Connecticut western news., 1896-10-15
THE CLOSING BATTLE
IT WILL BE THE GREATEST OF ALL THE CONFLICTS.

THE CONFLICTS.
 The Rev. Dr. Talmage's Eloquent Sermon
 on Armageddon - The Regiments and
 Their commanders-On the Wrong Side.
 Swords of Truth.
 WASHINGTON, Oct. 11.-In his ser mon today Rev. Dr. Talmage discussed the great conflict which prophecy fore- shadows as the climax of the world s ruggles-Armagedd His text was Revelation xvi, 16, And he gathered them together in place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon D
 Megiddo is the name of mountain that looks down upon Esdr8lon, the greatest battlefield that the world has ever seen. There Barak fought the Ga naanites; there Gideon fought the Mid ianites; there Josiah fought the invad- ing Egyptians. The whole region stands for battle, and the Armageddon of my text borrows its name from it and is here used not geographically, but fig. uratively, while setting forth the idea that there is to be worlds closing battle, the greatest of all battles, com pared with which the conflicts of this century and all other centuries were in significant, because of the greater num- Der of combatants engaged, the greater victory and the greater defeat The ex- set date of that battle we do not know, and the exact locality is uncertain. It may be in Asia, Europe, Africa or America, but the fact that such battle will take place is as certain as God s eternal truth. When use the superla- tive degree in regard to that coming conflict, do not forget that there have been wars all along on stupendous scale.
 They Will Not Equal.
 AS when at Marathon, Miltiades brought on his men, not in ordinary march. but in full run, upon the horse men of Persia and the black archers of Ethiopia and scattered them and, cry ing. Bring firei Bring firep' set into flame the ships of the invaders. As when Pizarro overcame Peru. AS when Philip II triumphed over Portugal. As when the Huns met the Goths. AS when 800 Spartans sacrificed themselves at Thermopyl@. AS when the Carthagin- ians took Agrigentum. As when Alex ander headed the Macedonian phalanx. As when Hannibal invaded Italy. Bat tie of Hastingsl Battle of Valmy! Bat tie of Pultowal Battle of Arbelal Bat tie of Toursi Battle of Borodinol Bat tie of Lucknowi Battle of Solferino! Battle of Fontenoy, where 100, 900 were slaini Battle of Chalons, where 300, 900 were massacredl Battle of Herat, where Genghis Khan destroyed 1, 600, 900 livesl Battle of Neishar, where 1,747, 900 went down to deathi One million eight hundred and sixteen thousand slain at Troyl And American battles, too near us now to allow us to appreciate their awful grandeur and significance, except you who were there, facing the north or facing the south. But all the battles Ihave named put together will not equal in numbers enlisted, or fierceness. or grandeur, or triumph, or rout, the com- ing Armageddon contest. Whether it shall be fought with printers ink or keen steel. whether by brain or muscle, whether by pen or carbine, whether by booming cannon or thunders of Chris tian eloquence, I do not know, and you may take what I say as figurative or literal, but take as certain what St. John, in his vision on the rocks of the Grecian archipelago. is pleased to call Armageddon.
 The Rival Commanders.
 My sermon will first mention the regiments that will be engaged in the conflict, then will say something of the commanders on both sides, and then speak of the battle itself and the tre- mendous issues Beginning with those who will fight on the wrong side, first mention the regiments diabolic. In this very chapter from which my text is taken we are told that the spirits of devils will be there. How many mil lions of them no one can tell, for the statistics of the satanic dominions> have never been reported, and the roll of that host has never on earth been called, but from the direful and continental and planetary work they have already done and the fact that every man and wom- an and child on earth has a tempter there must be at least 1,60O, 900, GOO of evil spirits familiar with our world. Perhaps as many moro are engaged on especial enterprises of abomination among the nations and empires of the earth. Besides that there must be an in conceivable number of inhabitants in realms pandemoniao. staying there to keep the great capitals of sin going from age to age. Many of them once lived in heaven; but, engaging in con- spiracy to put satan on the throne, they were hurled out and down, and they are now among the worst thugs of the universe. Having been in three worlds heaven, earth and hell-they have all the advantages of great experience. Their power, their speed, their cunning, their hostility. wonderful beyond all statement In the Armageddon they will. I donbt not, be present in full array. They will have no reserve corps, but all will be at the front. There will not on ly be soldiers in that battle who can be seen and aimed at, but troops intangi- ble and without corporeity, and weap ons may strike clear through them without giving them hurt. With what shout of defiance will they climb up the ladders of fire and leap from the battle ments of asbestus into the last campaign of he'll Paul, the bravest of men, wal impressed with their might for evi when he said, "We wrestle not agains flesh and blood, but against principali ties and against powers and against thu rulers of the darkness in this world against spiritual wickedness in higi places" Oh, what an agitating mo ment, when the ranks diabolic move uI and take their places for conflict in thu Armageddon.
 The Regiments Alcoholic.
 Other regiments who will march intt the fight will be the regiments alec holic. They will be made up of thu brewers companies, distillery owner and liquor dealers associations and ths hundreds of millions of their patrons They will move into the ranks witt