The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1895-12-11
CONGRESS SALUTED.
REV. DR.. TALMAeE BREACHES A SER
MON UPON A TIMELY THEME.

He Shows How We Have Been Blessed by
God In the Past-Earehly Comfort and
the Rest That Shall Como to Those That
Believe.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 1.-As tomorrow
the congress Of the United States assem-
bIes and many Of the members were
present at the delivery Of this sermon,
DR.. Talmage took most appropriate
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, II, "And the Lord opened
the eyes of the young man, and he saw,
and, behold, the mountain was full OF
horses and chariots and charlots OF hre
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
thew come alone or leave their families
at 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 confederation Of the
best interests Of this country which GOD
has blessed so much in the past that
propose to show you and show them, so
far as 7 may now reach their ear or to-
morrow their eye through the printing
press, that God will be with them to
help them as in the text he filed the
mountains with help for Elisha.
The Upper Forces.
AS it cost England many regiments
and So, 900, 900 a year to keep safely
troublesome captive at st. Helena, sothe
king Of Syria sends out whole army to
capture one minister of religion-per-
haps so, 900 men to take Elisha. Dur
ing the night the army of Syrians came
around the village of Dothan, where the
prophet was staying. At early daybreak
the marservant of Elisha rushed in and
said: "What shall we do? There is
whole army come to destroy you! We
must die! We must diep" But Elisha
was not scared a bit, for he looked up
and saw the mountains all around full
of supernatural forces, and he knew
that if there were 90, coo Syrians against
him there We're 100000 angels for him,
and in answer to the prophet prayer IN
behalf of his afrighted manservant the
young man saw it too. Horses Of fire
harnesseG to chariots Of fire, and drivers
of fire pulling reins Of fire on bits OF
fire, and warriors of fire with brandish-
ed swords of fire, and the briliance OF
that morning sunrise was eclipsed by
the galloping splendors of the celestial
cavalcade. 'And the 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. "
I speak Of the upper forces Of the text
that are to fight on our side as nation.
IF all the low levels are filed with ann
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.
Yen will notice that the divine eQui-
page is always represented as q chariot
Of fire. Ezekiel and Isaiah and John,
when they cone to describe the divine
equipage, always represent it as
wheeled, harnessed, al upholstered
confagration. It is not chariot like
kings and couquerors Of earth mount,
but an organized and compressed fire.
That means purity, justice, chastise-.
ment, deliver2nce through burning eS-
capes. Chariot Of rescue? Yes, bat a
chariot of fire. All our national disi1f
thral!ments have been through scorchlnS
agonieS ard red disasters. Through trlb.
ulation the individual rises. Through
tribulation patiCnS rise. CharlotS OF
rescue, but chariots Of fire. But how do
I know that this divine cQuipage IS Oh
the side of our institutions? | know II
by toe history Ct the last 110 years
The American Revolution started from
the pen of John Hancock in Independ-
erce hall in l?76 The colonies, with
ont ships, without ammunition, without
guns, without trained warriors, without
money, without prestige. On the ether
side, the mightiest nation of the earth.
the largest armies, the grandest navies
and the most distinguished commanders,
and resources inexbaustblc, and nearly
all nations ready to back them up i'll the
fight. Nothing, as against in,mcnsity.
Divine IrtcrpoSitiou.
The cause Of the American colonies,
which started at zero, dropped still lower
through the quarreling CT the generals,
and through the 5ealcusies at small Sue
ccsses, and through the winters which
surpassed all predecessors il depth OF
snow and horrors of fcongealment. Elisha
surrounded by the whole Syrian army
did not seem to be worse off than did
the thirteen colonies encompaSsed anG
oyershadowed by foreign assault. What
decided the contest in our favor: The
upper forces, the upper armies. The
Green and White mountains Of New
England, the Highlands along the Hud-
son, 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-
dured the frozen feet, and the gangrened
wounds, and the exhausting hunger, and
the long march because 1.-The 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 himLef was
q amiracIe. What Joshua was III sacred
history the first American president was
in secular history. a t. oUsand other
men excelled him in different things,
but he excelled them all in roundness
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 divine
;uternnsitiou. He was from God direct.