The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-05-27
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE
NOTED DIVINE.
Subject: "Before They Adjourn"

TEXT: "And teach his senators wisdom. ~
Psalms cv.. %.
Senators in this text stand for lawmakers
Joseph was the lord treasurer of the Egyptiar
government. and among other great thing
which he did, according to my text. was t
teach his senators wisdom. And II any mer
on earth ought TO be endowed with wisdom
1t Is senators, whether they stand in con
gresses, parliaments or rnichsta9s or assem-
blies or legislatures. By their decisions
nations go up or down. Lawmakers arc
sometimes so tempted by preiudices. by Sec
tonal preference. by opportunity OF personal
advancement. and sometimes what is best to
do Is so doubtfulthat they ought to be prayed
for and ENCOURAGED in every possible way
instead Of severely criticised and blamed and
excoriated, as is much Of the 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 iniUstices are hurled at our ma
tioGal legislature than the people OF the uni
ted States can possibly imagine. The whole
sale belying Of our public men Is simply dam.
nable
Bv residence in Washington I have come
to find out that many Of our public men are
persistently misrepresented, and some Of the
best Of them. the purest in their lives and
most faithful in the discharge of their duties,
are the worst DETAINED. Some day want to
preach a sermon from the text in II Peter:
"They a-e not afraid to speak evil Of digni-
ties. Whereas angels, which are greater In
power and might, bring not railing accusa-
tion against them before the Lord. But
these. as natural brute beasts. made to be
taken and destroyed. speak evil Of the things
that they understand not" So constant and
al iry,,o ic Of Hanrpoiatinn
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 symme-
tries, and its lovely homes, It is not only the
most beautiful city under the sun. but has
the hiches. style of citizenship. have seen
but one intoxicated man In the more than
six months Of nv residence. and l do not
think any man can give similar testimony OF
anv other ciry on the American continent.
The cavels Of our two houses Of national
legislature will soon fall, and adjournment
OF two bodies OF men as talented, as upright
and as patriotic as ever graced the capital
will take place. The two or three unfoT-
tunate outbreaks which you have noticed
only make more conspicuous the dignity.
the fraternity, the eloquence, the fidelity
which have characterized those two bodies
during all the long months of important and
anxious deliberation. We put a halo around
great men OF the past because they were go
rare in their time. Our senate and house OF
representatives have five such men where
once they had one. But 1t will not be until
after they are dead that they will get appre-
the dead than the living, because the de-
harip,y baoyu rila ~ m orhln phnva
them. may not rise to become rivals.
But, before the cavels Of adjournment
drop and the doors of Capitol Hill shut,
there are one or two things that ought to be
done, and let Us pray God that they may be
accomplished. More forcibly than ever be-
fore. concrass has been implored to acknowl-
edge God IN our constitution. The Metho-
dist Church, church that is always doing
glorio1s things, has in its recent Whining
ton conference requested our congress to
amend the immortal document which has
been the foundation and wall and dome OF
our United States government by inserting
the words. "Trusing in Almighty God" If
that amendment is made, 1t will rot only
please all the good people Of the country,
but will please the heavens. 1t was only 40
oversight or mental accident that the tath-
ers who made the constitution did not insert
q divinely worship!ul sentence. They all. so
far as they amounted to anything, believed
In "God the Father Almighty, the Maker Of
heaven and earth. and in Jesus Christ, His
only begotten Son." The constitution w5uld
have been failure had it not been for the
divine interference. The members Of the
response to Benjamin Franklin's request that
the meetings be opened by prayer, the Lord
Col was called on to interfere and help, and
then the way was cleared. and all tho states
signed the document, historical fact that
all the rat terriers of modern infdelity can
not bark out of existence. I know that there
was an exception to the fact that the promi-
nent men in those times wero good men.
Tom Paine. libertine and a sot, did not
believe in anything good until he was dying,
and then he shrieked out for Gods mercy.
And Ethan Allen, from one Of whose
descendants I have received within few
days confirmation OF the incident men
toned in recent sermon. as saying to his
dying daughter that she had better take her
mothers Christian religion than his own in
adelity. The article sent me says: "The
story has been denied by some Of the Allen
family, but the Bronson family. some Of
whom we're with the dying girl, affirm that
1t Is substantially true. In such q mattcr
one confirmation is worth more than many
denials.' So says the article sent me.
There is no doubt that Ethan Allen was the
vulgarest sort Of an infdel, for, sitting In a
Presbyterian Church. his admirers say he
struck the pew in front of him and swore out
loud so as to disturb the meeting, and no
gentleman would do that. do not wonder
that some of his descendants are ashamed Of
him, but Of course they could not help II and
are not to blame. But ali the decent men Of
the Revolution believed in God. and our
American congress, now assembled, will only
echo the sentiments of the fathers when they
enthrone the name OF God in the consti-
tuition. We have now more reason for
inserting that acknowledgement OF divinity
than our fathers had. Since then the con-
tinent has been peopled and great cities from
the Atlantic to the Pacific built, and all in
peace, showing that there must have been
supernal supervisal. Since then the war OF
1912, and ours the victory! Since then great
financial prostrations. out Of which we came
to greater prosperity than anything that pre-
ceded. Since then sanguinary 1862, 1868,
1864 and 1865, and Notwithstanding the fact
that all the foreign despotisms were plan
ming for our demolition, we are united peo-
pie. and tomorrow you will find in both
!, houses of congress the men who fought for
the north and south, now sitting side by
side. armed with no weapon except the pen.
with which they write home to their con.
stituents who want to be appointed post
masters. The man who cannot SEQ Goa in
our American history is as blind Of soul as
he would be blind OF body If he could not at
| u o'clock of an unclouded noon see the
sun in the heavens.
As matter Of gratitude to Almighty God
gentlemen Of the American congress, be
pleased to insert the four words suggested
I BY the Methods. conference. Not only be-
| cause Of the kindness Of God to this natior
4 in the past should such reverential insertion
be made, but because Of the fact that we arr
going to want divine interposition still
' further in our national history. This golG
land silver question will never be settled un
It'll God settles It. This question Of tariff ant
}free trade will never be settled Until Goo