Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1895-12-05
GOD AND THE NATION.
DR.. TALMAGe TALKS TO THE GATH
sRlNG CONGRESSMAN.


and That the Church VIII Purify Poll
tics and Protect the Ballot Box In the
End.
WAsnINGToN. Dec. i.-As tomorrow tho
congress OF the United States assemblies
and many Of the members were present at
the delivery OF this sermon, DY Talmagc
took q most appropriate theme, showing
that in all their work they might realize
that God has always boon on the side Of
this nation. Text, II Kings vi, II, And
the lord opened the eyes of the youn"
man, and he saw, and behold the noun
tain was full of horses and uhariots of llro
round about Elisha
The American congress is assembling
Arriving or already arrived are tho repre-
sentatives of all sections of this beloved
land Let us welcome them with prayers
and bencdiCtions. a nUblOT group of mon
mover outered Washington than those who
will Tomorrow take their places in the
senat8 chamber and the house Of repre-
sentatives. Whether they cone alone or
leave their families az the homestead far
away, may the blessing of the Eternal God
be upon them We invite them TO our
churches and together, they in political
spheres and we In religious circles, will
give the coming months to consideration
of the best interests OF this country, which
God has blessed 50 much in the past that
propose to show you and show them, so
far ms may now reach their ear or t.
morrow their eye through the printing
press, that God will be with them 20 help
them ms in the text he filled the mountains
with help for EiishH.
As it cost England many regiments and
aINIa f.,I.. Il.
seine captive at st. Hcluna, so the king OF
SYRIA sends ont whole army to capture
one minister of reliSion--pcrhaps $4,000
men to take Elisha During the night
the army of Syrars came around the vii
lagc of Dothan, where the prophet wa,
staying At early daybrcnk the manscrv-
aut of Elisha rushed in and said: What
shall we do! There is n whole army come
TO destroy you We must die We must
die" But Elisha was not scared "a bit,
for he looked up and saw the mountains
all around fnil OF supernatural forces, and
he knew that If there were 30, 600 Syrinn3
against him there were 100, COO angels for
him. and in answer to the prophet prayer
in behalt of his affrightrd manservant the
young man cav il toe. Horses of fire
baruessCd " chariotI Of fire, and drivers
of Gre pulling reins Of fire Oh bits of fire.
and warriors Of fire with brandishci
swords of fire and the brilliuncc of that
morning sunrise was eclipsGd by the gal
Looping splondorS OF the celestial cayalrHGc
And the LORD opened the cyos Of the
young man, and he saw. and. behold, tho
mountain was full of horses and chariots
OF fire round about Elisha / speak Of
he upper forces of the text shat are to
fight on our side as n nation. If all tn"
1T
have to toll you that the mountains OF our
Aope aud courage and faith are full OF the
horses and chhriots of divine rescue.
The Divine Equipsge.
You will notice that the divine cqurage
Is always represented as a chariot of fire.
Ezeke and Isaiah and John. when they
come to describe the divine equipagc. al
ways represent il as wheeled Is harness
cd, ~ upholstered confingratiOn. 1t is not
a chariot like kings and conqucrors of
earth mount, but an organized and com
pressed fire. That means purity, justice,
ohastisemcrt. deivernnCe through burning
escapes Chariot Of rescue? Yes, hut a
chariot OF fire Al our national Olsen
,hralmen5s have been through scorching
agoniss and req disasters. Through trih-
ulution the individual rises. Through
tribulation pations rise. Charots Of res
cue but char:cts of fire. But how do i
know tiiat this divine equipage is on the
side Of cur Institutions: | know it by the
history o: tie last lis years. The Amer
can Revolution started from tho pen Of
John Hancock in Independence hnl, in
1910 The colonies. without ships, with
oat ammunition without gums, without
trained warriors. without money, without
prestige. on the other side, the mighticsl
nation OF the earth, the largest armies, the
grGndest nayios aud the most distinguish
ed commanders and resources iucxhausti-
BE and nearly all nations ready TO back
them up in tho fight. Nothing ~ against
immensely
The cause Of the American colonies.
which started at zero, dropped stu lowe,
through tho guarreling Of the generals.
aud through the jealousi0. nj small sue
cassGs, and through the winters which sur
passed all predecessors in depth Of snow
aud horror Of congealmeEt. Elisha sur
rounded by the whole Syrian arEiy did ~;
seem to be worse oil than die the L. colo
MES en-0mpassed and overshadOwcd J.,
foreign assault What decided the contest
in our 1avor2 The upper forces. tha uppei
armies Thd Green and White mountains
If Ne-7 England, She highlands along IN
tho Appalachian ranges were lul! OF rc-en
force'nents whcl. the young man Wash
ingt1u saw by faith, and his uci. endured
the frozen feet and the gangrenCd wounds
and tho exhausting hunger, and the Ions
march, because "the Lord opened the eye
of the young man. and he saw, and, be
hold, tho mountain was full of horse
and ChariotS Of fire round about Elisha.
Washington himself was - miracle Nha
Joshua was in sacred history the frs
American president was in secular history
A thousand other men exCelled him il
different things hut ne excelled them al
in roundness and completeness OF charac
Ter. The world mover sAw his like, ant
probably never win sec his like again h.
cause there probably never will be anothe
such ezigency. He was let down a divin
interpolation. He was from God direct.
Gods Chariot to the Rescue.
do not know how many can read tn
history of those times without admittin;
the contest was decided by the upper forces
Then, in 1861, when our civil war opened
many at the north and at the south pro
nounced it national suicide, It was no
courage against Gowardioe; it WAS no
wealth against poverty; it was not larg
states against small states. II was hert
lam against heroism; it was the resource
uf many generations against the resource
OF generations; IL was the prayer of III
north against the prayer of the south;
was ono half OF the nation in armed wrat
meeting the other half Of the nation i