St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1896-11-07
TALMAGE'S SERMON,


recent sermon to the wickedness il
cities. and the coming work of REDEEM
ton. 1t was based on the text:
And the streets OF the city shall be fnn q
boys and girls playing In the streets thereof
zechartah viii. s.
Glimpses of our cities redeemed
Now, boys and girls who play in the
streets run such risks that multitudes
OF them end in ruin. But, in the com.
ing time spoken of, our cities will b
SO moral that lads and lasses shall be
IS safe in the public thoroughfares Is
in the nursery.
Pulpit aud printing press for the
most part in our day are busy in dis
cussing the condition Of the cities ut
this time; but would it not be health
fully encouraging to all Christian
workers, and TO all who are toiling to
make the world better, il we should for
little while look forward to the time
when our cities shall be revolutionizsd
by the Gospel Of the Son Of God, and
all the da rkness Of sin and trouble
and or ime and suffering shall be gone
from the world?
Every man has pride in the city of
his nativity or residence, if it be . city
distinguished for any dignity or prow-
ess. Cesar boosted Of his native
Rome. Virgil Of Mantua, Lycurgus of
Sparta, Demosthenes of Athens, Archi-
medes of Syracuse. and Paul of Tar
sus l should have suspicion of base
hesrtedness in man who had no es-
pecial interest in the city of his birth
or residence-no exhilaratlon at the
evidence of its prosperity or its artistic
embellishments, or its intellectual ad-
vancement. tt
l have noticed that . man never
likes y city where he has not behaved
we'll! People who have had free ride
in the prison van never like the city
that furnishes the vehicle. When
find Argos, and Rhodes, aud Smyrna
trying to prove themselves the birth
place of Homer, I conclude 1T 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 20 its common, and
to its superior educational advantages.
Philadelphia must continue to point
to its Independence hall, and its mint,
and its Girard college. Washin gton
must continue to point to its won
drous capitol;ne buildings. If should
And a man coming from any city. hav-
ing no pride in that city. that city
having been the place of his nativity,
or now being the place of his resi-
dence, would feel like asking: What
mean thing have you done there? What
thing have you been guilty
Of that you do not like the placer"
l think we ought-and take it for
great work of evangelizing the cities
and saving the world-we ought to
toll with the sunlight in our faces. We
are not fighting in miserable Bull
Rum of defeat. We are on our way to
final victory. We are not following
the rider on the black horse, leading
rs 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.
hail!
i know there are sorrows, and there
ire sins, and there are sufferings al
around about us; but IS in some bit
Ter, cold winter day, when: we are
our arms around us to keep
our thumbs from freezing. We think
If the warm spring day that viii after
/ nh In hA Aop III "a
hight we look mp and see the northern |
light, the windows of Heaven illumi-
mated by some great victory-just 20
We look up;from the night OF suffering
md sorrow and wretchcdness in our |
cities, and we see 4 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
without clouds"
want you I'd understand, all you
rho are toiling for Christ. that the
castles Of sin are all going to be cap
,ured. The victory for Christ in these
.reat towns is going to be SO complete
hat not man on earth, or an angel
n Heaven, or = devil in hell will dis
,ute it. How do / know? l know
ust rs certainly rs God lives and that
his is holy truth. The old Bible is
ull Of it. II the nation is to be saved,
Il course all the cities are to be saved.
{ makes . great difference with you
md with me whether we are toiling
N toward defeat or toiling on
;Oward victory.
Now. in this municipal elevation of
which l speak, have to remark there
will be greater financial prosperity
han our cities have ever seen. Some
,eople seem to have . morbid idea OF
he millennium, and they think when
he better time comes to our cities and
AS world people will give their time
lp to psalm singing and the relating
+ their religious experience, and. rs
IL social life WI be. pstitied there
rill be no hilarity, and, as al business
will Be purified. AtklA Wfa be no enter
rise. There is no ground for such an
lbsurd anticipation. In the time Of
vhich speak. wherenow one fortune
; made, there will be . hundred for
unes made. We all know business
prosperity depends upon conf
ence between man and man.
Tow when that time comes Of which
speak, and when all double deal
IA, all dishonesty, and all fraud are