The Grenada sentinel., 1897-03-20
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
The Three Banners OF the Army
of the Lord.
0lorious Ensigns Of Bloodless War-Ths
Banners Of Proclamation, Of Re-
crult and, Finally. Of
Glorious Victory.

Rev. r. Dewitt Talmage found inspi
ration for the following sermon in thu
lavish display Of the national flag a.
the capital during and following tn,
presidential Inauguration. He tool
for his text:
In the name Of God We will set up our banne
-Psalms xx.,h
Ihate war! In my boyhood we may
have read the biography Of Alexande,
or Of some revolutionary hero until ou,
young heart beat high and we wished
We had been born over 100 years ago
Just for the glory of striking down 9
Hessian. For rusty swords hung ur
on the rsfters and bullets cut out OF
log houses in which they were lodged
during the great strife we had un.
bounded admiration, or on some public
day, clothed in our grandfather's sol.
dierly accouterments, we felt as brave
as Garibaldi or Miltiades. We arc
wiser now, for we make q vast dis.
tinction 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; 100000 muskets gilt
tering among dancing plumes;
''God save the King wav-
ing up from clarionets and trumpets
and rung back from deep defiles or the
arches of PROSTATE city; distant capi-
tails of kingdoms illuminated ut the
tidings; generals returning home under
flaming arches and showering anna
ranths 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 scanty and spoiled ration; thirst
licking up the dew or drinking out Of
filthy and trampled pool; thoughts of
home and kindred far away while Just
on the eve Of deadly strife, where
death may leap on him from any one OF
hundred bayonets; the closing in Of
two armies, now changed to
q hundred thousand maniacs; the
ground slippery with blood and
shattered flesh; fallen ones writh-
ing 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 barrack and hospital,
from whose mattresses the fragments
of men send up their groans, the only
music Of carnage and butchery; desc
late homes from which fathers and
husbands and brothers and sons went
off; without giving any dying message
or sending kiss to the dear ones at
home, tumbled into the soldiers grave
trench, and houses in which q few
weeks before unbroken family circles
rejoiced, now plunged in the great sor-
rows of widowhood and orphanage;
that is prose.
But there is now on the earth king
dom which has set itself up for con-
dicts without number. In its march
It tramples no grain fields, it sacks no
cities, it impoverishes no treasures, it
6lls 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,
sin the name of God we will set up our
banners"
Every army has its ensigns. Long
before the time when Davi id wrote the
text they were in use. The hosts OF
Israel displayed them. The tribe Of
Benjamin carried a flag with the in
scription of wolf. The tribe Of Dan
. representation of cherubim. Judah
. lion wrought into the groundwork Of
white, purple, crimson and blue. Such
Tags from their folds shook fire into
the hearts Of such numbers as were in
the field when Abijah fought against
Jehoram, and there were 100000
soldiers, and more than 500, 600 were
left dead on the field. These ensigns
gave heroism to such numbers as were
assembled when Asa fought against
Zerah, and there were 1850, 900 troops
In the battle. The Athenians carried
m 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 1t would be impolite to enulner-
ate them. These ensigns are streamers
borne on the point Of lance and on
Vie top Of wooden shafts. They are
parried In the front and rear Of armies.
They unroll from the maintop-gallant-
nssthead Of an admiral's flagship to
istinguish 1t among other ships Of the
Ame squadron. They are the objects
national pride. The loss Of them on
be field is ignominioua
The three banners Of the Lords
osts are the banner Of proclamation,
he banner Of recruit and the banner
victory. When . nation feels it,
ghts intringed or its honor insulted;
hen its citizens have In foreign climes
IN oppressed and NO indemnity has
en offered tothe inhabitant Of the re-
blic or kingdom, proclamation Of
y is uttered. On the top Of batter