The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-09-14
CITIES TO BE WON FOR CHRIST.
TALMAGE TELLS OF THE FUTURE
OF THE CASTLES OF SIN.

cOnQuer0Die Leuuef-t hhVHH" "
Financial Prosperity TO Follow
Municipal Elevation.
Washington. Sept. $50 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 redemption. The text is
Zechariah s: 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 mulutudes Of them end
in ruin But, in the coming, 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 discussing the
condition Of the cities at this time; but
would it not be healthfully encouraging
20 all Christian workers, and to all who are
toiling to make the world better. If we
should for a little while look forward to
the time when our cities shall be revolu-
tionized 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 a pride in the city of
his nativity or residence, If 1t be a city
distinguished for any dignity or prowess.
Caesar boosted of his native Rome, Virgil
of Mantua, Lycurgus of Sparta, Demos
themes of Athens. Archimedes of Syracuse,
~ls- +
picion of ase-heartedness in a man who
had no especial interest in the city Of his
birth or residence-no exhilaration at the
evidence of its prosperity or its artistic
embellishments, or it's intellectual advance
ment.
have noticed that a man never likes a
city where he has not behaved WE'LL Peo-
ple who have had free ride in the prison
van never like the city that furnishes the
vehicle. When / find Argos, and Rhodes
and Smyrna trying to prove themselves
the birthplace of Homer, 1 conclude at
once that Homer behaved well. He liked
them and they liked him. We must not
war on laudable city pride, or with the
idea of building ourselves up at any time
try TO pull others down. Boston must
continue to point to its Faneuil Hall and
TO its Common and to it's superior educa-
tional advantages. Philadelphia must
continue to point to its Independence hall,
and its mint, and 1t Gfrard college. Wash
ington must continue to point to its Won
drous capitolne buildings. If 1 should
find a man coming from amy city, having
no pride in that city, that city having been
the place of his nativity, or now being
the place of his residence, / would feel
like asking: What mean thing have you
done there? What outrageous thing
have you been guilty of that you do not
like the placer"
4
granted you are interested in this great
work Of evangelizing the cities and saw
ing the world-we ought to toll with the
sunlight in our faces. We are not fight
ing in a miserable Bull Run of defeat.
We are on our way TO final victory. We
are not following the rider on the black
horse, leading us down TO death and
darkness and DOOM but the rider on the
white horse with the moon under his feet
and the stars of heaven for his tiara.
Hail. Conqueror, hail.
l know there are sorrows and there are
sins, and there are sufferings all around
about us; but as in some bitter cold win
ter day, when we are threshing our arms
around us TO keep our thumbs from freez-
ing, we think of the warm spring day that
will after awhile come; or in the dark
winter night we may look up and see the
northern lights, the windows of heaven
illuminated by some great victory-just
and sorrow and wretchedness in our cities
and we see a light streaming through
from the other side, and we know we
are on the way to morning-more than
that, on the way to "a morning without
Clouds"
/ want you to understand, all you who
are toiling for Christ, that the castles OF
sin are all going to be captured. The vic.
tory for Christ in these great towns il
going to be so complete that not a man or
earth, or an angel in heaven, or devil in
hell viii dispute 1t. How do / know?
know just as certainly as God lives and
that this Is holy truth. The old Bible u
fun Of it. If the nation is to be saved, o.
course all the cities are to be saved 1
makes a great difference with you ant
with me whether we are toiling on toward
defeat or toiling on toward victory.
Now, in this municipal elevation O
which I speak, 1 have TO remark Their
will be greater financial prosperity thar
our cities have ever seen. Some peupl
seem to have a morbid idea of the millen
mum and they think when the better tim
comes TO our cities and the world peopl
will give their time up to psalm-singin
and the relating of their religious expe
Tience, and, as all social life will be puri
fed there will be no hilarity and, as al
business will be purified. there will be n
enterprise. There is no ground for such a
absurd anticipation In the time of whic
] speak, where now one fortune Is made
there will be a hundred fortunes made
We all know business prosperity depend
upon confidence between man and mar
Now when that time comes of which
speak, and when all double dealing, 81
dishonesty, and all fraud are gone on
of commercial circles, thorough conf
denoe will be established, and there wi
be better business done, and larger for
tunes gathered, and mightier successe
achieved.
The great business disasters of this coun
try have come from the work Of godes
spectators and infamous stock gamblers
The great fot to business is crime. Whe
the right shall have hurled back tn
wrong. and shall have purified the com
mercial code, and shall have thundere
down fraudulent establishments, an
shall have put into the hands of homes
men the keys Of business, blessed tim
for the bargain makers. / am not talkin
an abstraction, l am not making guess
/ am telling you Gods eternal truth.
In that day Of which l speak, taxes wi
be mere nothing. Now, our bushes
men are taxed for everything. City take:
county taxes. state taxes, United State
taxes, stamp taxes, license taxes, manu-