The Monitor-register., 1897-03-19
CHRIST THE CAPTAIN
Rev. DR.. TALMAGE breaches A SER
MON. OF MARTIAL ELoQUENCE.

The Saviour Is. the Leader, the Cross the
Standard, and All May Serve In the
Great Army Fighting For a Glorious
Cause.
WASHINGTON, March 14.-At this
time, when u national capital has
for ten days been ablaze with our na~
tional flag, the imagery of this seraon
of Dr.. Talmage seems very vivid and
appropriate. The text is Psalms Xxx, 5.
SIN the name of God we will set up our
banners"
1 hate war. In my boyhood we ma
have read the biography of Alexander
or of some Revolutionary hero until our
young heart beat high and we wished
we had been born over 100 years ago
just for the glory of striking down a
Hessian. For rusty swords hung up on
the rafters and bullets cut out of log
houses in which they were lodged dur
ing the great strife we had unbounded
admiration, or on some public day,
clothed in our grandfather's soldierly
accouterments, we felt as brave as Gar
ibaldi or Miltiades. We are wiser now,
for we make a 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, a hundred
thousand muskets glittering among the
dancing plumes. "God Save the King"
waving up from clarinets and trum-
pets and rung back from deep de-
files or the arches of a PROSTATE city,
distant capitals of Kingdoms illuminated
at the tidings, generals returning home
under flaming arches and showering
amaranths and the. shout of empires
that is poetry.
Chilled and half blanketed, 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 a scanty
and spoiled ration, thirst licking up the
dew or drinking out of filthy and tram
pied 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 a hundred bayo-
nets, the closing in of two armies now
changed to a hundred thousand maniacs,
the ground slippery with blood and shat
tered flesh, fallen ones writhing under
the hoofs of unbridled chargers madden
ed with pain, the dreadfulness of night
that 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 barrack
and hospital, from whose mattresses the
fragments of men send up their groans,
the only music of carnage and butchery,
desolate homes from which fathers and
husbands and brothers and sons went
off, without giving any dying message
or sending a kiss to the dear ones at
home, tumbled into the soldiers grave
trench, and houses in which a few
weeks before unbroken family circles
retoiced now plunged in the great sor-
rows Of widowhood and orphanage-
that is prose.
No Quarter Will Be Given.
But there is now on the earth a king
dom which has set itself up for conflicts
without number. In its march it tram
Piles no grainfields; it sacks 40 cities; it
impoverishes no treasures; it fills no
hospitals; it bereaves no families. The
courage and victory of Solferino and
Magenta without carnage-the kingdom
of Christ against the kingdom of satan
that is the strife now raging. We will
offer no armistices. We will make no
treaty. Until all the revolted nations
of the earth shall submit again to King
Emmanuel sin the name of God we will
set up our banners"
Every army has its ensigns. Long be-
fore the time when David wrote the text
they were in use. The hosts of Israel
displayed them. The tribe of Benjamin
carried a flag with the inscription of 6
wolf, the tribe of Dan a representation
Of cherubim, Judah a lion wrought into
the groundwork of white, purple, Grim
son and blue. Such flags from thei.
folds shook fire into the hearts of sucl
numbers as were in the field when Abb
jah fought against Jehoram, and Their
were /, 200, 600 soldiers, and more thai
800, 600 were left dead ON the field
These ensigns gave heroism to sue.
numbers as were assembled when AS
fought against Zerah, and there WEI
1880, 900 troops in the battle. Th
Athenians carried an inscription Of til
owl, which was their emblem of wis
dom. The flags of modern nations al
familiar to you all, and many of the1
so inappropriate for the character Of th
nations they represent it would be i'll
polite to enumerate them. These Ell
signs are streamers borne on the poir
of a lance and on the top of woode
shafts. They are carried in the fro1
and rear of armies. They unroll frol
the main topgallant masthead of an at
miral's flagship to distinguish it anon
other ships of the same squadron. The
are the objects of national pride. I'll
loss of them on the field is ignominioui
The three banners of the Lords hos
are the banner Of proclamation, the ban
ner of recruit and the banner of victor,
When a nation feels its rights infringe
OR its honor Msulted, when its either
have in foreign chimes been oppresse
and no indemnity has been offered I
the i~nhabitant of the republic Or kinl
dom, a proclamation of war is uttered
On the tops of batteries and arsena
and custom houses and revenue office
flags are Immediately swung out. a
who look upon them realize the fat
that uncompromising wal is declared
Thus it is that the church of jest
Christ, Jealous for the honor of its SOY
ereign and determined to get back thos
who have been carried off captive int
the bondage of satan and intent upo
the destruction of those mighty wrong
which have so long cursed the earth an
bent upon the extension of the Saviour
reign of mercy in the name of God ser
up its banner of proclamation.
Assault Against Sin.
The church makes no assault apo
the world. I do not believe that Go
ever made a better world than this. ]
is magnificent in its ruins. Let us sto
talking so much against the world
God pronounced it very good at the be
ginning. Though a wandering child {
God, I see In it yet the great Father
lineaments. Though tossed and drive
by the storms of 6, 1000 years, she sal
bravely yet, and as at her launching i
the beginning the morning stars san
together and all the sons of God shoute
for JOY, SO at last, when coming int
the calm harbor of Gods mercy, sh
shall be greeted by the huzzas of glor
fed Kingdoms. 1t is not the worl
against which we contend, but il
transgressions. Whatever is obstinate
the will, degrading in passion, harmfr
in custom, false in friendship, hypocrii
ical in profession-against al til
Christ makes onset. From false profe'
sion he would tear the mask. From OF
preston he would tear the rod. Frol
pride he would reno off the piume'
49, IL