Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1897-03-19
CHRIST THE CAPTAIN
REV. OR. TALMAGe breaches A SER
MON or MARTIAL ELOQUENCE.

Great Army Fighting For a Glorious
Cause.
WASHINGTON, March 14.-At this
time, when our national capital has
for ten days been ablaze with our ma
tional flag, the imagery Of this sermon
Of DR.. Talmage seems very vivid and
appropriate. The text is Psalms Xxx, D,
"In the name of God we will set up our
banners. "
/ hate war. In my boyhood we may
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 soldlerly
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 Gave the King"
waving up from clarinets and trum-
pets and rung back from deep de-
files or the arches Of 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 hundred bayo-
nets, the closing in Of two armies now
changed to n 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,
feyerish 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 kiss to the dear ones at
home. tumbled into the soldiers grave
trench, and houses in which few
weeks before unbroken family circles
rejoiced now plunged in the great sor-
rows Of widowhood and orphanage-
that is prose.
No Quarter VIII BE Given.
But there is now ON the earth king
dom which has set itself up for conflicts
without number. In its march it tram
pies no grainfelds; it sacks no citiesi II
impoverishes no treasures; it fills no
hospitals; it bereayes 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 'in 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 flag with the inscription OF a
wolf. the tribe Of Dan a representation
of cherubim, Judah lion wrought into
the groundwork of white, purple, Grim
son and blue. Such flags from theil
folds shook fire into the hearts OF such
Numbers as were in the field when Abb
iah fought against Jehoram, and there
were |. 200. 600 soldiers, and more thar
| 500. 900 were left dead On the field
These ensigns gave herOism to suci
numbers as were assembled when As'
fought against Zerah, and there wer'
l,5SO, 600 troops in the battle. Th'
f~henians carried an inscription of the
/ owl which was their emblem of wis
dom. The flags Of modern nations are
familiar to You all, and many Of then
so inappropriate for the character OF the
nations they represent it would be i'm
/ politie TO enumerate them. These ell
SIGNS are streamers borne on the poin'
Of a lance and on the top Of wooder
shafts. They are carried in the from
and rear Of armies. They unroll from
the main topgallant masthead of an ad
miral's flagship to distinguish it amont
other ships of the same squadron. Ihey
are the objects of national pride. Th'
loss Of them on the field is ignominious
The three banners Of the Lords host
are the banner of proclamation, the ban
ner of recruit and the banner OF victory
When a nation feels its rights intringe'
or its honor insulted, when its citizen
have in foreign climes been oppressed
and no indemnity has been offered u
the inhabitant of the republic or king
dom, proclamation Of war is uttered
On the tops of batteries and arsenal
and custom houses and revenue ONCE
flags are Immediately swung out Al
who look upon them realize the iac
that uncompromising war is declared
Thus it is that the church OF Jesu
Christ, jealous for the honor OF Its SOW
ereign and determined to get back thos
who have been carried off captive int
ihe bondage of satan and intent upol
.he 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 set
up its banner Of proclamation.
Assault Against Sin.
The church makes no assault upol
the world. l do not believe that Go'