The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-03-21
,REV,sDR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIvINE'S SUN
DAY SERMON.
Subject: ssChrist the Conqueror."

Subject: ssChrist the Conqueror.''
TEXT: "Who is ttis that con,eth from Edon
sr3h dyed garments from Bozrdh-ttaS that ..
glorious in HIS apparel, travelling in the great
ness of HIS strength?"-Isaiah xiii, l.
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 o1
severe conflict. As now we often use the
word Waterloo to describe decisive contest
Of any kind, 80 the words Bozrah and Edom
In this text are figures Of speech descriptive
Of scene OF great slaughter. Whatever else
the prophet may have meant to describe, ne
most certainly meant to depict the Lord Jesus
Chyist saying. s.Who is this that cometh from
Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah,
travelling in the greatness otHis strength"
When general is about to go out to the
wars, a flag and sword are publicly pre-
sented to him, and the maidens bring tow-
ers, and the young men load the cannon.
and the train starts amid huzza 'at
browns the thunder Of the wheels AMI the
shrieK OF the whistle. But all this will give
no idea Of the excitement that there must
have been in heaven when Christ started out
on the campaign OF the worlds conquest. II
they could have foreseen the siege that
would be laid to Him, and the maltreatment
He would suffer, and the burdens He would
have to carry, and the battles would have
to fight, I think there would have been
million volunteers in heaven who would
have insisted on coming along with Him.
But no they only accompanied him to the
gate their last shout heard clear down to
the earth the space between the two worlds
. hrid0ad with q GREAT hO9pnna.
You know there Is wide difference be-
tween mans going of to battle and coming
back again. When he goes of, it Is with
epauiets untangled, with banner unspecked,
with horses sleek and shining from the
groom. AL! that there is of struggle and
pain Is to come yet. So 1t was with Christ
He had not yet fought battle. He was
starting out. and though this world did not
give Him warm hearted greeting there was
q gentle mother who folded Him in her arms.
And babe finds no difference between q
stable and q palace, between courtiers and
camel drivers.
As Jesus stepped on the stage Of this world
Z It was amid angelic shouts in the galleries
and amid the kindest maternal ministra-
tions. But soon hostile forces began to
gather. They deployed from the sanhedrin.
They we're detailed from the standing army.
They came out from the Ceesarean castles.
The vagabonds in the street joined the gem
tlenen of the mansion. Spirits rode up from
hell, and In long array there came force
together that threatened to put to rout this
newly arrived one from heavens
Jesus, now seeing the battle gathering,
lifted His own standard. But who gathered
about it2 How feeble the recruits! A few
shoremen, a blind beggar, woman with an
alabaster box, another woman with two
mites and group of friendless, moneyless
Z and position1ess people came to His standard.
What chance was there for HIN? Nazareth
against Him, Bethlehem against Him, Caper-
naum against Him, Jerusalem against Him,
Gahlee against Him, the courts against Him,
the army against Him, the throne against
Him, the world against Hin, all hell against
Him. No wonder they asked Him to sur
render
But he could not surrender, He could not
apologize. He could not take any back steps.
he had come to strike for the deliverance Of
an enslaved race. and he must do the work.
Then they sent out their pickets to watch
Him. They saw in what house He went and
when he came out. They watched what He
ate, and who with what He drank. and how
much. They did not dare to make their
final assault, for they knew not but that be-
hind Him there might be a reinforcement
that was not seen.
more fierce than Bozrah, more bloody than
; Gettysburg, involving more than Austerlitz,
more combatants employed than at Chalons,
ghastlier conflict than all the battles OF the
earth put together, though Edmund Burke's
estimate Of thirty-fi7e millions Of the slain be
accurate The day was Friday. The hour
Was between II and 8 o'clock. The field
was slight hillock northwest Of Jerusalem.
The forces engaged were earth and hell,
Joined as allies on one side, and heaven,
represented by solitary inhabitant on the
other.
The hour came. Oh, what time it was |!
think that day the universe looked on. The
spirits thai could be spared from the
heavenly temple and could get conveyance
of wing or chariot came down from above,
and spirits getting |furlough from beneath
came up; and they listened, and they looked,
and they watched. Oh, what an uneven bat
tie! Two worlds armed on one side; an
unarmed man on the other. The regiment
Of the Roman army at that time stationed at
Jerusalem began the attack. They knew
how to fght, for they belonged to the most
thoroughly drilled army Of the world. With
spears glittering in the sun they charged up
the hill. The horses prance and rear
amid the excitement Of the populsce-the
heels of the riders plunged in the aanks, urg-
ing them on.
The weapons begin to tell on Christ. See.
how faint He looks! There the blood
starts, and there, and there, and there. II
He Is to have re-enforcements, let Him call
them up now. No ; he must do this work
alone He is dying. Feel for yourself Of
the wrist the pulse Is feebler. Feel under
the arm; the warmth is less. he is dying.
Ayet they pronounce Him dead. And Just
at that moment that they pronounce Him
dead He rallied, and from His wounds He
unsheathed weapon which staggered the
Roman legions down the hill and hurled the
satanic battalions into the pit. 1t was q
weapon Of love-infnite love, all conquer.
ing love. Mightier than javelin or spear, II
trfumphed over all. Put back, ye armies OF
earth and hell!
The tide of battle turns. Jesus hath over
come. Let the people stand apart and dmake
line that he may pass down from Calvary
to Jerusalem, and thence on and out all
around the world. The battle is fought
Tho victory is achieved. The triumphal
march Is begun. Hark to the hoofs OF the
multitude, for He has many friends now
The hero OF heaven and earth advances.
Cheer, cheer! "Who is this that cometh
from Edom, with dyed garments from Boz
rah, travelling in the greatness OF His
strengthr'
We behold here new revelation Of O
blessed and q startling fact. People talk of
Christ as though He were going to do some
thing grand for US after awhile. He has
done Il. People talk as though ten or twenty
years from now, in the closing hours Of our
life or in some terrible pass Of life, Jesus will
help us. He has done the work already. He
did 1t 1851 years ago. You might as well talk
Of Washington as though he were going to
achieve our national independence in 1850 as
tospeak Of Christ as though He were going
to achieve our salvation in the future-He
did 1t In the year Of our Lord 33-1S6l
years ago-on the field of Bozrah. the
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