Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1894-03-22
CHRIST THE CONQUEROR.
Subject of a Discourse by Rsv. T.
Dewitt Talmage, D. D.
With the Weapon OF Infinite Love Christ
Triumphed Over the Armies of Earth
and Hell-The Battle Has Been
Fought and the Victory
Achieved.

tabernacle on the above subject. his
words being based on the text:
who is this that cometh from Edom. with
dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glori-
Gus in His apparel travelling in the greatness
OF His strength" Isaiah xiii,
Edom and Bozrah having been the
scene of fierce battle, when those
words are used here or in any other
part of the Bible they are figures of
speech setting forth scenes of severe
conflict. As now we often use the word
Waterloo to describe decisive contest
of any kind, so the words Bozrah and
Edom in this text are figures of speech
descriptive of a scene of great slaugh-
ter Whatever else the prophet may
have meant to describe. he most GER
tainly meant to depict the Lord Jesus
Christ saying: Who is this that
cometh from Edom, with dyed gar
ments from Bozrah, travelling in the
greatness Of His strength"
When a general is about to 60 out to
the wars flag and a sword are pub
lcly presented to him, and the maidens
bring flowers, and the young men load
the cannon, and the train starts amidst
huzza shat browns the thunder of the
wheels and the Shrek of the whistle
But all this will give no idea of the ex-
element that there must have been in
Heaven when Christ started out on the
campaign of the worlds conquest
If they could have forseen the
siege that would be laid to Him.
and the maltreatment He would
II
have to carry, and the battles he would
have to fight, | think there would have
been a million volunteers in heaven
who would have insisted on coming
along with him; but no, they only ac-
companied Him to the gate, their last
shout heard clear down to the earth,
the space between the two worlds
bridged with a great hosanna. You
know there is a wide difference be-
tween a mans going off to battle and
coming back again. When he goes oil
it is with epaulets untaugled, with
banner unspecl1ed. with horses sleek
and shining from the groom. All that
there is of struggle and pain is TO
come yet. SO it was with Christ. He
had not yet fought battle. lie was
starting out. and though this world
did not give Him a warm-hearted greet
ing, there was gentle mother who
folded Him in her arms; and a babe
finds no difference between stable
and a palace, between courtiers and
camel-drivers As Jesus stepped on
the stage of this world, it was
amongst angelic shouts in the galleries
a Let Ii 81
istrations. But soon hostile forces be-
gan to gather. They deployed from
the Sanhedrim. They were detailed
from the standing army. They came !
out from the Cesarean castles. The vag-
abonds in the street Joined the gentle |
men of the mansion. Spirits rode up
from hell, and in long array there came |
a force together that threatened |
TO put to route this newly ar
rived one from heaven. Jesus nowsee- |
ing the battle gathering lifted His own |
standard, but who gathered about it? |
How feeble the recruitsl A few shore 1
men. a blind beggar. a woman with an /
alabaster box, another woman with 4
two mites, and a group of friendless. /
moneyless. and positionless people 4
came TO His standard. What chance +.
was there for Him? Nazareth against /
Him. Bethlehem against Him. Caper-
raum against Him. Jerusalem against
HIM. Galilee against Him. The courts
against Him. The army against Him.
The throne against Him. The world
against Him. All hell against Him.
No wonder they asked Him to sur
render. But lie could not surrender
lie could not apologize, He could not
take any back steps. He had come to
strike for the deliverance of an en-
shaved race. and lie must do the work.
Then they sent out their piclzets TO
watch Him. They saw in what house
lie went, and when He came out They
watched what He ate, and with whom:
what lie drank, and how much. They
did not dare to make their final as
sault for they knew not but that be-
hind Him there might be a reinforce
ment that was not seen. But at last
the battle came 1t was to be more
fierce than Bozrah, more bloody than
Gettysburg. involving more than AUS
terlitz, more combatants employed
than at Chalons a ghastlier conflict
than all the battles of the earth put
together, though Edmund Burke's es-
timatecof thirty-ive millions of the
slain Sc accurate The day was Fri
day The hour was between II and 8
o'clock. The field was a slight hilloclS
northwest of Jerusalem. The forces
engaged were earth and hell, Joined as
allies on one side. and Heaven, repre-
sented by a solitary inhabitant, on the
other
The hour came. o. what a time it
was, I think that that day the uni
verse looked on. The spirits that could
be spared from the heavenly temple,
and could get conveyance of wing or
chariot. came down from above, and spir-
its getting furlough from beneath came
up and they listened. and they looked,
and they watched. o, what an uneven