The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1896-10-10
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
The Eminent Divine's> Sermon DE-.
Hvered In Washington.
Subject: ''Ihe Day is at Hand.n

TEXT: 1.-The day is at ana."-Eomnns
Siii., H.
Back from the mountains and the seaside
and the springs, and the farmhouse. YOU,
! cheeks bronZei and your spirits lighted. ]
nan you home again with tho words o.
Gehazi to the Shunammite: us it we'll witt
thee? is it we'll with thy husband? Is i;
we'll with the chiid?" On somo fuces I see
the mark Of recent grief, but nil along the
track OF tears sce the story Of resurrecti0,
aud reunion when all tears are done: the
deep blowing OF the keel. followed by tho
Hash OF tbs phosphorescence. Now that ]
have aske.!! you in regard to your welfare
you naturally ask how / am. Very we'll
thank You. Whether it was the .,racing al,
OF the mountains, or Il bath in the surf oil
Long Island beach. or whether it is the ioy
or standing in this great group OF warm.
hearted friends, Or whether it is a new ND.
probation OF the goodness of God, can not
tell. simply know am happy.
1t was said that John NIoifAtt, the great
Methodist preacher. occasionally got fast in
his sermon. and to extricate himself would
cry "Ral'e!ujab!" I am in no such predic;.-
ment to-day. but I an full of the same rhap.
soiic ejaculation. Starting out this morn
ing On new ecclesiastical! year, want to
give You tue keynote Of my next twelve
months ministry. L want to SEE it 10 the
tunes Of "Antioch," ''Ariei" and Corona
tlon.' I want TO put new trumpet stop
into my sermons. We do wrong il we allow
our PERSONAL SORROWS to Interfere with the
GLORIOUS fact that the Kingdom is coming.
We aro wicked ii we allow apprehension OF
Nationa! disaster to put down our faith in
God ant. the mission Of our American peo-
pie. The God who hath been on the side of
this Nntio; since the 4th Of July, 17jG, will
seq to It thar this Nation Shall NOT commit
suicide on November 3. 1885, By the time
the unparalleled harveStS OF this Summer got
down to the sea-boarl. We shall b, standing
IN sunborst OF National prosperity that will
paralyze the pcssimis.s, who by their evi!
nropheslcs are disappearing; tho God who
hath Dlest this Nation as lie hath best no
other
In al our Christian work you an, want
more OF the element Of eadness. No man
DO You suppose that Tic was ylum at the
pose that Christ WAS unrespOnsiye when the
children ciambarei over His knee and
shoulder at His own invitation? Do YOU
suppose that The Evangelist meant nothing
when he said OF Christ: "He raioiced in
spiril? DO you believe that the Divine
Christ who pours all the waters over the
rocks at Nernal Falls, Yosemite, does not
believe in the sparkle and Gallop and tumul-
tuous Joy and rushing raptures Of human
life? l believe not only that the morning
laughs, and that the mountains laugh, and
that the seas laugh and that tho cascades
laugh, but that Christ laughed. Moreover,
the outlook OF the world ought to stir US to
gladness
Astronomers disturbed. many people by tell
Ing them that there was danger Of stellar
collision. We were told by these astrono.
mers that there are worlds coming very near
together and tilat we shall have plaques AMI
wars and tuml!ts and perhaps the worlds
destruction. DO NOT be scared. II You have
ever stood at a railroad centre. where ten or
twenty or thirty rail tracks cross each other,
and seen that by the movement Of the switch
one or two inches, the train shoots this way
and that, without colidins, then you may
understand how fifty worlds may come with
in an inch Of disaster, and that inch DO
as good rs a million miles. If
human switch-tender can shoot the trains
this way and that without harm, cannot the
hand that for thousands OF years has upheld
the universe, keep our little world out Of
harms way? Christian geo]ogists tell US
that this world was millions Of years in
building. Well, now, I do not think God
would take millions Of years to build a house
which was to last only six thousand years.
There is nothing in the world or outside the
world, terrestrial or astronomical, to ex-
cite dismay. / wish that some stout
Gospel breeze might scatter ali the malaria
of human forebod!ag.
The sun rose this morning at about
O'Clock. and ! thinl: that is just about tho
hour in the worlds history. "The day is at
hand" The first ray OF the dawn see in
the gradual substitution OF diplomatic skill
for human butchery. Within the last twenty
five years there have been international DIFF
ferences which would have brought shock
Of arms in any other day, but which were
peacefully adjusted. the pen taking the place
Of the sword. The Venezuelan controversy
in any other age OF the world would have
brought shock OF arms, but now is beng 80
quietly adjusted that no one knows just how
1t is being settled.
The Alabama question in any other age OF
the world would have caused war between
the United States aud England. How Was
1t settled? By men-of-war of the Na-rows,
or off the Mersey? No. A few wise men got
into q quiet room at Geneva, talked the
matter over, and telesi aphed to Washington
and London, GAN settled" Peace! Peace!
England pays to the United States the
amount awarded-pays really more than sho
ought to have paid. But still, all that Ala.
bama broil is sett.ed--sett'ed for forever.
Arbitration instead OF battle.
So the quarrel about tho Canadian fish
cries in any other age would have caused
war between the United States and England.
So the Samoan controversy In any other age
would have brought Germany and the
United States into bloody collision. But
all is settled. Arbitration instead OF battle.
France will never again. think. through
the peccadillo of an Ambassador, bring on Il
battle with other Nations. She sees that
GOD, in punishment at Sedan, h!o.tnd out
the French Empire, and the Gully aspirt;t
for that throne who had any right Of c1-
pectation dies in war that has not even the
dignity of being respectable. What is the
leaf that England would like to tear out
OF her history? The Zulu war. Down with
the sword and up with the treaty.
We in this country might better have set
tied our sectional difficulties by arbitration
than by tho trial Of the sword. Philan-
thropy said to the North: 'Pay down GER
tain amount OF money for the purchase OF
the slaves, and let all those born after GER
tain time be born free" Philanthropy said
to the South: "You sell your slaves, and get
rid of this great National contest and trou-
ble." The North replied: ~ won't pay q
cent" Tho South replied: ~ won't sell. "