The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-12-18
REV. DIR. TAIMAGE.
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE
NOTED DIVINE.
Subject: Z" A Welcome to Congress.

TEXT: "And the Lord opened the eyes OF
the young man, and he saw, and. behold.
the mountain was full Of horses and charlots
OF fire round about Elisha. III Kings VI. II.
The American Congress is assembling.
Arriving or already arrived are the repre-
sentatives Of all sections OF this beloved
land. Let Us welcome them with prayers
and benediction. A nobler group OF men
never entered Washington than those who
will tomorrow take their places In the SEN
ate Chamber and the House OF Repres enta-
tives. Whether they come alone or leave
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 80
much in the past that purpose to show you
and show them, so far az I may now reach
their ear or tomorrow their eye through the
printing press, that God will be with them to
help them as In the text He filed the noun
tains with help for Elisha.
As It cost England many regiments and
81, ,000, 900 a year to keep safely trouble
some captive at St. Helena, so the king of
Syria sends out whole army to capture one
take Elisha During the night the army OF
Syrlans came around the village Of Dothan,
where the prophet was staying. At early
daybreak the man servant of Elisha rushed
IN and said: "What shall we do2 There is
a whole army come to DESTROY you! We
must die! We must die!' But Elisha was
not scared bit, for he looked up and saw
the mountains all around full of super
natural forces. and he knew that II there
were 80, 900 Syrians against him there were
100, 900 angels for him. aud In answer to the
prophets prayer In behalf Of his affrighted
man servant the young man saw It too.
Horses OF fire harnessed to charots OF fire,
and drivers of fire pulling re1ns Of fire on
ished swords Of fire. and the brilliAuce OF
that morning sunrise was eclipsed by the
gallopin9 splendors Of the celestial caval-
cade. "And the Lord opened the eyes OF
the young man. and he saw, and behold the
mountain was full OF horses and charlots Of
fire round about Elisha" Ispeak of the
upper forces OF the text that are to fight on
our side as Nation. If all the low levels
are filed with armed 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 equipa9e Is
always represented as chariot Of fire.,
Ezekiel and Isaiah and John, when they
come to describe the divine equipage. always
represent It rs wheeled, harnessed. an
upholstered conhagration. It Is not o char
lot like kings and conquerors OF earth
mount. but an organized and compressed
fire. That means purity. Justice. chastise-
ment, deliverauce through burning escapes.
Chariot Of rescue? Yes, but chariot OF fire.
All our National disenthrallments have been
through scorohing agonies aud red disasters.
Through tribulation the individual RISES
Through trlbulation Nations rise. Chariots
Of rescue. but chartots Of fire. But how do I
know that this divine equipaee Is on the side
of our institutions? Iknow 1t by the history
of the last 119 years. The American Revolu-
ton started from the pen OF Johu Hancock
In Independence Hall in 1776. The colonies.
without ships, without ammunition, without
guns, without trained warriors, without
money, without prestige. On the other side,
the mightiest Nation OF the earth, the larg-
est armies. the grandest navies and the
most distinguished commanders. and re-
sources inexhaustible, and nearly all Ma
tions ready to back them no in the fight.
Nothing, as against immensity.
The cause Of the American colonies. which
started at zero, dropped still lower through
the quarrelling Of the generals. and through
the winters which surpassed all predecessors
In depth OF snow and horrors of CONCEAL,
ment. Elisha surrounded by the whole
Syrian army did not seem to be worse of
than did the thirteen colonies encompassed
and overshadowed 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 Hudson. the mountains
of Virginia, all the Appalachian ranges
were full OF re-enforcements, which the
Young man Washington saw by faith. and
his men endured the frozen feet, anil the
gangrened wounds, and the exhausting
hunger, and the long march because "tne
Lord opened the eyes Of the young mau, and
he saw, and, behold, the mountain was full
OF horses nnd chariots of fire round about
Elisha" Washington himself was a 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
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 eX-
igency. He was let down divine inter-
position. He was from God direct.
I do not know how many can read the
history OF those times without admitting 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-,
nouncei it National suicide. It was not
courageagainst cowardicc, 1t was not wealth
against poverty. it was not large States
against small States. It was heroism against
heroism. 1t was the resources OF many gen.
erations against the resources Of generations.
It was the prayer Of the North against the
PRAYER OF the South, it was one-half OF the
Nation In armed wrath meeting the other
half OF the Nation in armed Indignation.
What could come but eytermatton?
At the opening OF the war the commander
in-chiei OF the United States forces was a
man who had been great in battle. but old
age had come, with many infrmities. and he
had n right to quietude. Hs could not
mount horse. ard he rode on the battle
field in carriage. asking the driver not to
Jolt il too much. During the most OF the
four years Of the contest on the Southern
side, was man in midllfe, who had in his
veins the blood OF many generations OF
warriors. himself one Of the heroes OF
Churuhusco and Cerro Gordo, Contreras and
ChapulteDec. AS the years passed on and
the scroll OF carnage unrolled thers came
out from both sides heroism. and strength.
and n determination that the world had
never seen marshaled. And what but ex-
termination could come when Philip
Sheridan and Stonewall Jackson met, AMI
Nathaniel Lyon AMI Sidney Johnston rode
in from North and South. and Grant aud
Lee, the two thunderoolts OF battle. clashsd?
Yet. we are a Nation, and yet We are at
peace. Earthly courage did not decide the
conhics. The upper forces OF the text-lhey
tell us there was a battle fought above the
clouds on Lockout Mountain, but there was
something higher than that.
Again, the horses and cnariots o! Goa
came to the rescue OF this Nation in 1876. at
the close OF Presidential election famous
for ferocity. Adarker cloud vet settled down
upon this Nation. The result OF the election
was in dispute, and revolution. not between
two or three sections, but revolutio on In every
town and village and city Of the United