The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-05-20
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE
NOTED DIVINE.
Subject: "The Division OF Spoils."

TEXT: "He shall divide the spoil with the
strong. ."--Isaiah ill.,, ~.
In the Coliseum at Rome, where persecu-
tors used to let out the half starved lions to
eat up Christians, there is now planted the
figure of cross. And rejoice to know that
the upright piece of wood nailed to a trans
verse piece has become the symbol not moro
OF suffering than Of victory. 1t Is Of Christ
the conqueror that my text speaks. As q
kingly warrior, having subdued an empire,
might divide the palaces and mansions and
cities and valleys and mountains among his
officers, so Christ is going to divide up all
the earth and all the heavens among His
people, and you and will have to take our
share If We are strong in faith and strong In
our Christian loyalty, for my text declares
It, "He shall divide the spoil with the
strong"
The capture of this round planet for Christ
Is not so much of job as you might imagine,
when the church takes of its coat and rolls
up Its sleeves for the work, as 1t will There
are $500, ,009, 900 Of people now in the world,
and 450, ZOO, 900 are Christians. Subtract
$4,000, 600 who are Christians from the
1900 900, ,0OO and there are 1.l50,0 90 900 left
Divide the l.150, 900, 900 who are not Chris
tians by the $50, 600, 900 who are Christians,
and you will find that we shall have to aver
age less than three souls each, brought by
US into the kingdom of God, to have the
whole world redeemed. Certainly with the
church rising up to Its full duty, no Chris
tian will be willing to bring less than three
souls into the kingdom Of God.
Ihope and pray Almighty God that may
bring more than three. I know evangeltsts
who have already brought $4,000 each for
the kingdom Of God. There are 200, 900 peo-
pie whose one and only and absorbing busi-
ness In the world Is to save souls. When
you take these things into consideration,
and that the Christians will have to average
the bringing OF only three souls each into
the kingdom OF our Lord. all impossibility
vanishes from this omnipotent crusade.
Why, know Sabbath-school teacher who
for many years has been engaged In train
ing the young, and she has had i've diner-
ent classes, and they averaged seven to
class, and they were all converted, and five
times seven are thirty-fve as near as can
calculate. So that she brought her three
into the kingdom of God and had thirty-two
to spare. My grandmother prayed her chill
dren into the kingdom Of Christ, and her
grandchildren, and I hope all her great
grandchildren, for God remembers prayer
seventy-fve years old as though 1t were
only minute old, and so she brought her
three into the kingdom Of God and had more
telephone and the telegraph, this whole
world, within o few years, will be brought
within compass Of ten minutes. Besides
that, omnipoteHce, omnipreSence and omnis-
cience are presiding In this matter OF the
worlds betterment, and takes the question
of the worlds salvation out Of the tmpossi-
bilities into the possibilities. and then out OF
the possibilities into the probabilities, and
then out Of the probabilities into the certain
ha h,,ill Of
Railroad from ocean to ocean was greater
undertaking than the girdling Of the earth
with the Gospel, for one enterprise depended
upon the human arm, while the other de-
tpends upon almightiness.
Do I really mean all the earth will sur
render to Christ? Yes. How about the III
inviting portions? Will Greenland be evan
gelized? The possibility is that after q few
more hundred brave lives are dashed out
among the icebergs that great refrigerator,
the Polar region, will be given up to the
walrus and bear, and that the inhabitants
will come down by invitation into tolerable
climates, or those climates may soften, and,
as 1t has been positively demonstrated that
the arctic region was once q blooming gar
den and a fruitful field, those regions may
change climate and again be q blooming
garden and fruitful field. It Is proved be-
yond controversy, by German and American
scientists. that the arctic regions were the
first portions Of this world inhabitable; the
world hot beyond human endurance, those
regions were, of course the first to be cool
enough for human foot and human lung. 1t
was positively proved that the arctic region
was tropical climate. Professor beer, Of
Zurich. says the remains Of flowers have been
found in the arctic region, showing 1t was
like Mexico for climate, and 1t Is found that
the arctic was the mother region from which
all the flowers descended. Professor Wal
lace says the remains Of all styles Of animal
life are found in the arctic regions. including
those animals that can live only in warm
climates. Now that arctic region, which has
been demonstrated py fora and fauna and
geological argument to have been as full Of
vegetation and life as our Florida, may be
turned back to its original bloom and glory,
or It will be shut up as 4 museum OF crystals
for curiosity seekers once in while to visit.
But arctic and antarctic in some shape will
belong to the Rejeemer's realm.
What about other unproductive Or repul-
sive regions? All the deserts will be irriga-
ted, the waters will be forced up to the great
American desert between here and the Pacific
BY machinery now known or yet to be in
vented. and as Great Salt Lake City has no
rain and could not raise an apple or bushel
of wheat In hundred years without artii-
cial help, but is now through such means one
great garden, so all the unproductive parts
Of al the continents will be turned into har-
vest fields and orchards. A half dozen De
Lesseps will furnish the world with all the
canals needed and will change the course OF
rivers and open new lakes, and the great
Sahara desert will be cut up into farms with
an astounding yield Of bushels to the acre.
The marsh will be drained Of its waters and
cured OF its malaria. I saw what was for
many years called the Black Swamp of Ohio,
its chief crop chills and fevers, but now, by
the tiles put into the ground to carry of the
surplus moisture transformed into the richest
and healthiest OF regions. The God. who
wastes nothing, think, means that this
world, from pole to pole, has come to perfec-
ton of foliage and fruitage. orthat reason
he keeps the earth running through space
though so many fires are blazing down in its
timbers and so many meteorlc terrors have
threatened to dash 1t to pieces. As soon as
the earth is completed Christ will divide 1t
up among the good. The reason He does not
divide it now is because it Is not done. A
kind father will not divide the apple among
his children until the apple is ripe. In full
fllment of the New Testament promise,
"The meek shall inherit the earth" and the
promise Of the Old Testament. "He shall
divide the spoil with the strong" the world
will be apportioned to those worthy to pos
sess It.
It Is not 50 now. In this country capable
OF holding, feeding, clothing and sheltering
100000, 900 people, and where We have
10000, 900 inhabitant we have 10000
who cannot get honest work. and with their
families an aggregation of $4,000 that are
on the verge OF starvation. Something
wrong. most certainly. In some way there
will be q new apportionment. Many Of the
millionaire estates will crack to pieces on the
dissipations OF the grandchildren ard then
dissolve into the possession OF the masses
who now have an insuffciency.
What. you say, will become Of the eIpen-
slve and elaborate buildings now devoted to