The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1896-03-13
A SUBLIME THEME.
sAMERIcA FOR GOD" THE SUBJECT OF
DR.. TALMAGE'S SERMON.

God-Enemies That Must BE overcome
Plan of Campaign.
WASHINGTON, March 8.-This dis
course presents a sublime theme and Is
of national Importance, and coming
from the capital of the nation must have
a stirring effect throughout the land.
DR.. Talmage chose for his text Revela-
ton xiii, II, "And I beheld another
beast coming up out of the earth, and
he had two horns like a lamb, and he
spake as dragon.
Is America mentioned in the Bible!
Learned and consecrated men who have
studied the inspired books of Daniel and
Revelation more than I have and under
stand them better agree i'll saying that
the leopard mentioned in the Bible
meant Grecia, and the bear meant Me-
do-Persia, and the lion meant Babylon,
and the beast of the text coming up cut
of the earth, with two horns like lamb
and the voice of dragon, means our
country, because among other reasons 1T
seemed to come up out OF the earth
when Columbus discovered it, and it
has been for the most part at peace like
q lamb unless assaulted by foreign foe,
in which case it has had two horns
strong and sharp and the voice of a
dragon loud enough to make all nations
hear the roar of Ms indignation. Is it
reasonable to suppose that God would
leave out from the'prophecies Of his book
this whole western hemisphere? No, no !
~ beheld another beast coming up out
of the earth, and he had two horns like
a lamb, and he spake as dragon.
Germany for scholarship, England
for manufactures, France for manners,
Egypt for antiquities, Italy for pictures,
but America for God.
I start with the cheering thought that
the most popular book on earth today is
the Bible, the most popular institution
on earth today is the church, and the
most popular name on earth today is
Jesus Right from this audience hun
6reds of men and women would, if need
be, march out and die for him.
Am too confident in saying, Amer
lea for God?" If the Lord will help me,
I will show the strength and extent OF
the long line of fortresses to be taken
and give you my reasons for saying it
can be done and will be done. Let us
decide, in this battle for God, whether
we are at Bull Run or at Gettysburg.
There is Fourth of Julyish way of
Dragging about this country. and the
most tired and plucked bird that ever
flew through the heavens is the Amerl-
can eagle, SO much SO that Mr.. Gladstone
said to me facetiously at Hawarden, 81
hear that the fish in your American
lakes are so large that when one OF them
is taken out the entire lake is percepti
bly lowered" and at a dinner given in
Paris an American offered for senti-
ment, Here is to the United States
bounded on the north by the aurora bo-
reals, on the south by the procession OF
the euuinoxes, Oh the east by primeva!
chaos and on the west by the day OF
Judgment The effect of such grand
iloquence is to discredit the real facts,
which are so tremendous they need nc
parnishing. The worst thing to do III
any campaign, military or religious, Is
to underestimate an enemy, and VIII
have no part in such attempt at belittle'
ment.
To Be Taken For God.
This land to be taken for God, &C
cording to Hassel, the statistician, has
14,219,967 square miles, width and
q length that none but the Omnlsclent
can appreciate. -Four Europes put to-
eether and capable of holding and feed
ing, as it will hold and feed, according
to Atkinson, the statistician, If the
world continues in existence and doe!
not run afoul of some other world or gel
consumed by the fires already burning
in the cellars of the planet-capable,
say, of holding and feeding more thar
1000, 900, 900 inhabitants. For you mus
remember it must be held for God al
we'll as taken for God, and the las
500, 900, 900 inhabitants must not be al
lowed to swamp the religion of the frs
800, 900, 900. Not much use in taking
the fortress if we cannot hold it. /
must be held until the archangelI
trumpet bids living and dead arise from
this laundering planet.
You must remember it is only abou
7o'clock in the morning Of our nation
life. Great cities are to fash and roa
among what are called the bad Lands
of the Dakotas and the great "Colum
bia plains of Washington state, ant
that ON which We put our schoolboy fin
gers ON the map and spelled out as tn
"Great American desert" is, through
systematic and concentrating irrlga
tion, to bloom like Chatsworth park ant
be made more productive than those re
gions dependent upon uncertain AM
spasmodic rainfall. All those regions
as we'll as those regions already cult
waited, to be inhabited That was a sub
lime thing said by Henry Clay Will
crossing the Allegheny mountains, an
he was waiting for the stage horses
be rested, as he stood on rock, arm
folded, looking off into the valley, an
some one said to him, "Mr. Clay. wha
are you thinking about?" He replied
81 am listening to the oncoming tram
of the future generation of America. "
Have you laid our home missionar
scheme on such an infnitude Of scale
II the work Of bringing one soul to Go
Is so great, can 1000, 900, 900 be cal
-. u .lnWR 90