Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1896-09-18
THE CHANGED CITIES.
REV. DR.. TALMAeE SHOWS HOW THE
GOSPEL WILL AFFECT THEM.

OOSFEL WILL RFFEO nEm'
lie Says They VIII All BE EvangeliEed.
and He Expects to Live to See It-How
It VIII f3e Brought About and the Con-
sequence.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 13. - So much
that is depressing is said about the
wickedness Of the cities it will cheer
us to read what DR.. Talmage says in
this sermon about their coming redemp-
tion. The text is Zechariah viii, 5,
"And the streets Of the city shall be
full of boys and girls playing in the
streets thereof. "
Glimpses of our cities redeemed
Now boys and girls who play in the
streets run such risks that multitudes
of them end in ruin. But, in the COM
ing time spoken of, our cities will be so
moral that lads and lasses shall be as
safe in the public thoroughfares as in
the nursery.
Pulpit and printing press for the
most part in our day are busy in dis
cussing the condition Of the cities at
this time, but would it not be health
fully encouraging to all Christian work
ers and to all who are toiling to make
the world better, if we should fer lit
tie while look forward to the time when
our cities shall be revolutionized by the
gospel of the Son Of God, and all the
darkness of sin and trouble and crime
and suffering shall be gone from the
world?
Every man has pride in the city Of
his nativity or residence, if it be a city
distinguished for any dignity or PROV
ess. Caesar boasted of his native Rome,
Virgil Of Mantua, Lycurgus Of Sparta,
Desmosthenes Of Athens, Archimedes
of Syracuse and Paul Of Tarsus. !
should have suspicion of base hearted
ness in a man who had no especial in
terest in the city of his birth or resi-
dence-no exhilaration at the evidence
of its prosperity or its artistic ombellish-
mcnts or its intellectual advancement
A Noticeable Point.
have noticed that man never likes
a city where he has not behaved well!
People who have had a free ride in the
prison van never like the city that fur
nishes the vehicle. When l find Argos
and Rhodes and Smyrna trying to prove
themselves the birthplace Of Homer, l
conclude at once that Homer behaved
we'll IIo liked them and they liked
him. We must not war on laudable city
pride. or. with the idea Of building our
selves up at any time, try to pull others
down. Boston must continue 70 point
10 its Faneuil hall and to its Common
and to its superior educational adyan-
tages. Philadelphia must continue to
point to its Independence hall and It's
mint and its GirGrd college. Washing
ton must continue to point to its VOL
drous capitoline buildings. If l should
find a man coming from any city, hay-
ing no pride in that city, that city hay-
ing been the place Of his nativity, OF
now being the place Of his residence,
would feel like asking: What meal
thing have you done there? What out
rageous thing have you been guilty OF
that you do not like the place"
think we ought-and l take 1t toI
granted you are interested in this great
work Of eyangelizing the cities and saw
ing the world-we ought to toll with
the sunlight in our faces. We are not
fighting in a miserable Bull Run Of de-
feat. We are on our way to final VIC
tory We are not following the rider Oh
the black horse, leading us down tC
death and darkness and doom, but the
rider on the white horse, with the moon
under his feet and the stars OF HEAVIER
for his tiara. Hail, Conqueror, hall
| know there are sorrows, and there
are sins, and there are sutferlngs al
around about us, but as in some bitter
cold winter day, when we are thrashlne
our arms around us to keep our thumbs
from freezing, we think Of the warn
spring day that will after awhile come
or in the dark winter night we look VI
and see the northern lights, the WIN
dovs of heaven illuminated by some
great victory, just so we look up from
the night Of sui ing and sorrow anC
wretcbedness in lr cities, and we see
light streaming through from the othel
side, and we know we are on the way
TO morning-more than that on INT
WAY to 50 morning without clouds.
| want you to understand, all you wh'
are toiling for Christ, that the castle
Of sin are all going to be captured. Th'
victory for Christ in these great town
is going to be SO complete that not
man on earth, or an angel in heaven o
a devil in hell will dispute it. How d'
| know? | know just as certainly a
| God lives and that this is holy truth. Th
old Bible is full of it If the nation
to be saved, of course all the cities ar
TO be saved. 1t makes great differenc
with you and with me whether we ar
toiling OH toward a defeat or toilinI
on toward victory.
A Glorious Time.
Now, in this municipal elevation o
which l speak l have to remark ther
will be greater financial prosperity thai
our cities have ever seen. Some peopl
seem 10 have "a morbid idea of the mil
lennium, and they think when the bet
ter time comes to our cities and tn
world people will give their time up t
psalm singing and the relating OF thei
religious experience. and, as all socla
life will be purified, there will be II
hiIarjty. and, as all business will b
purifed, there will be no enterprise
There is no ground for such an absur
, anticipation. In the time OF which
speak where now one fortune is mad
, there will be a hundred fortunes made
We all know business prosperity dc
pends upon confidence between ma
, and man. Now, when that time come
) of which | speak, and when all doubl
! dealing, all dishonesty, and all frau
are gone out of commercial circles
thorough confidence will be established
and there will be better business dor
= and larger fortunes gathered al
0 miQhtier successes achieved
4 The great business disasters OF tn
country have come from the work