The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1896-05-14
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
THE NOTED DIvINE's SUNDAY
DISCOURSE.
Subject: "The Division OF Spells. y

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 a cross. And I rejoice to know that
the upright piece Of wood nailed to a trans
verse piece has become the symbol not more
of suffering than Of victory. 1t is Of Christ
the conqueror that my text speaks. As a
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 I will have to take our
share II 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 q job as you might imagine,
when the church takes off its coat and rolls
up it, sleeves for the work. as it will. There
are ], GV0, 900. 900 Of people now in the world.
aud $50, 600 goo ara Christians. Subtract
45) goo. 600 who are Christians from the
1900 00). 600. and there are 10000 900 LETT.
Divide the l.lJ0, 900, 0j0 who are not Chris
tians by the $50 900, 0G0 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 Nd to its full duty, no Chris.
souls into the kingdom of God.
hope and pray Almighty God that may
hrin;, more than three. l know evangelists
NO have already brought $4,000 each for
100 kln- ION OF God. There are 200 600 peo-
peWhc3a one and only and absorbing bust
ness in the world is to save souls. When
You take thesa 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, l know q Sabbath school teacher who
for many years has been engaged in train
ing the young, and she has had five differ
ent classes, AMI they averaged seven to a
class and they were all converted, and five
times seven are thirty-tive as near as I 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 l hope all her great
grandchildren, for God remembers prayer
seventy-flve years old as though 1t were
only q minute old. and 50 she brought her
three into the kingdom of God and had more
than 100 10 spare. Besides that, through the
telephone and the telegraph. this whole
world, within L few years, will be brought
within compass Of ten minutes. Besides
that, omulpotence, omnipresence and Omnis-
cience are presiding in this matter of the
worlds battorment, and takes the question
OF tho worlds salvation out Of the mpo5si-
bilties into the possibilities. and then out of
the possibilities into the probabilities, and
then out Of the probabilities into tho certain
ties. The building of the Union Pacific
Railroad from ocean to ocean was a greater
undertaking than the girdling OF the earth
with the Gospel, for one enterprise depended
upon the human arm, while the other de.
ponds upon a!Gightiness.
Do l really mean all the earth will sur
render to Christ? Yes. How about the un.
inviting portions? will Greenland be- evan
geized2 The possibility is that after few
more hundred brave lives are dashed out
among the icebergS that great refrigerator
tho Polar region, will be given ND to the
walrus and bear. and that the inhabitants
will come down by invitation into tolerable
climates, or those climates may soften, and
as it has been positively demonstrated that
the arctic region was once u blooming gar
den and fruitful field, those regions ma,
change climate and again be a bloonine
garden and fruitful field. 1t is proved be-
yond controversy, by German and American
scientists. that the arctic regions were the
first portions Of this world inhabitable; tn.
world hot beyond human endurance, thost
regions were, Of course, tho first to be coo
enough for human foot and human lung I
was positively proved that the arctic region
was tropical climate. Professor Heer, O
Zurich. says the remains of flowers have beef
found IN the arctic region. showing it wa.
like Mexico for climate, and il is found thai
the arctic was the mother region from whicl
all the flowers descended. Professor Wal
lace says the remains OF all styles of ANNA
life are found in the arctic regions, inciudin.
those animals that can live only in warn
climates. Now that arctic region, which ha
been demonstrated by fora and fauna ant
geological argument to have been as full o
vegetation and life as our Florida, may b.
turned back to its original bloom and glory
or 1t will be Shut up as a museum Of crystal
Tor curiosity seekers once in while to visit
But arctic and antarctic in some shape viii
belong to the Redeemei's realm.
What about other unproductive or repul
slve regions? All the deserts will be irrica
ted, the waters will be forced up to the grea
American desert between hero and the Pacific
by machinery now known or vet to be in
vented. and lis Great Salt Lake City has Ii
rain and could not raise an apple or bushe
of wheat IN hundred years without artiti
cial help, but Is now through such means on
great garden, so all the unproductive part
OF all the continents will be turned into har
vest fields and orchards. A half dozen D.
LeSseps will furnish the world with all the
canals needed and will change the course O
rivers and open new lakes. and the grea
Sahara desert will be cut up into farms Will
hH astounding SlStu OF DuSQeiS TO the acre
The marsl will be drained of its waters anc
cured of its mal;:ra. l saw what was TO
many years called the Black Swamp of Ohio
It's chief crop chlls and fevers, but now, b.
the tiles put into the ground to carry Off tn,
surplus moisture, transformed into the riches
and haaithiest OF regions. The God VIII
wastes nothing. l think, means that thi
world, from pole to pole, has come to perfec
ton OF foliage and fruitage. For that reaso
be keeps the earth running through space
though so many fires are blazing down in 1t
ttinbers and so many meteorio terrors hay
threatened to dash 1t to pieces. As soon q
the earth is completed Christ will divide ]
Up among the good. The reason He does nc
divide it now is because il is not done.
kind father will not divide the apple anon
his children until the apple is ripe. In f1
fltment OF the New Testament promise
The meek shall Inherit the earth" and tn
promise of the Old Testament, "He shal
divide the spoil with the strong" the worI
will be apportioned to those worthy to DO:
SIS it.
1t is not 50 now. In this country capabl
q holding, feeding. clothing and shelterln
IL o.0Go.001 people, and where we hav
Go,0oo,090 Inhabitants, we have 1000. OC
wac cannot get honest work. and with thei
families an aggregation of 500, 900 that al
on the verge of starvation. Somethin
wrong. most certainly. In some way thel
will be q new aDpOrti Onnent MANY If th