The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-02-10
CHRIST TO SWAY THE COUNTRY
WORK OF CHARACTERIZATION TO BE-
GIN AT WASHINGTON.


Advantageous Point for starting
the Work.
washington. Feb. s.-The audience Of
DIT. Talmage is thronged with the chief
men Of the nation, and people from all
parts making this sermon most timely
An hour and half before the doors open
the people gather In the street. and po-
ncemen keep the way open for the pew
holders. The text chosen for to-day's dis
course was; Luke 2i.41, beginning at
Jerusalem"
There it is" said the driver, and We
all instantly and excitedly rose in the
carriage TO catch the FIRST glimpse Of
Jerusalem. so long the JOY Of the whole
earth. That city, corOnetted with temple
and palace and radiant, whether looked
up at from the valley of Jehosaphat or
gazed at from adjoining hills, was the
capital Of a great nation. Clouds OF in
cense had lowered over il. Chariots OF
kings had rolled through it. Battering
rams Of enemies had Numbered against
it. There Isaiah prophesied, and Jere-
miah lamented. and David reigned, and
Paul preached, and Christ was martyred.
Most interesting city ever built since ma
sonry rung it's first trowel, or plumb-line
its first sceptre. What Jerusalem was to
the Jewish kingdom, Washington is to
our Countrywide capital. the place to
which all the tribes come up, the great
national heart whose throb sends life or
death through the body polite. clear out
10 the geographical extremities
What the resurrected Christ said in my
text TO his disciples, when he ordered
them to start on the work Of gospeliza-
ton, beginning at Jerusalem" it seems
TO me God says now, in his providence, to
tens of thousands of Christians in the
city. Start for the evangelzation OF
America, beginning at Washington
America Is going to be taken for God. II
you do not believe 1t, take your hat now
and leave, and give room to some man or
woman who does believe II. As surely as
God lives, and he is able to do as he says
he will, this country will be evangelical
from the mouth of the Potomac TO the
mouth of the Oregon, from the highlands
of the Neversink TO the Golden Horn, from
Bafiin's bay to the Gulf Of Mexico, and
Christ will walk every lake, whether be-
stormed or placid, and be TRANSPORTED on
every mountain, and the night skies,
whether they hover over groves OF mag
nolia or over Alaskan glacier, shall be
filled with angelic overture of "Glory TO
God and goodwill to men,"
Again and again does the Old Book an
nounce that all the earth shall see the
salvation Of God, and as the greater in
cludes the lesser, that takes America glo-
riously in. Can you not see that If Amer
lea is not taken for God by his conse-
Grated people, il will be taken for Apoll-
yon? The forces engaged on both sides
are so tremendous that it cannot be a
drawn battle! 1t is coming, the
Armageddonl Either the American Sab
bath Will perish and this nation be handed
over to Herods, and Hildebrands, and
Diocletians, and Neros of baleful power
and alcoholism will reign, seated upon pill
ed-up throne OF beer barrels, his mouth
foaming with domestic and national curse,
and crime Will lift It's unhindered' knife
of assassination, and rattle keys of worst
burglary. and wave torch of widest con-
fiagration, and our cities be turned into
Sodoms, waiting for Almighty tempests
of fire and birthstone, and one tidal wave
of abomination will surge across the con-
tinent, or our Sabbaths will take on more
sanctity. and the newspapers will become
apocyptic wings of benediction and peni-
tentiaries will be abandoned for lack Of
occupants, and holiness and happiness,
twin son and daughter of heaven, shall
walk through the lend, and Christ reign
over this nation either in person or by
agency so glorious that the whole coun-
try will be one clear resounding echo of
heaven. 1t will be one or the other By
the throne of him who liveth for ever
and ever, / declare IL will be the lat
ter If the Lord will help me, as he al
ways does-Blessed be his glorious name!
Il Will show you how a mighty work of
grace begun at Washington would have
a tendency to bring the whole continent
William the Conqueror ordered the cur
few, the custom of ringing the bell at
midnight, at which all the fires on the
hearthS were to be banked, and all the
lights extinguished, and all the people re-
tire to their pillows / pray God that the
curfew OF this century may not be sound
ed, and the fires be banked, and the lights
extfnguished, as the clock strikes the
midnight hour that divides the nineteenth
century from the twentieth century, un-
til this beloved land, which was to most
of us a cradle and which will be TO most
of us a grave, shall come into the full
possession of him who is so glorious that
William the Conqueror could not be com
pared to him, even the one who rideth
forth, 'conquering and to conquer"
Why would it be especially advantage
Gus If mighty work of grace started here,
cause this city is on the border between
the north and the south. 1t is neither
northern nor southern. 1t commingles the
two climates. 1t brings together the two
styles of population. 1t is not only right,
but beautiful, that people should have es-
pecial love for the latitude where they
were born and brought UP. With what
loving accentuation the Albanian speaks
of his orange groves! And the man from
Massachusetts is sure to let you know
that he come from the land of the Adams
es,-Samuel, and John, and John Quincy.
Did you ever know Nirginian or Ohioan
whose face did not brighten when he an
nounced himself from the southern or
northern state of presidents? If a man
does not like his native cline, it is be-
cause Wnle he ilNeu Lnere, ne uld not be-
have well. This capital stands where. by
its locality and its political influence, it
stretches forth one hand toward the north
and the other toward the south and
mighty work of grace starting here would
probably be a national awakening. Geor-
gia would clasp the hand of New Hamp-
shire and Maine the hand of Louisiana,
and California the hand of New York.
and say, Come, let US go up and wor-
ship the God of Nations, the Christ of
Golgotha, the Holy Ghost of the pente-
costal three thousands" 1t has often
been said that the only way the north
and the south will be brought into com
plete accord, is to have war with some
foreign nation, in which both sections,
marching side by side, would forget ev-
erything but the foe to be overcome. Well
If you wait for such a foreign conflict
you will wait until all this generation is
dead, and perhaps wait forever. The war
that will make the section forget past
controversies is a war against unright-
eousness, such as a universal religious
awakening would declare. What we want
is a battle for souls. in which about forty
million northerners and southerners
shall be on the same side, and shoulder
to shoulder. In no other city on the con-
tinent can such a war be declared so
appropriately, for all the other great cities
are either northern or southern. This is
neither, or, rather it is both.