The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1895-06-06
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
ANNUAL ADDRESS TO THE GAIL
LIANT THIRTEENTH.
Words of CONCENTRATION and We'll
come to the Veterans Who Risked
All to Save the Union-A Lesson
From the Feats of Joshua.

ence assembled TO listen 10 the ANNUAL
sermon of Chaplain II. Dewitt Tai
mage of the 18th regiment, n. G.. s.
n. y. The members of the regiment
occupied the body of the church. DR..
Talma-e chose for his subject: 1.-THE
Greatest Soldier of All Time" the text
being Joshua l., :: There shall not
any man be able to stand before thee
all the days of thy life"
The "Galant 18TH" as this regiment
is generally ond appropriat ely called,
has gathered together for the worship
of God, and to hear the annual sermon.
And first look with hearty salutation
into the faces of the veterans, who,
though not now in active service, have
the same p" triotic ami military en-
thuSaSm which characterized them,
when, in 1868. they babe farewell to
home and loved ones and started for
the Held. and risked all they held dear
on earth for the establishment OF
the falling United States government
-'All that a man hath will he give for
his life,: and you showed yourselves
you! We thank you! We bless you,
the veterans of the 18th! Nothing can
ever rob you Of the honor of having
been soldiers in one of the most ire
mendous wars of all history. a War
with Grant and Sherman, and Han
cock, and Sheridan, and Farragut en-
one side, and Longstreet and Johnston
on the other AS in Greek assem-
DlaEeS. when speakers would rouse
the audience. they shouted "Mara-
thon.' so if l wanted to stir you to &C.
clamatiOn l would only need to speak
the words Lookout MOuntain,'
charlottesville" "Gettysburg," And
though, Though the passage of years,
YOU are fo$,ver free from duty Of en-
liStment if European nations should
too easily forget the Monroe doctrine,
and set aggressive foot upon tais con-
'tincut, l think your ankles would be
supple again, and your arms would
grow strong again. and your eye
would be keen enough to fOHOw the
stars of the old flag wherever they
might lead.
And next. I greet the colonel and his
staff. and all the officers and men of
this regiment. 1t has been an event
full year in your history. If never be-
fore. Brooklyn appreciates something
of the value of its armOrics. and the
importance of the men who there drill
for the defense and safety of the city.
The blessing of God be upon all of
you. my comrades of the 18th regi-
mcnt! And looking about for q sub
ject that might be most helpful and
inspiring for YOU. and our veterans
here assembled, anhjt tn, citizens gath
cred tonight with their good wishes.
[ have concluded to hold up before
you the greatest soldier of all time
Joshua. the hero OF my text.
He was Il magnificent fighter, but he
always fought on the right side, and
he never fought unless God told him
to night. In my text he gets his mill
tary equipment and one would think
it must have been plum cd helmet for
the brow. greavcs of brass for the
feet. habergcon for the breast .There
shall not any man be able to stand De-
fore thee all the days of thy life"
'Oh," YOU say, "anybody could have
courage with such backing up as
that Why, my friends, have to
tell you that the God Of the universe
and the chieftain of eternity promises
to do lust as much for us as for him.
pledged in our behalf, if we go out in
the service of God, and no more than
was offered to Joshua. God fulfilled
this promise of my text, although
-Joshua's first battle was with the
spring freShet; and the next with a
stone wall; and the next, leading on
a regiment of whipped towards; and
the next battle, against darkness,
wheeling the sun and the moon into
his battalion, and the last, against the
king Of terrOrS, Death-five great vic
tories
For the most part, when the general
of an army starts out in a conflict he
would like to have a small bottle in
order that he may get his courage up
and he may rally his troops and get
them drilled for greater conflicts; but
this first undertaking of Joshua was
greater than the leveling Of Fort
Pulaski, or the laundering down of
Gibraltar, or the overthrow of the
bastile. 1t was the crossing of the
Jordan at the time Of the spring fresh
ct. The SHOWS of Mount Lebanon had
just been melting and they poured
dows into the valley, and the whole
valley was raging torrent SO the
Canaanites stand on the bank and
they look across and see Joshua and
the Israelites, and they laugh and say:
"Aha! aha! they cannot disturb us
until the freshet falls; it is impossi-
bic for them to reach u.s." But after
awhile they look across the water and
they see a movement in the army of
Joshua. They say, "What's the mat
ter now? Why there must be a panic
among these troops, and they are 60
ing to fly, or perhaps they are going
to try to march across the River Jor-
dan. Joshua is a lunatic" But JOSH
VA. the chieftain of the text. looks at
his army and cries: "Forward
march!' and they start for the bank
of the Jordan.
One mile ahead go two priests car
rying a glittering box 4 feet long and
2 feet wide. 1t is the Ark of the Gov
enant. And they come down, and no
sooner do the just touch the rim Of the
water with their feet than by an
Almighty fiat, Jordan parts. The army
of Joshua marches right On without
getting their feet wet. over the bottom
Of the river, path Of chalk and bro
ken shells and pebbles, until they get
to the other bank. Then they lay hold
of the olianders and tamarisks and
willows and pull themselves I'D q
bank 20 or 40 feet high and havinr