The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1896-09-24
REV. IALMAGES SUlIlf Sermon
AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE.
Subject; "The Coming Redemption. -


such risks that multtudes of them end IN
ruin. But, In the coming time spoken OF,
our cities will be so moral that lads aud
lasses shall be as safe In the public thorough
fares ms in the nursery.
Pulpit and printing presses FOR the most
part In our day are busy In discussing the
condition OF tho cities at this time; but would
IT not be healthfully encouraging to oil
christian workers. and TO all who are toll
ing to make the world better, IL we should
Tor little white look forward to the time
when our cities shall be revolutionizod by
the Gospel OF the Son Of God and all the
darkness OF sin and trouble and crime aud
suffering shall be gone from the world?
Every man has pride in the city OF his
nativity or residence. II 1t be n city distin-
guished 10. any dignity or prowess. Caesar
boasted OF his native Rome, Virgil OF Mautua,
Lycurgus OF Sparta, Demosthenes OF Athens,
Archimedes OF Syracuse. and Paul OF Tarsus.
l should have suspicion OF base-heart edness
In man who had no especial interest in tho
city OF his birth or residcnce-no exhinrn-
tion OF the evidence OF It's prosperity or its
artistic establishment. or its intellectual ad-
vancement.
have noticed that man never likes n
city where he has not behaved welll People
who have had a free ride in the prison van
never like the city that furnishes the vehicle
When find Argos and Rhodes and Smyrna
trying TO prove Themselves the birthplace Of
Homer. l conclude at once that Homer be-
haved well. He liked them and thev liked
MIN. 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 to its Common, and to its superior
educational advantages. Philadelphia must
continue to point 10 its Independence Hall
and its mint, and its Girard College. WASH
fngton must continue TO point TO it's WON
drous Captoline buildings. III should find
n man coming from any city, having no
pride in thci city. ;ha. city having been the
place OF his nativity or now being tho plnce
OF his residence. / would feel like asking:
"What mean .ning have you done there2
what outrageous thing have You been guilty
Of that you do not like the placer"
L think we ought-and l take II for
granted you are interested In this great work
of evangelizing the cities and saving the
world-wc ought to toll with the sunlight in
our faces. We are not fchting in mser-
able Bull Run of defeat. We are on our way
TO final victory. We are not following tho
rider on the black horse, leading us 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, Conqueror hail!
know there are sorrows. and there
are sins, and there are suferings all around
about us; but as in some bitter, cold winter
day. when we are threshing our arms around
us to keep our thumbs from freezing, we
think OF the warm spring day that win after
awhile come; or in the dark winter night we
look up and see the northern lights, the win
dows OF heavon illuminated by some great
victorv-just so we look up from the night
Of suffering and sorrow and wretchedness
In our cities, and we see 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 morning without
clouds"
want you TO understand all you who are
foiing for Christ, that the castles OF sin are
all going TO be captured. The victory for
Christ in these great towns is going to be so
complete that not q man on earth or nm
angel In heaven, or Il devil in hell will dis
pute 1t. How do knowp / know just as
certainly as God lives and this is holy truth.
The old H!ble Is full OF IL. IL the Nation H.
10 be saved, of course all the cities are To be
saved. 1t makes great difference with you
and with me whether we are toilng on to-
ward defeat, or toilIug on toward VIC
tory
Now. In this municipal elevation OF which
i speak. | have TO remark there will be
greater financial prosperity than our cities |
have ever seen. Some people seem TO have |
q morbid idea OF tho millennium, anil they |
think when the better tlmo comes to our /
cities and the world people will give their |
time up 10 psalm-singIng and the relating OF |
their religious experience and, as all social |
life Will DO purified, there will be no hiarity. !
and, as all business will be purified there |
Will be no enterprise. There - no ground |
for such TN absurd anticipation. In the
time OF which | speak, whore now ono for
tune IS made there will bo hundred for
tunes made. We all know business pros.
perity depends upon confidence between
man and man. Now when that timo comes
OF which speak, aud when all double deal
ms, all dishonesty, and all fraud are gone
out OF commercial circles, thorough coun-
denco will be established and there will be
better business done. and larger fortunes
gathered, and mighticr successes achieved
The egrent business disasters OF this country |
have come from the work of goddess sprcu-
lators and infamous stock gamblers. The
great foo TO business is crime, When the
right shall have hurled back the wrong, and
shall have purified the commercial code, and
shall have thundered down fraudulent estah-
lishments, and shall have put into the hands
OF honest men the keys OF business, blessed
time for the bargain makers. l am not talk
M an abstraction, am not making guess
am telling you Gods eternal truth.
In that day Of which speak, taxes Will be
mere nothing. Now, our business men are
taxed for everything. City taxes. county
taxes, State taxes, United States taxes, stamp
taxes, license taxes, manufacturing taxes
taxes, taxes, taxes! Our business men have
~ Hhke snhll fortune every year to pay
their taxes. What fastens on our great in
dusiries this awful load2 Crime, Individual
and official. We have to pay the board OF
The villains who are incnrcerated in our Dris-
ons. We have TO take care OF the orphans OF
hose who plunged into their graves through
sensual indulgencies. We have TO support
inc municipal governments, which are vast
and expensive just in proportion rs the Grim
mai proclivities are vast and tremendous.
Who support the almshouses and police sta
lions, and all the machinery OF municipal
government? The tax payers.
But In the glorious time OF which l speak,
yrievous taxation will all have ceased. There
WI be no need OF disappearing criminals there;
VIII be no criminals. Virtue will have taken
the place OF Vice. There will no orphan asy-
Iums, for parents will be able TO leave n com
potency 10 their children. There will be no
voting OF large sums OF money for some
municipal Improvement, which moneys be-
lore they got to the improvements drop into
he pockets of those who voted them. No
Dyer and Terminer kept mp at vast expense
o the people. No impaneling Of iuries o
ry theft and arson and murder and slander
ild blackmail Bpttp factories Grand r. |