The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1896-10-21
THE CLOSING BATTLE
1T WILL BE THE GREATEST OF ALL
The CONFLICTS.

IT WILL BE THE GREATEST OF ALL
The CONFLICTS.
The Rev. DR.. Talmase's Eloquent Sermon
on Armageddon The Regiments and
Their Comnanders-On the Wrong 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 worlds
struggles-Armageddon. His text was
Revelation xvi, 16, "And he gathered
them together in place c;.lled inthe
Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
Megiddo is the name of mountain
shat looks down upon Esdralon, the
greatest battlefield that the world has
ever seen. There Barak fought the Ca
NANTES; 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 borrows its name from it and is
here used not geographically, but fig.
uratively, while setting forth the idea
that there is to be a 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 battle
will take place is as certain as Gods
eternal truth. When I use the superla-
tive degree in regard to that coming
conflict, do not forget that there have
been wars all along or stupendous scale.
They VIII Not Equal.
As when at Marathon, Miltiades
brought on his men, not in ordinary
march, but in full run, upon the horse
men Of Persia end the black archers of
Ethiopia and scattered them and, cry
ing. "Bring fire! Bring Ifrer' set into
fame the ships Of the invaders. AS
when Pizarro overcame Peru. AS when
Philip II triumphed over Portugal. AS
when the Huns met the Goths. AS when
500 Spartans sacrificed themselves at
Thernopyle. As when the Carthagin-
ians took Agrigentum. As when Alex
ander headed the Macedonian phalanx
As when Hannibal invaded Italy. Bat.
tie of Hastings! Battle Of Valmy! Bat
tie of Pultowa! Battle of Arbelal Bat
tie Of Tours! Battle of Borodino! Bat
tie Of Lucknow! Battle Of Solferino!
Battle of Fontenoy, where 100, 900 were
slain! Battle of Chalons, where 800, 600
were massacred! Battle of Herat, where
Genghis Khan destroyed l, 600, 600 lives!
Battle of Neishar, where 1,747, 600
went down to death! One million eight
hundred and sixteen thousand slain at
Troyi 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 al the battles
Ihave 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,
whether by pen or carbine, whether by
booming cannon or thurders of Chris
tian, eloquence, do not know, and you
may take what I say as fgurative or
literal, but take as certain what St.
John, in his vision On the rocks of the
Grecian archipelago, is pleased to call
Armageddon.
The Rival Commanders.
Ny sermon will first mention the
regiments that will be engaged in TIE
conflict, then will say something Of the
commanders 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, first
mention the regiments diabollc. 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
planetary work they have already done
and the fact that every man and woln-
an and child on earth has teInpter
there must be at least 1,600, 100000 Of
evil spirits familiar with our world.
Perhaps as many more are engaged on
especial enterprises OF abominatlon
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 III 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 VINO can be
seen and aimed at, but troops intangi-
ole and without corporeity, and weap-
ons may strike clear through them
without giving them hurt. With what
shout of defiance will they climb up the
ladders of FIRE and leap from the battle
ments of asbestus into the last campaign
of hell. Paul, the bravest Of men, was
impressed with their might for evil
when he said, eve wrestle not against
Aosh and blood INIT against Drincipali-