News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1892-08-11
A GLORIOUS MARCH.
THE SUBJECT OF DR.. TALMAGE'S
SUNDAY SERMON.

"Fair as the Moon, Clear as the Sun
and Terrible as an Army with Ban
hers''-The Doctor Passes Busy Week
in Scotland.
LONDON, Aug. 1.-THE week, like
others that have preceded it since the
beginning of Rev. DR.. Talmage's foreign
preaching tour, has been very busy
one. Indeed since July "a, when he
preached in the English and American
church in Berlin, while en- route from
Russia to Scotland, DR.. Talmage can
scarcely be said to have had moments
leisure. Services have been held at
Edinburgh, Inverness, Aberdeen, Dun
dee, Glasgow, Newcastle and Sunder-
land. The sermon for this week is en-
titled THE Glorious March," the text
being from Solomon's Song vi, 10, "Fair
as the moon, clear as the sun and terrible
as an army with banners"
The fragrance of spikenard, the flash
of jewels, the fruitfulness of orchards,
the luxuriance 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 regard to it. If one stakeholder
become a cheat, does that destroy the
whole company? If one soldier be q
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 entire church of God because there
are here and there bad men belonging
to it.
There are those who say that the
church of God is not up to the spirit of
the day in which we live; but I have to
tell you that, Notwithstanding all the
swift wheels and the flying shuttIes 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 institutions.
FROM her lamp the best discoveries 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 infdelity and atheism have
gone blindfolded among the most star
ting discoveries that were about to be
developed the earth, and the air, and the
sea have made quick and magnificent
responses to Christian philosophers.
The world will not be up to the church
of Christ until the day when all mer-
chandise has become honest merchan-
disc, and all governments have become
free governments, and all nations evan
gelized nations, and the last deaf ear of
spiritual death shall be broken open by
the million voiced shout of nations born
in day. The church that Nebuchad-
nezzar 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 en-
during the fire, until the deepest barbar-
ism, and the fiercest cruelties, and the
blacklist superstitions have been COM
PEELED to look to the east, crying, "Who
is she that looketh forth as the morning,
fair as the moon, clear as the sun and
terrible as an army with banners?"
ASHAMED OF HONOR.
Yet there are people who are ashamed
to belong to the church of Christ, and
if you ask them whether they are in
such associations they say, eyes, some
times attend the church, instead of re.
alizing the fact that there is no honor
compared with the honor of being a
member of the church of God look
back with joy to the most honored mo-
ment of my life, when in the old coun-
try meeting house the minister of Christ
announced my name as a follower of
the Lord.
You who are floating about in the
world, seeking for better associations,
why do you not join yourself to some of
the churches? An old sea captain was
riding in the cars toward Philadelphia,
and young man sat down beside him.
He said, Young man, where are you
goiHg?' Il am going to Philadelphia
to live" replied the young man. "Have
you letters of introduction" asked the |
old captain. Eyes" said the young man,
and he pulled some of them out 'Well,''
said the old sea captain, 'thaven't YOU a
church certifcate?' ''Oh, yes" replied
the young man; 81 didn't suppose you
would want to look at that" Eyes"
said the sea captain, 81 want to see that
As soon as you get to Philadelphia pre-
sent it to some Christian church. | am
an old sailor, and 1 have been up and
down in the world, and it's my rule as
soon as get into port to fasten my ship
fni.a nd of 70 nn 81 =.
may cost little wharfage, rather than
have my ship out in the stream floating
hither and thi:her with the tide"
Oh, men and women, by the tides of
frivolity and worldliness swept this way
and swept that way, seeking for associa-
tons and for satisfactions for the i'm
mortal soul, come, into the church of
Jesus Christ. Lash fast to her. She is
the pillar and the ground of truth.
propose to speak of the threefold glory
of the church as it is described in the
text:
First-"Fair as the moon" God, who
has determined that everything shah be
beautiful in its season, has not left the
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 undisputed scepter over
island and continent, river and sea-
Under her shining the plainest maple
leaves become shivering silver, the lakes
from shore to shore look like shining
mirrors, and the ocean, under her glance,
with great tides comes up painting upon
the beach. mingling, as it were, foam
and fire.
Under the witchery of the moon the
awful sleeps lose their ruggedness and
the chasms their terror. The poor man
blesses God for throwing so cheap a
light through the broken window pane
of his cabin, and to the sick it seems
like light from the other shore that
bounds this great deep of human pain
and woe. If the sun be like a song, full
and loud and poured forth from brazen
instruments that fill heaven and earth
with harmony, the moon is plaintive and
sad, standing beneath the throne of God,
sending up her soft, sweet voice of
praise, while the stars listen and the
sea! No mother ever more lovingly
watched a sick cradle than this pale
watcher of the sky bends over the weary,
heartsick, slumbering earth, singing to
it silVery music, while it is rocked in
the cradle of the spheres.
''FAIR AS THE MOON"
Now, says my text, ''Who is she, fair |
as the moon?" Our answer is the church. |
Like the moon, she is borrowed light. |
She gathers up the glory of Saviour's |
sufferings, a Saviour's death, Saviours |
resurrection, a Saviour's ascension, and |