The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1897-02-13
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
The Eminent Diyine's Sermon Do.
uvered In Washington.
Subject: eThe Battle Against Sin. "


TEXT: IT will deliver thee 1000 horses il
thou be able Hn-ihy part to set riders upon
| them. III Eggs xviii, %.
Up by the waterworks, the upper reservoir
Of Jerusalem, the general of the besieging
army and the generals of besieged Jerusalem
are in consultation. Though General Rab-
shaken had been largely paid to stop. the
siege, he kept the money and continued the
| siege-the military miscreant! Rab-shakeh
derides the capacity of the city to defend IT.
self and practically says: "You have not
1000 men who can manage horses. Produce
2000 cavalrymen, and viii give you pres
ent OF 1000 cavalry horses. You have not In
all your besieged city of Jerusalem 20c0
men who can mount them, and by bit and
bride control horse" Rab-shakeh ~re-
allied that II is easier TO find horses than
sktllful riders, and hence he makes the chal-
lenge Of the text: II will deliver thee 1000
horses If thou be abe TO set riders upon
them"
Rab-shakeh, like many another bad man,
said very suggestive thing. The world is
full OF great energies and great opportuni-
ties, but few know how 10 bride them and
mount them aud manage them. More spir-
tied horses than competent ridersl The fact
Is that in the church OF God we have plenty
OF fortresses well manned and plenty OF
heavy artillery and plenty Of solid columns
of brave Christian soidiery, but what we
most need is cavalry-mounted troops of
God--for sudden charge that seems almost
desperate. IF Washington, if New York. If
London, are ever taken for GOD, il will not
be by slow bombardment OF augmentation
or by regular unimbarirc OF great theo-
logical guns from the portfolios OF the
churches, but by gallop of sudden assault
and rush OF holy energy that will astound
and throw into panic the long lines OF drilled
opposition armed to the teeth. Nothing so
scares the forces Of sin rs revival that
comes they know not whence, to do that
which they cannot tell, to work in way
that they cannot understand. They will be
overcome by flank movement. The church
of God must double up their right or left
wing. If they expect us from the North, we
will take them from the South. II they ex-
pect us at IL o'clock at noon, we will come
upon them at II O'Clock at night. The op.
portunities for this assault are great and
numerous, but where are the men? 81 will
deliver thee 1000 horses il thou be able to
set riders upon them"
The opportunities of saving America and
saving the entire planet were never so many,
never so urgent, never so tremendous as now.
Have you not noticed the Willingness of the
printing press Of the country to give the SUBJ
ject OF evangelism full swing In column after
column? Such work was formerly confined
to tract distribution and religious journalism.
Now the morning and evening newspapers,
by hundreds and thousands of copies, print
all religious intelligence and print most
awakening discourses. Never sincethe world
has stood has such force been offered to oil
engaged In the worlds evangelization. OF
the more than II, 00J newspapers on this con-
ttnent do not know one that is not alert to
catch and distribute all matters of religious
N mr. OF 4 oscxl,k
gestiveness In the fact that the first book of
any importance that was ever published after
Johann Gutenberg invented the art of print
Ing was the Bible. Well might that poor
man toll on, polishing stones and manufac-
turing looking glasses and making expert
ments that brought upon him the charge of
insanity and borrowing money, now from
Martin Brother and now from Johann Faust,
until he set on foot the mightfest power for
the evangelization Of the world. The statue
in bronze which Thorwaldsen erected for
Gutenberg in 1887 and the statue commence
rating him by David Dangers In 1910 and
unveiled amid all the pomp that military
professions and German bands Of best music
could give the occasion were insignificant
compared with tine fact. to be demonstrated
before all earth and all heaven, that Johann
which will yet accomplish the worlds re-
demption.
The newspaper press will yet announce
Nations born In day. The newspaper press
will report Christ's sermons yet to be de-
livered and describe His personal appear
ance, II, as some think, He shall come again
to reign on earth. The newspaper press may
yet publish Christ's proclamation of the
worlds emancipation from sin and sorrow
and death. Tens OF thousands Of good men
in this and other lands have been ordained
by the laying on Of hands to preach the gos-
pei, but 1t seems to me that Just now, by the
laying on OF the hands of the Lord God AL
mighty, the newspaper presses are being Or
dained for preaching the Gospel with wider
sweep and mightier resound than we have
ever yet imagined. The iron horses of the
printing press are all ready for the battle.
but where are the men good enough and
strong enough TO mount them -and guide
theml "IwilI deliver thee 1000 horses if
thou be able TO set riders upon them"
Go out to the soldiers home and talk with
the men who have been in the wars and they
will give right appreciation of what is the
importance of the cavalry service in battle.
You hear the chatter of the hoofs and the
whir Of the arrows and the clash OF the
shields and the bang Of the combines as they
ride up and down the centuries. Clear back
in time Osymandyas led 10000 mounted
troops in Bactriana. Josephus says that when
the Israelites escaped from Egypt $4,000
cavalrymen rode through the parted Rod
Sea. Three hundred and seventy-one years
before Christ Epaminondas headed his troops
at full gallop. Alexander, on horse that
no other man could ride, led bis mounted
troops. Seven thousand horsemen decided
the struggle ut Arbela.
Although saddles were not invented until
the time of Constantine, and stirrups were
unknown until about $50 years after Christ,
you hear the neighing and snorting of war
chargers IN the greatest battles of the ages.
Austerlitz and Marengo and Solferino were
decided by the cavalry. The mounted Cos
sacks REINFORCED the Russian snows.orms in
the obliteration of the French army. Napo-
lem said il he had only had sufficient cav
airy at BautZen and Luizen bis wars would
have triumphantly ended. do not wonder
that the Duke of Wellington had his old war
horse Copenhagen turned out in best pasture,
and that the Duchess of Wellington wore
bra celet of Copenhagen's hair. Not one drop
of my blood but tIngles as look at the
arched neck and paving hoof and painting
nostril Of Jobs cavalry horse. "Hast thou
clothed his neck with thunder? He paweth
in the valley; he goeth on to meet the armed
men. The CULVER agains. him, the glittering
spear and the shield. He saith among the
trumpets, Ha, ha! and he smelleth the battle
afar off. the thunder Of the captains and the
shouting"
think it Is the cavalry of the Christian
hosts, the grand men and women who, with
bold dash and holy recklessness and spurred
on energies, are to take the world for God.
To this army of Christian service be-
long the evangelists. 1t ought TO be the
hu Of tho roo,, lor oh n