Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1896-10-20

come into that battle on the right side.
The winds. God showed what he
timbers of the ships of the Spanish
Armada were strewn on the rocks Of
Scotland, Norway and the Hebrides.
The waters. He showed what he could
do with them when he put the whole
earth under them, leaving it subaque-
GUS one hundred and fifty days. The
earthquakes! He showed what he could
do with them when he let Caracas drop
into the open mouth of horror and the
islands of the sea went into entomb.
ment. The lightnings! He showed
what he could do with them when he
wrapped Mount Sinai in fame, and we
have all seen their flashing lanterns
moving with the chariots OF the mid
night hurricane. All the regiments
elemental will come in on our side in
the great Armageddon. Come and let
us mount and ride along the line, and
review the troops of Emanuel, and find
that the regiments terrestrial and celes-
tial that come into that battle on the
right side are as compared with those
on the wrong side, two to one, hun
dred to one, thousand to one.
But who is the commander-in-ch
on this side? Splendid armies have
been ruined, caught in traps, flung over
precipices, and annihilated through the
incompetence Or treachery of their gen.
eral. Who commands on our side?
Jehovah-Jireh! so-called in one place.
Captain of Salvation" so-called in an
other place. King of Kings Lord Of
Lords. Conqueror of Conquerors!
His eye Omniscient. His arm omnipo-
tent. He will take the lead.
But do not let US shout until after
We have seen the two armies clash in
the last struggle. Oh. my soul! The
battle Of all time and all eternity opens.
Forward" Forward is the COM
mand on both sides given. The long
lines of both armies waver. and swing
to and fro. Swords of truth against
engines Internal. Black horse cavalry
OF perdition against white horse caval-
ry of heaven. The redemption of this
world and the honor of the throne OF
God to vindicate, how tremendous is
the battle. The army of righteousness
seems giving way; but no! 1t is only a
part of the maneuvre Of the infinite
fight. 1t is deploy of the host celes-
tial. What meeting in this field OF
splendor and wrath, Of the angelic and
of the diabolic, of hosanna and BIAS
phemy, Of song and curse, of the divine
and the satanic. The thunderbolts
of the Almighty burst and blaze upon
the foe. Boom! Boom! BY the
torches of lightning that illuminate the
scene see that the crisis of the Arma-
geddon has come. 1t is the turning
point of this last battle. The next mo-
ment will decide all. Aye! the forces
of Apollyon are breaking ranks. See!
See! They fly. Some on foot some
on wing; they fly. Back over the bat
Elements of perdition they go down
with infinite crash, all the regiments
diabolic!
The prophesied Amageddon of the
text has been fought, and Christ and
his followers have won the day. The
Kingdoms of this world have become
the kingdoms of our Lord and his
Christ. All the Christian workers of
our time, you, my hearers, and you, my
readers, and all the Christian workers
of all the ages, have helped on the mag
nlficent result, and the victory is ours
as much as theirs. This moment invit-
ing all outsiders, through the ran
somcd blood of the everlasting Coven-
ant, to get into the ranks OF the Con-
querors, and under the banner of our
Leader, / shall not close the service
with prayer, as we usually do, but i'm
mediately give out the Moravian hymn,
by James Montgomery, appropriate
when written in 1919, but more appro-
pirate in 1896. aud ask you, with full
voices, as well as with grateful hearts.
to chant 1t.
See Jehovah's banner furl'd,
Sheathed his sword: He speaks-'tis
And the kingdoms of this world
Are the kingdoms of his Son.