The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1892-10-01
"THE GLORIOUS MARCH"
Rev. T. Dewitt Tal1nsge Tells Of the
Church's Triumphant Progress.
!" Victory Is Not Yet Fully Won, hut Its
Conqncring Hosts Know No Halt In -
Their March Toward the
millennium.

Their March Toward the
Millennium.
The following discourse on sThe Clio
rious March, of the Church of Christ is
selected for perusaf by Rev. T. Dewitt
Talmage's great American congregation
this Week. 1t is based on the text:
Fair rs the moon. clear as the sun, and terri
o ole =, a. an army with sanners-solomon's Song
The fragrance ais. the spikenard. the
flash of jewclsi s;ne fruitfulness of or
chards, the luxurlance of gardens, the
beauty of Heshbon fish pools. the dew
of the night, and the splendor of the
morning-all contribute to the richness
OF Solomon's style when he comes to
speak of the glory of the church. In
contrast with his eulogium of the
church, look at the denunciatory
things that are said in our day in re-
gard to it. If one stakeholder become
a cheat. does that destroy the whole
company? If one soldier be coward.
does that condemn the whole army?
And yet there are many in this day so
unphilosophic, SO illogical, so dishonest
and SO unfair as to denounce the en-
tire church of God because there arc
here and there bad men belonging to it.
There are those who say that the
church of God is not mp to the spirit of
the day in which we live; but have to
tell You that, Notwithstanding all the
swift wheels, and the flying shuttles,
and the lightning communications, the
world has never yet been able to keep
up with the church. As high as God is
above man, SO high is the church of
God-higher than all human institu-
tions. From her lamp the best discov-
cries of the world have been lighted.
The best of our inventors have believed
in the Christian religion-the Fultons,
the Morses, the Whitneys, the Perrys
and the Livingstones She has owned
the best of the telescopes and Leyden
jars, and while infidelity and atheism
have gone blindfolded among the most
startling discoveries that were about to
be developed, the earth and the air and
the sea have made quick and magnifi-
cent responses to Christian philoso-
piers.
The world will not be up to the
church of Christ until the day when all
merchandise has become honest mer-
chandise, and all governments have be-
come free governments, and all nations
evangelical nations, and the last deaf
ear of spiritual death shall be broken
open by the million-voiced shout of ma
tons born in a day. The church that
Nebuchadnezzar tried to burn in the
furnace, and Darius to tear to pieces
with the lions, and Lord Claverhouse
to cut with the sword, has gone on,
wading the floods and enduring the
fire, until the deepest barbarism, and
the fiercest cruelties, and the blacklist
superstitions have been compelled to
look to the east. crying: "Who is she
that looketh forth as the morning, fair
as the moon, clear as the sun, and ter
,rible as an army with banners?'
Yet there are people who are ashamed
to belong to the church of Christ, and
II you ask them whether they are in
such associations they say: "Yes, /
sometimes attend the church," instead
of realizing the fact that there is no
honor compared with the honor of be-
ing member of the church Of God.
look back with JOY to the most honored
moment of my life when, in the old
country meeting house, the minister of
Christ announced my name as a fol-
lower of the Lord.
You who are floating about in the
world seeking for better associations,
why.do yon not join yourself to some of
he 1.vs~o Ill g.
riding in the cars toward Philadelphia,
and young man sat down beside him.
He said: young man, where are you
going?" ~ am going to Philadelphia
TO live replied the young man. Have
you letters of introduction?" asked the
old captain. "Yes." said the young
man, and he pulled some of them out.
"Weli,' said the old sea captain,
haven't you church certificateg'
"Oh, yes, replied the young man; II
didn't suppose you would want to look at
that" Yes, said the sea captain, II
want to look at that As soon as You get
no Philadelphia present it to some Chris
tian church. l am an old sailor, and
have been up and down in the world,
and it's my rule as soon as get into
port to fasten my ship fore and aft to
the wharf, although it may cost little
wharfage, rather than have my ship
|, 1t in the stream floating hither and
siiither with the tide"
o, men and women, by the tides of
frivolity and worldliness swept this
way and swept that way, seeking for
associations and for satisfactions for
the immortal soul, come into the church
of Jesus Christ. Lash fast to her. She
is pillar and the ground of truth. /
propose to speak of the threefold glory
of the church, as it is described in the
text:
First, Pair as the moon" God, who
has determined that everything shall
be beautiful in its season, has not left
night without charm. The moon rules
the night. The stars are only set as
gems in her tiara. Sometimes before
the sun has gone down the moon
mounts her throne, but it is after
nightfall that she sways her undisr
puted scepter over island and contin-
emit, river and sea- Under her shining
the plainest maple leaves become shiv-
ering silver. the lakes from shore to
shore look like shining mirrors, and
the ocean under her glance with great
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