Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1896-10-12
THE CLOSING BATTLE
1T WILL BE THE GREATEST OF ALL
THE CONFLICTS.

Tho Kew. DR.. Talm2ge'S Eloquent Sermon
or Armageddon The Regiments and
Their Conmanders-On the yVl,crn. Side
Swords of Truth.
WASHINGTON, Oct. lin his ser.
mon today Rev. Dr.. Talmage discussed
the great conflict which prophecy fore
shadows as the climax Of the world s
Revelation xvi, IS. and he gathered
them together in place called in the
Hebrew tongue Armageddon -
Megiddo is the name CT q mountain
that looks down upon Esdralon, the
greatest battlefield that the world has
ever seen. There Barak fought the Ca
naanites; there Gideon fought the Mid
ianites; there Josiah fought the invad-
ing Egyptians. The whole region stands
for battle, and the Armageddon of my
text boIrows its name from it and is
here used not geographically, but fig
uratively, while setting forth the idea
that there is TO be Q worlds closing
battle, the greatest Of all battles, COM
pared with which the conflicts of this
century and all other centuries were in
significant, because Of the greater num-
Der of combatants engaged, the greater
victory and the greater defeat. The ex-
act date Of that battle we do not know,
and the exact locality is uncertain. 1t
may be in Asia, Europe, Africa Or
America, but the fact that such a battle
will take place is as certain as Gods
eternal truth. When / use the superla-
tive degree in regard to that coming
conflict, I do not forget that there have
been wars al along on stupendous scale.
They VIII Not Equal.
AS when at Marathon, Miltiades
brought Gil his men, not in ordinary
march, but in full run, upon the horse
men of Persia and the black archers of
Ethiopia and scattered them and, cry
ing. Bring frei Bring freI' set into
fame the ships Of the invaders. AS
when PiZarro Overcane Peru. AS when
Philip II triumphed over Portugal. AS
when the Huns met the Cloths. AS when
800 Spartans sacrificed themselves at
Thermopyla. As when the Carthagin-
lanS took Agrigentum. As when Alex
ander headed the Macedonian phalanx.
AS when Hannibal invaded Italy. Bat
tie of Eastingsi Battle Of Valmy! Bat
tie of Pultowa! Battle Of Arbela Bat
tie of Tours! Battle Of Borodino! Bat
tie of Lucknow! Battle of Solferino!
Battle of Fontenoy, where 100, 900 were
glain Battle of Chalons, where 500, 900
were massacredl Battle Of Herat, where
Genghis Khan destroyed ], 900, 600 lives!
Battle Of Neishar, where Lat, 600
went down TO death! One million eight
hundred and sixteen thousand slain at
Troyl And American battles, too near
us now to allow US to appreciate their
awful grandeur and significance, except
you who were there, facing the north
or facing the south. But all the battles
I have named put together will not equal
in numbers enlisted, or fierceness, or
grandeur, or triumph, or rout, the COM
ing ArmageddOn contest Whether it
shall be fought with printers ink or
keen steel, whether by brain or muscle,
by pen or carbine, whether by
booming cannon or thunders Of Chris
tian eloquence, do not know, and you
may take what I say as figurative or
literal, but take as certain what St.
John, in his vision on the rocks Of the
Grecian archipelago, is pleased to call
The Rival Commanders.
Ny sermon will first mention the
regiments that will be engaged in the
conflict, then will say something of the
on both sides, and then
speak of the battle itself and the tre-
mendous issues. Beginning with those
who will fight on the wrong side, I first
mention the regiments diabolic. In
this very chapter from which my text
is taken we are told that the spirits of
devils will be there. How many mil
lions of them no one can tell, for the
statistics of the satanic dOminions have
never been reported, and the roll Of that
host has never on earth been called, but
from the direful AMI continental and
work they have already done
and the fact that every man and wom-
an and child on earth has tempter
there must be at least 1,6O0, 600, 900 Of
evil spirits familiar with our world.
Perhaps as many more are engaged on
especial enterprises of abomination
among the nations and empires OF the
earth. Besides that there must be an in
conceivable number Of inhabitants in
realms pandemoniac. staying there to
keep the great capitals of sin going
from age to age. Many of them once
lived in heaven; but, engaging in con-
spiracy to put satan on the throne, they
were hurled out and down, and they
are now among the worst thugs Of the
universe. Having been in three worlds
heaven, earth and hell-they have all
the advantages of great experience.
Their power, their speed, their cunning,
their hostility, wonderful beyond all
statement. In the Armageddon they
will, 1 doubt not, be present in full array.
They will have no reserve corps, but all
will be at the front. There will not on
" be soldiers in that battle who can be