Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1896-02-21
REV. DR. TALMAGE.
The Eminent Washington pivine's
Sunday Sermon.
Subject. "The Place to Begin"

,OrOnetod with temples anu pdidceS anu
'adiant. whether looked up at from the VAL
sy of Jehoshaphat or gazed at from adloln'
ng hills, was the capital of Il great Nation.
Clouds ofincense had lowered over it. Char
OTIS of kings had rolled through it, Batter
nc rams OF enemies had Numbered against
Il. There Isaiah prophesied, and Jeremiah
amented, and David reigned, and Paul
preached. and Christ was martyred. Most
interesting CITY ever built since masonry
rung its hrst trowel or plumb line measured
Its first wall or royalty swung Its nrst
,cepter. What Jerusalem was to the Jewish
kingdom Washington is to our own country
the capital, the place to which all the
tribes come up. the great National heart
whose throb sends life or death through the
body polite, clear out to the geographical
extremities.
What the resurrectel Christ said in my
textto His disciples when He ordered themto
start on the work Of gosplization, "oegin-
ming at Jerusalem. it seems to me God says
now in His providence to tens OF thousands
of Christians in this city, Start for the
eyangelization of America. "beginning at
Washington" America is going to be taken
for God. If YOU do not believe it, take your
hat now aud leave and give room to some
man or woman who does believe 1t. AS
surely as God ives and He is able TO do as he
SAWS H. will this country will be evangelical
from the mouth OF the Potomac to the
mouth OF the Oregon, from the Highlands OF
Navesink to the Golden Horn, from Baff1ns
BAY to the Gulf OF Mexico, and Christ Will
walk every lake, whether bestormed on
D.acid. AMI be TRANSPORTED on every noun
tain. and the night skies, whether they hover
over groves OF magnolia or over Alaskan
glacier, shall be filed With the angelic over
ture Ct "glory to Col and gooi will TO
men,"
Again and agar does the old book an-
nouace that all the earth shall see tue saliva
ton Of Gol. and as the greater includes the
lesser that takes America gloriously in. Can
YOU not see that if America is not taken Tor
CD by His cOnsecra.e1 people it will be
taken for Apolyon? The forces engaged on
both sides are 50 tremendous that it cannot
be drawn battle. 1t is coming, the Arma-
geldon. Either the American Sabbath will
perish and this Nation be handed over to
Hero IS and H.ldebrands AMI Diocletians
and n ros OF baleful power, and Alcoholism
will reign, seated upon piled up throne OF
beer barrels, his mouth foaminS with do
nestle and National curse, and crime will
lift it, unhinderej kuife Of assassination
ana rattle keys OF worst burglary and wave
torch OF widest confederation, and our
cities be turned into Sodoms, waiting for
mighty tempest of fire AMI birthstone
and one tidal wave Of abomination
will surge across the continent, or our
Sabbaths Will take on more sancti-
ty, and the newspapers will become apocal-
yp.ic wings of benedicton. and penitentlaries
will be abandoned for lack of occupants, and
holiness and happiness, twin son and daugn,,
ter of heaven. all walk through the land
and Christ reign over this Nation either in
person or by agency so glorious that the
whole country will be one clear, resounding
echo Of heaven. II will be one or the other.
By the throne of Him who liveth forever and
ever l declare ii will be the latter II the
Lord will help me, as He always does
blessed be His glorious name-I will show
YOU how a mighty work of grace begun at
Washington would have tendency to bring
the whole continent to God, and before this
century closes.
William the Conqueror ordered the curfew,
the custom Of ringing tho bell at midnight
ut which all the fires on the heNrths were to
| be banked and all the lights exttnguished,
and all the people retire to their pillows.
pray God that the curfew OF this century
may not be sounded, aud the fires be banked,
and the lights extinguished rs the clock
strikes The midnight hour that divides the
nineteenth century from the twentieth CEN
fury unit, this beloved land. which was tc
most of u a cradle aud which will be to most
| of US a grave, shall come into the full pos
session of Him who is so glorious that Will
| lam the Conqueror could not be compared r.
Him. even the One who rideth forth ICON
querinS and to conquer"
Why should 1t be especially advantageous
,. 4 mighty work of grace started here, "De
ginning at WashingtonT" First. because tl1i
city is on the border between the North anC
the South. 1t is neither Northern nor SO III
ern. 1t comnlihgles the two climates. L
| brings together the two styles Of population
1t is not only right, but beautiful that peo
pie should have especial love for the latitud
where they were born and brought up. Witt
what loving accentuation the Aabanial
speaks of his orange grovesl And the mai
! rom Massachusetts is sura TO let you know
that he comes from the land OF the Adamse
Samuel and John and John Quincy. Dl'
YOU ever know Virginian or Ohioan who's
face did not brighten when he announce
himself from the Southern or Northern
State OF Presidents? If a man does not ltE
his native cline, il is because While he live
there he did not behave well. This capita
stands where; by It's locality and its politica
influence, it stretches forth one hand towar'
the North and the other toward the South
ana mighty work OF grace starting her
would probably be National awakening
Georgia would clasp the hand OF New Hamp
shire, and Maine the han1 OF Louisiana, an
California the hand OF New York, ana say
"Come. let us 60 up and worship the Go
OF Nations. the Christ of Golgotha, the Ho
Ghost of the pentecostal Thousands 1t ha
often been said that the only way tn
North and the South will be brought int
complete accord is to have war wit
some foreign Nation in which both section!
marching side by side, would forget every
thin, but the foe to be overcome. Wei,
you wait for such a foreign conflict, 20
will wait until all this generation is dea
and perhaps wait forever. The war thu
will make the sections forget past contr(
yarsies is q war against unrlghteousnes
such as universal religious awakenin
would declare. What we want is battl
for souls in which about 10000, 600 Northern
ers aud Southerners shalt be on The sam
side and shoulder to shoulder. In no otht
city on the continent can such war be az
cared so appropriately, for all the oth(
great cities are either Northern or So1tnerl
Tbisis neither, or rather it is botn'
Again. it would be especially advantageot
Il mighty work of grace started here. d.
cause more representative men are in Wasf
ington than in any other city between ii
} oceans. OF course there are accidents I
politics, and occasionally there are men WI
get into the Sen"te and House of Represel
tatives and othoc important places who a
fitted for the positions in neither head NJ
heart, but this is exceptional and more e,
, ceptonal now than in other days. There
not drunkard in the National Legislator
although there were times when hentucK
Virginia. Delaware, Illinois, New York al
Massachusetts had men in the Senate
House of Representatives who were mauui
/ and staggering drunk across those M
places. Never nober group OF men sat
i. Senate or House of Representatives thah
there yesterday and will sit there to-morro
v-bila +ba HIGHEST Judiciary, without {