
most Of the world has been no more touched
by this most stupendous fact or all eternity
than il on the first christmas night the
beasts OF the stall, amid the Dleatings OF
their young, had not heard the bleating or
the Lamb that was to be slain. Out OF tina
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 with his nine
wives, having half as many disciples as our
blessed Christ, and more people are wor-
Shipping 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
worlk-I speak for myself as we'll as others
are toiling up to our full capacity or
body, mind and soUl, harnesssd up to the
last buckle, not able to draw pound more
than we are drawing, or lift an ounce more
than we are lifting.
What is the matter9 My text lets out the
secret. We all need more of the power
from on high. Not muscular power, not
} logical power, not scie ltifc power, not
social power, not financial po ~er, not brain
power, but power from on high. With IL
we could accomplish more in one week than
without it in a hundred years And Pm
going to get it, if in answer to prayer,
earnest and long continued, God viii 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 end wed with power from on high.
would rather have it than all the diamond
fields Of Golconda. and all the pearls of the
sea, and all the gold of the mountaias.
Many of the mightiest inteliec never
had touch of it, and many OF the less
than ordinary intellects have been sur
| charged with it, And every man and
woman on earth has right TO aspire to lt,
a right to pray for it, and, properly persist.
! ent, will obtain it. Power from on the
level is a good thing, such power as L may
r give you. or you may give me. by encourag-
ing 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