The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-01-13
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE
NOTED DIVINE.
Subject: "The Battle Against Sim"

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
sieoe, he kept the money and continued the
sieye-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
1900 cavalrymen, and will give you a 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-
alizel that it is easier to find horses than
skllful riders, and hence he makes the chal-
lense Of the text: Il will deliver thee 1000
horses If thou be able to sct riders upon
them"
Rab-shakeb, like many another bad man,
said very suggestive thing. The world IS
full Of gEpat energies and great opportun1-
ties, but few know how 10 bride them aud
mount them and manage them. More splr-
tied horses than competent riders! The TACT
Is that in the church Of God we have plenty
of fortresses we'll manned and plenty OF
heavy artillery and plenty OF solid columns
of brave Christian soldiery, but what we
most need is cavalry-mounted troops OF
God-for sudden charge that seems almost
desperate. If Washington, If New York. II
London, are ever taken for God. it will not
be by slow bombardment Of augmentation
or by regular unlimbering OF great theo-
logical guns from the portfolios OF the
churches, but by gsllop OF sudden assault
and rush Of holy energy tina: will astound
and throw into panic the long lines OF drilled
opposition armed to the teeth. Nothing go
scares she forces of sin as revival that
comes they know not whence, to do that
which they canrot tell. to work in way
that they cannot undersl and. 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 u o'clock at noon. we will come
upon them at IL o'clock Mt night. The op-
portunities for this assault are great and
numerous, but where are the men? II will
deliver thee 2000 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 sub
ject OF evangelism full swing in column after
column? Such work was formerly confined
to tract distribution md religious journalism.
Now the morning and evening newspapers.
by hundreds and thousands OF copies, print
all religious intelligence and print most
awakening discourses. Never since the world
has stood has such a force been offered to all
engaged in the worlds evangeliZation. or
the more than Il, 5,00J newspapers on this con-
tnent do not know one that Is not alert to
catch and distribute all matters Of religious
information. Oh, now see mighty sug-
gestiveness in the fact that the first book OF
any mportancethat was ever published after
JNb G,,fo phar i'm ad RI nf rnt-
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 mightiest power for
the evangelization Of the world. The statue
in bronze which Thorwaldsen erected for
Gutenberg in 1887 and the statue commemo-
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
Gutenberg, under God, inaugurated forces
which will Vet accomplish the worlds re-
demption.
The newspaper press will yet announce
Nations born in day. The henewspaper press
will report Christ's sermons yet to be de-
livered and describe His personal appear
ance, il, 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
themY 81 will deliver thee 1000 horses if
thou be able 10 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 clatter Of the hoofs and the
whir Of the arrows and the, clash Of the
shields and the bang of the combines rs they
ride up and down the centuries. Clear back
In time Osymandyas led 10000 mounted
troops in Bactriana. Josephus saysth when
the Israelites escaped from Egypt $4,000
:avalrymen rode through the parted Red
before Christ Epaminondas headed his troops
at full gallop. Alexander, on horse that
no other man could ride, led his mounted
troops. Seven thousand horsemen decided
the struggle at Arbela-
Although saddles were not invented until
the time Of Constantine, and stirrups we're
unknown until about 450 years after Christ,
you hear the peighing and snorting Of war
chargers in the greatest battles Of the ages.
Austerli;z and Marengo and Solferino were
decided by the cavalry. The mounted Co.'S
sacks re-enforced the Russian snowsto1ms in
the obliteration Of the French army. Napo-
le0n said II he had only had sufficient cav
airy at Bautzen and Lutzen his wars would
have ;riumphantly 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 a
bre celet Of Copenhagen's s hair. Not one drop
Of my blood but tIngles as I 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 quiver against him, the glittering
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 spu,red
on energies. are to take the world for God.
To this army of Christian service be-
long the evangelists. It ought to be the
business Of the regular churches to multiply
them, to support them, to cheer them, to
clear the way for them. Some of them you
like; some of them you do not like. You say
some are too sensational, and some OF them
ure not enough learned and some of them
are erratic, and some Of them are too vehe-
ment, and some Of them pray too loud.
Oh, fold up your criticism and let them do
that which We the nastorS can never do