Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1897-03-19
TALMAGE'S SERMON
INTERESTING THEME BY THE
WASHINGTON PREACHER.
Subject "a Mighty Warfare.

beat high aud we wished We had been horn
over 100 years ago Just for the glory Of strik.
Ing down Hessian. Forru<ty swords hung
up on the rafters aud bullets cut out OF LOG
houses IN which they were lodged during thu
great strife we had unbnuuded admiration.
ar on some public day clothed in our grand
fathers soldieriy arcOuterments. We falt as
brave as Garibalii or Miltiaies. w. ara
wiser now. for We make vast distinction
haiween the poetry AMI the prose Of war,
The roll OF drums. and the call OF bugle..
aud the CHANGING Of steeds ioaming aud
paving for the battle a hundred thousand
muskels glitiering among the dancing
plumes. God Save the King waving up
from clarinetS aud trumpets and rung back
from deep deliles or the arches If PROSTATE
city. distant capitals OF kingdoms illuminated
at the tidings generals returning home un-
der flaming arches and showering amar-
anths and the shout IT empires--that is
poetry
Chilled and half hlnnketed. lying on the
wet earth. feet sore with the march aud
bleeding at the slightest touch. hunger pull
ing On every fiber Of flesh or attempting to
satisfy itself with scantv AMI spoiled ra-
ton, 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 NAV leap
on him from any one of hundred bayonets,
the closing in ottwO armies now changed to
hundred thousand maniacs. the ground
slippery with blood and shattered flesh fall
en ones writing un Per the hoofs of I'M
bridlei chargers maddened with pain. .he
dreadtulness OF night that comes down when
the strife is over. the struggle ofthe wounded
ones crawling out over the corpses, the long.
ieverish agony of the crowded barrack and
hospital. from whose mattresses the frag-
ments OF men send up their groans the only
music OF carnage and butchery. desolGte
homes from which fathers aud husbands and
brothers and sons went of. without giving
any dying message or sending kiss to the
dear ones at home. tumbled intothe soldiers
grave trench. and houses in which a few
weeks before unhrOken family cir.les re-
Jolced now plunged in the great sorrows Of
widowhood aud orphanage is prose.
But there is now on the earth a kingdom
which has set itself up for conflicts without
number. In Ms march it tramples no gram
Held: ii sacks no cities: Il imp0yerishes
no treasures it Ills no hospitals: it berpaves
no families. The courage and victory of
Solterlno and Magenta without carnage-the
kingdom of Christ against the kingdom of
satan-that Is the strife now raging We will
offer no armistcCS We will make no treaty
Until all the revoIled nations Of the earth
shall submit again 10 King Emmanuel in
the name Of God we will SCI up our ban.
ners.
Every army mas its ensicns. Long before
the time when David wrote the text they
werein use The hosts Of Israel displavei
them, The tribe OF Benjamin carried a lac
with Inc inscription of a wolf. the tribe OF
Dan a representation OF charuhim. Judah a
lion wrought into the groun work OF white.
purple, crimson and blue. Such flags from
their folds shook fire into the hearts OF such
nnmhprS : the fold MI iiob
fought against Jehoram. and there were
LOO, 600 soldiers. and more than 500 900
were left dead on the field. These enstgus
gave heroism to such numbers rs were as.
semblet when Asa fought against Zerah. and
there We're $50. 90 troops in the battle The
Athenians carried hn 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 fol-
/ the character Of the ttons they represent
/ it would be impolitic to enumerate them.
These ensigns are streamprs borne on ;ht
/ point of lance and On the top Of wooden
shafts. They are carried in the front and
rear Of armies. They unroll from the MAR
/ tOpgallant masthead of an admirIl's nag
/ ship to distinguish it among other ships ot
/ the same squadron. They are the objects o
national pride The loss OF them on the field
/ j. ignOminiOus.
The three banners OF the Lords hosts ar,
the banner Of proclamation. the banner o
recruit and the banner of victory When
/ nation feels its rights infringel or it's homo
/ insulted. when it, citizens have in foreign
/ climes been oppressed and no Indemnity ha!
/ been offered to the inhabitaut of the republic
/ or Kingdom, a proclamation of war is uttered
On the tops of batteries and arsenals anl
custom houses and revenue Offices flags are
| Immediately swung out. All who look uuol
H them rpltiVp thp fact tbRt i,,s
war is declared. Thus it is that the churcI
OF Jesus Christ, jealous for the honor Of Its
/ sovereign and determined to get back th0s,
who have been carried off captive into the
bondage of satan and intent upon the de
StructiOn of those mighty wrongs which
have so long cursed the earth and bent upol
the extension of the SaviOurs reign o
mercy, in the name of God SETS upits baune
OF proclamation.
The church makes no assault upon th
world do not believe that God ever mad
better world than this 1t is magnificent i
ITS ruins. Let US stop talking so much agains
the world. God pronounced it very good
the beginning. Though a wandering chill
OF God, see in it yet the great Father
iineaments Though tossed and driven
the storms of 5000 years. she sails brave
yet, and as at her launching in the beglnnin
the morning stars sang together and all II
sons of God shouted for joy, so at last whe
coming into the calm harb0r OF Gods mere
she Shall be greeted blythe hu2zas of glorft
kingdoms. 1t is not the world against whiC
we contend, but its transgressions. Wha
ever is obstinate in the will, degrading
passion harmful in custom, false in frienO
ship, hypocritical in professon-aganst a
this Christ makes onset From false profe
sion he would tear the mask. From oppre
sion he would tear the rod. From pride
would rend off the pumes From revenge |
would exercise the devil. While Christ love
the world 50 much he diedto saveit he hat
sin so well that to eradicate the last trace c
its pollution he will utterly consum
the continents and the oceans. At the gat
OF Eden the declaration OF perpetual emit
was made against the serpent. The tumu
roundabout Mount Sinai was only the roi
and flash of Gou'S artillery Of wrath again
sin. Sodom on fire was only one of God
flaming bulletins announcing hOstilit,
Nineveh and Tyre and Jerusalem in awf
ruin mark the track Of Jehovahs advauc
ment. They show that God WIS terribly
earnest when he announced himself abho
rent of all inlquity They make us beiev
that, though nations Deligerent and reveng
full may sign articles Of peace and come to 4
amicable adjustment. there shall be 0 cess
ton of hOstiliueS between the forces of ligl
and the forces of darkness until the kim
QOnS OF tnlS ria nave become the KIM
domS of our Lord. AiIriyhted by no oppos
ton, discouraged by no temporary defeats
shrinking from no eXDO-ure, every man
his position while from the tops OF OF
Scnoolhouses and churches and seminari
and asylums lin the name of God we will 8
up cur banners"
Their are nonprolessors who have a ve
correct idea OF what Christians ought to b
You have seon members OF the church wi
ho1 a ial huN
Ananias and who were as foul hypocrites
Judas You abhor lIthat. You say folio
ers of Christ ought to be honorable, hunt
and self denying and charitable and patie
and forgving. Amen So they ought. Cor
into the kingdom of Christ my nearer, a
be just that glorious Christian that you ha
described. Every church has enough stin