Connecticut western news., 1895-12-05
CONGRESS SALUTED.
REw oR. TAlMAGE BREACHES A SER MON UPON A TIMELY THEME.


 MON UPON A TIMELY THEME.
 He SAovs Hew We Have Besn Biessed by
 Gsa h the P>st-EArthly Comfort and
 the Rest That Shall Come to Thoss That
 Relieve.
 WASHINGTON, Dec. 1.-As tomorrow the congress of the United States assem- bles and many of the members were present. at the delivery. of shissermon. Dr. Talmage took most asFropriate theme. showing that in all their work they might realize that God has always been on the side of this nation. Text. II Kings vi. IT. "And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man. and he saw, and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots and chariots of fire round about Elisha"
 The American congress Is assembling. Arriving or already arrived are the rep resentatives of all sections of this be- loved land. Let us welcome them with prayers and benedictions. A nobler group of men never entered Washington than those who will tomorrow take their places in the senate chamber and the house of representatives. Whether they come alone or leave their families at the homestead far away, may the blessing of the Eternal God be upon iheml We invite them to our churches, and together. they in. political spheres and VIC in religious circles will give the coming months to consideration of the best ineHests of this country which God haA Messed 50 much in the past that propose to show you and show them, so far as I may now reach their ear or to- morrow, their eye through the printing press, tAat God will be with them to help them as in the text he filled tho mountains with help for Elisha
 The Upper Forces. C8 ~s KA Asz | As it cost England many regiments and @, ,00O, 900 year to keep safely a troublesome captive at St. Helena, so the king of Syria sends out whole army to capture one minister of religion-per- haps 50, 900 men to take Elisha. Dur ing the night ths army of Syrians came around the village of Dothan, where the prophet was staying. At early daybreak tho manseevant of Elisha rushed in and said: ss What ahall we do? There is whole army come to destroy youi We must diei We must dier' But Elisha was nos scared bit, for he looked up and saw the mountains all around full of supernatural forces, and he knew that if there were 50, 900 Syfians against a~., olc for. h | and iu xnswer to-the prophe>,s prayer in behalf of his affrighted manservant the yomiG man saw it too Horses of fire harnessed. to chariots of fire, aud drivers of fire pulling reins of fire on bits of fire, and warriors of fire with brandish- ed swords of fire. and the brilliance of that morning sunrise was eclipsed by the galloping splendors of the celestial cavalcade. And Fthe Lord opened the eyes of the young man. and he saw, and behold the mountain was full Uf horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha :" l speak of tho upper forcos of the text that ars to fight on our side as . nation. n sllsfhe low levels arS filled with arm ed threats. have to tell you that the mountains of our hope and courage and faith are full of the horses and chariots of divine rescue.
 You will notice that the divine equi page is always represented as chariot of fire. Ezekiel and Isaiah and John, when they come to describe the divine equipAge, always represent it as a wheslsd.. . harnessed. an upholstered copfaRration. It is not chariot like kings and conquerors of earth mount, but an organized and compressed fire. That means purity, justice, chastise- ment. deliverance through burning es- capesL Chariot of rescue? Yes, but chariot of fire. All our national disin- thrallments have been through scorching- agonies. and red disasters. Through trib- ulation the individual rises. Through tribulation nations rise. Chariots of reecue, but chariots of fire. But how do l know that this divine eq6ipage is on tho sida of our institutions? know 1t by the histry-of tho last @l19 years. The American Revolution started from the pen of John Hancock in Independ- ence hall in 1778. The colonies, with out ships, without ammunition, without guns, without trained warriors, without money, without prestige. On the other side, the nightiest nation of the earth, tho largest armies, the grandest navies and themos distinguished commanders, and resources inexhaustble, and nearly all nations ready to back them up in the fight. Nothing. as against immensity.
 A Divine Interposition.
 The cause of the American colonies, which started at zero. dropped stilllower through the quarreling of the generals, and through the je~lousies at small suc- cessas. and through the winters which surpassed all predecessors in depth of snow and horrors of eongealment Elisha surrounded by the whole Syrian army did Doe seem to be worse of than did tho thirteen colonies encompassed and oyershadowed by foreign assault. What decided the contest in our favorf The upper forces. the upper armies. The Green and White n Duntains of New England, the Highlands along the Hud- con, the mountains of Virginia, all the Appalachian ranges were full of re-en- forcements which the young man Wash ington saw by faith, and his men en- durcd the frozen feet, and the gangrened wounds, and the exhausting hunger, and ihe long march because 'sthe Lord opened the eyes of the young man. and he saw, and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha Washington himself was . miracle. What Joshua was in sacred history the first American president was in secular history. A thousand other men excelled him in different things, but he excelled them all in ropndness and completeness of character. The world never saw his like, and probably never will see his like again, because there probably never will be another 'such exigency. He was let down 8 divine interposition. He was from God direct.
 I do not know now many can read the history 4 those times without admitting the contest was decided by the upper