The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1896-06-20
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
A Patriotic Discourse to the Ma
tional Legislators.
a Plea for Recognition OF God In the
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. As ainst the
Appropriation of Money for
sectarian Schools.

Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage took for the
subject of a sermon before his WASH
ington congregation. Before They
Adjourn" having reference to the early
dispersal of congress. His text was,
And teach his senators wisdom. Psalms cv.,
q.
Senators In this text stand for law
makers. Joseph was the lord treas
urer of the Egyptian government, and
among other great things which he
did, according to my text, was to
teach his senators wisdom; and II any
man on earth ought to be endowed
with wisdom it is senators, whether
they stand in congress, parliaments, or
reichstag, or legislatures. By their
decisions nations go up or down.
Lawmakers are sometimes so tempted
by prejudices, by sectional prefer
ences, by opportunity of personal adj
vancement, ard sometimes what Ia
best to do is SO doubtful that they
ought to be prayed for and encour-
aged in every possible why, instead Of
severely criticised and blamed and ex'
coriated, as is much of time the
case. Our public men are SO often
the target TO be shot at, merely
because they obtain eminence which
other men wanted but could not reach,
that more injustices are hurled at our
national legislature than the people
of the United States can possibly i'm
agine. The wholesale belying of our
public mon Is simply damnable. BY
residence in Washington have come
to End out that many of our public
men are persistently misrepresentcd,
and some of the best of them, the pur-
est in their lives and most faithful in
the discharge of their duties, are the
worst DETAINED. Some day 1 want to
preach sermon from the text In IL
Peter: "They are not afraid to speak
evil of dignities. Whereas angels,
which are greater In power and
might, bring not railing eccusa-
tion against them before the
Lord. But these, as natural brute
beasts, made to be taken and dc.
stroyed, speak evil of the things that
they understand not So constant
and malignant is the work of depreci'
alton and standardization in regard to
our public men that all over the land
there are those who suppose that the
city of Washington is the center of all
corruption, while, what with its parks,
and its equestrian statuary, and Its
wide streets, and its architectural
symmetries, and its lovely homes, 1t is
not only the most beautiful city under
the sun, but has the highest style OF
citizenship. have seen but one In.
toxicated man in the more than six
months of my residence, and do not
think any man can give similar testi
mony to any other city on the Ameri
can continent.
The gavels of our two houses of ma
tional legislature will soon fall, and
adjournment of two bodies of men as
talented, as upright, and al
patriotic as ever graced the CAPT
toll will take place. The two Oh
three unfortunate outbreaks which
you have noticed only make more con
spicuous the dignity, the fraternity
the eloquence, the fidelity which havt
characterized these two bodies during
the long months of important ant
anxious deliberation. We put a hal
around great men of the past becaus
they were SO rare in their time. Gu
senate and house of representative
have five such men where once the
had one. But IL will not be until afte
they are dead that they will get Apr,
eiated. The world finds 1t safer
praise the dead than the living, becaus
the departed, having heavy pile {
marble above them, may not rise
become rivals. But before the gave
of adjournment drop and the doors
Capitol Hill shut, there are one or tv
things that ought to be done, and Il
us pray to God that they may be
complished. More forcibly than ev'
before, congress has been implored
acknowledge God in our constitutio
The Methodist church, a church whi'
is always doing glorious things, ha
In its recent Wilmington conferenc
requested our congress to amend Il
immortal document, which has be-
the foundation and wall and dome
our United States government, by !
sorting the words: Trusting in 4
mighty God" II that amendment
made, it will not only please all 7
good people of the country, but W
please the heavens it was only
oversight or mental accident tn
the fathers who made the constituti
did not insert divinely worshipf
sentence. They all, 80 far as tn
amounted to anything, believed
God, the Father Almighty, the Max
of Heaven and earth, and in Jes
i Christ, His only begotten Son." 1
constitution would have been IA
ure had 1t not been for the Divine
terference. The members OF the CO
yention could agree on nothing uni
in response to Benjamin Frankn
request that the meeting be opened
PRAYER, the Lord was called on to
terfere and help, and then the W
was cleared, and all the states sigr
the document; historical fact u
all the rat. terriers of modern infidel
can not bark out of existence!
know that there was an excepti
70 the fact that the prominent men
those times were good men. 1
Paine. q libertine and a sot, did
believe in anything good until he
diving, and then he shrieked
for Gods mercy. And Ethan All
from one of whose descendants ! h'
received within few days confir.
ton of the incident i mentioned J
.oant sermon ms saving to his dy