The Monitor-register., 1896-02-14
THE PLACE TO START.
REV. DR.. TALMAGE SAYS 1T is AT THE
CAPITAL.

He Says America Is Going to Be Take
For God and That the Place to Begin
In Washington-Au Will Cry Amen
This.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 9.-The audienc
LOT Dr.. Talmage is thronged with tn
bhief men of the nation and people fror
all parts, making this sermon mos
Timely, An hour and half before tn
doors open the people gather in tn
street, and policemen keep the way opel
for the pewholders. The text chosen 10
|today's discourse was Luke XIV, AZ
"Beginning at Jerusalem. "
"There it is, ;" said the driver, ant
we all instantly and excitedly rose IL
The carriage to catch the first glimpse Of
Jerusalem, 80 long the joy of the whole
earth. That city, coroneted with tenn
ple and palace and radiant, whether
looked up at from the valley of Jehosh
aphat or gazed at from adjoining hills
was the capital of great nation. CLOUDS
of incense had lowered over it. Charlofs
lof kings had rolled through it. Batter,
ing rams of enemies had thundereo
AGAINST it, There Isaiah prophesied, and
Jeremiah lamented, and David relgned'
and Paul preached. and Christ was mar
tvred. Most interesting city ever bullt
since masonry rung its first trowel or
,Iunb line measured its first wall or
ROYALTY swung its first scepter. What
jerusalem was to the Jewish kingdom
washington is to our own country-the
capital, the place to which all the tribes
come M. the great national heart whose
ltbrob sends life or death through the
body polite, clear out to the geographical
lextremities.
Christ Will Reign There.
What the resurrected Christ said in
nv text to his disciples when he ordered
them to start on the work Of gospeliza-
tion. "beginning at jerusalem" it
seems to me God says now in his provi-
dence to tens of thousands of Christians
in this city. Start for the evangelization
of America, beginning at Washington. 4"
America is going to be taken for God.
If you do not believe it. take your hat
now and leave and give room to some
man or woman who does believe it. As
surely as God lives and he is able to do
as he says he will this country will be
eyapgelized from the mouth Of the Po-
tomac to the mouth of the Oregon, from
the Highlands of Navesink to the Gold
en- Horn, from Bafffn's bay to the gulf
of Mexico, and Christ will walk every
lake, whether bestormed or placid, and
be transfgured on every mountain, and
the night skies, whether they hover over
groves of magnolia or over Alaskan
glacier, shall be filled with the angelic
overture of "glory to God and good will
to men.
- Again and again does the old book
announce that all the earth shall see the
salvation of God, and as the greater in
cndes the lesser that takes America
gloriously in. Can you not see that if
America is not taken for God by his
cousecrated people it will be taken for
Apollyon? The forces engaged on both
Sizes are SO tremendous that it cannot
be u drawn battle. 1t is coming, the
Armageddon. Either the American Sab
bath will perish and this nation be
banded over to Herods and Hildebrands
and Diocletians and Neros of baleful
power, and Alcoholism will reign, seated
upon piled up throne of beer barrels, his
mouth foaming with domestic and ma
tiClal curse, and crime will lift it's un-
hindcled knife of assassination and rat
tie keys of worst burglary and wave
torch CT widest conf1agration, and our
cities be turned into Sodoms, waiting
for mighty tempest Of fire and brim-
stone and one tidal wave of abomina-
tion Will surge across the continent, or
our Sabbaths will take on more sancti-
ty, and the newspapers will become
apocalyptic wings of benediction, and
peniteni iaries will be abandoned for
lack Of occupants, and holiness and hap
piness. twin son and daughter of heav-
en-. shall walk through the land and
Christ reign over this nation either in
person or by agency SO glorious that the
whole country will be one clear, re-
sounding echo of heaven. It will be one
or tho other. By the throne of him who
hveth forever and ever I declare it will
be the latter. If the Lord will help me,
as no always does-blessed be his glori-
ous name-I will show you how a
mighty work of grace begun at Wash
ington would have tendency to bring
tho whole continent to God, and before
this century closes.
William the Conqueror ordered the
curfew, tho custom of ringing the bell
at midnight, at which all the fires on
the hearths were to be banked, and all
the lights extinguished, and all the peo-
Pie retro to their pillows. I pray God
that the curfew Of this century may not
be sounded, and the fires be banked, and
the lights extinguished as the clock
strikes the midnight hour that divides
the nineteenth century from the twen-
tleth century until this beloved land,
which was to most of us a cradle and
which will be to most of us a grave.
shall come into the full possession Of
him who is SO glorious that William the
Conqueror could not be compared to
MIN, even the One who rideth forth
conquering and to conquer.
A Rattle For Souls.
Why would it be especially adyants-
geous if Almighty work of grace starsed
here, beginning at Washingtona''
First, because this city is on the border
between tho north and the south. 1t is
neither northern nor southern. It COM
mingles the two climates. 1t brings to-
gether the two styles of population. It;
Is not only right, but beautiful, that.
DpOnla shou1d howe as,oo;,1 lox.. e.. A.
latitude where they were born and
brought up. With what loving accentu-
alton tho Albanian speaks of his orange,
groves And the man from Massachusetts,
Is sure to let you know that he comes
from the land of the Adamses-Samuel
and John and John Quincy. Did you.
ever know Virginian or Ohioan whose
face did not brighten when he announc--
ed himself frcn the southern or north
ern state OF presidents? If man does
not like his native cline, it is because,
while he lived there he did not behave
well. This capital stands where. by it's
locality and it's political influence, it,
stretches forth one hand toward the
north and the other toward the south.
and mighty work of grace starting here
would probably be national awaken
ing. Georgia would clasp the hand Of
New Hampshire, and Maine the hand of
Louisiana, and California the hand of
New York. and say, "Come, let us 60 up
and worship the God Of nations, the,
Christ Of Golgotha, the Holy Ghost of
the pentecostal three thousands. - 1t has
often been said that the only way the
north and the south will be brought into.
complete accord is to have war with
some foreign nation in which both sec--
tions, marching side by side, would for
- H. L. D. - l..