The weekly intelligencer., 1897-03-20

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hzSsA E% they were lodged
NzSsbRA L244gsssA MUIfduring the great
HaRaIShlUNzs- 1~I///H strife we had un-
REV. TALMAGE. bounded admira-
ton. or on some public day, clothed in
our grandfather's soldierly accouter-
| ments. we felt as brave as Garibaldi, or
| Miltiades. We are wiser now, for we
| make vast distinction between the
| poetry and the prose of war. The roll
of drums and the call of bugles, and
the champing of Steeds foaming and
| paving for the battle: 100, 900 muskets
glittering among the dancing plumes;
God save the King" waving up from
clarionets and trumpets and rung back
from deep defiles or the arches of
PROSTATE city; distant capitals of king
doms illuminated at the tidings; gen
| erals returning home under flaming
arches and showering amaranths and
the shout of empires; that is poetry.
Chilled and half-blan<eted. lying
on the wet earth; feet sore
with the march and bleeding at the
slightest touch; hunger pulling on
every fiber of flesh or attempting to
satisfy itself with II scanty and spoiled
ration: thirst licking up the dew or
drinking out of filthy or trampled pool:
thoughts of home and kindred far
away while just on the eve of "A deadly
strife, where death may leap on him
from any one of 100 bayonets;
the closing in of two armies, now
changed to 100. 900 maniacs; the ground
slippery with blood and shattered
flesh; fallen ones writhing under the
hoofs of unbridled chargers maddened
with pain; the dreadfulness of night
comes down when the strife is over;
the struggle of the wounded ones
crawling out over the corpses; the
long. feverish agony of the crowded
barracl and hospital, from whose mat
| tresses the fragments of men send up
their groans, the only music of car
mage and butchery; desolate homes
from which fathers and husbands and
brothers and sons went off; with
out giving any dying message
or sending kiss to the dear
ones ut home, tumbled into the
soldiers grave trench, and houses in
which few weeks before unbroken
family circles rejoiced. now plunged
in the great sorrows of widowhood and
orphanage; that is prose.
| But there is now on the earth king
dom which has set itself up for con-
hicts without number. In its march il
tramples no grain fields, it sacks no
cities, it impoverishes no treasures, it
fills no hospitals, it bereaves no fami-
| lies. The courage and victory of Sol
ferino and Magenta without carnage.
The kingdom of Christ against the
kingdom of Satan. That is the strife
now raging. We will offer no armis-
tices; we will make no treaty Until all
the revolted nations of the earth shall
submit again to King Emanuel, I'm the
name of God we will set up our ban
ners."
Every army has its ensigns. Long
before the time when David wrote the
text they We're in use. The hosts of
Israel displayed them. The tribe of
Benjamin carried flag with the in
scription of a wolf. The tribe of Dan
representation of cherubim. Judah
lion wrought into the groundwork of
white, purple, crimson and blue. Such
flags from their folds shook fire into
the hearts of such numbers as were in
the field when Abijah fought against
Jehofam, and there were 100000 sol
diers, and more than 500, 900 were left
dead on the field. These eRsigns gave
heroism to such numbers as were as
Zerah, and there were |, $50, 600 troops
in the battle. The Athenians carried
an inscription of the owl, which was
their emblem of wisdom. The flags of
modern nations are familiar to you all,
and many of them so inappropriate for
the character of the nations they rep
resent it would be impolitic to enumer-
atesthem. These ensigns are streamers
borne on the point of a lance and on
the top of wooden shafts. They are
carried in the front and rear of armies.
They unroll from the maintop-gallant-
masthead of an admirars flagship to
distinguish it among other ships of the
same squadron. They are the objects
of national pride. The loss of them on
the field is ignomirious.
The three banners of the Lords hosts
are the banner of proclamation, the
banner of recruit and the banner Of
victory. When nation feels its rights
infriRged or its honor insulted; wheR
its citizens have in foreign climes been
oppressed and no indemnity has been
offered 10 the inbabitant of the repub=
lie or kingdom. a proclamation of war
is uttered. On the top of batteries
and arsenals and custom houses and
revenue offices flags are Immediately
swung out All who look upon them
realize that uncompromising war is
declared. Thus it is that the church
of Jesus Christ, jealous for the honor
of its sovereign, and determined to get
back those who have been carried of
captive into the bondage Of Satan, and
intent upon the destruction of those
mighty wrongs which have SO long
cursed the earth, and bent upon the
extension OF the SaViourS reign OF
mercy, in the name of God sets up its
banner of proclamation.
The church makes no assault upon
the world | do not believe that God
ever made a better world than this. 1t
is magnificent in its ruins. Let us stop
talking SO much against the world.
God pronounced it very good at the be-
ginning. Though a wandering child
of God, | see in it yet the Great
Fathers lincaments. Though tossed
and driven by the storms of ,000 years,
she sails bravely yet, and as at her
launching ia the beginning the morn
ing stars sang together and all the
sons of God shouted for joy, SO at last,
when coming into the calm harbor Of
Gods mercy, she shall be greeted by
the huzZas of glorified Kingdoms. 1T
is not the world against which we con-
tend, but its trapsgre> siQns. What
eyer is obstinate in the Will, degrading
ip passion, harmful in custom, false IL
Friendship, hypocritical in profession
against all this Christ makes onset.
From false profession He would tear
the mask. From oppression he would
snatch the rod From pride He would
rcnd off the Piumes. From revenge lie
would exercise the devil. While Christ
loved the world SO much lie died to saye
it, He hates sin so well that to ePadi-
cate the last trace of its pollution lie
will utterly consume the continents
aUd the oceans. At the gate of Eden
thc dcc}pration of perpetual enmity
was made against the serpent. The
tumult roundabout Nopnt Sinai was
only the roar and flash of uod's aptil-
lery of wrath against sin. Sodom on
fire was only one of Gods flaming bull
tetins announcing hostility. Nineveh
and Tyre and Jerusalem in awful ruin