Owingsville outlook. [volume] (Owingsville, Ky.) 1879-192?, 1898-12-01
DAWN OF A CENTURY
DR.. Talmage breaches of the Bright
ness in Which 1t Comes.
America To-day thc Chosen Nation Of
God-N Int the Old I entury IcnSes
Behind It-ChristinnIty o.,
Spreading.

This sermon of DIR. Talmagc is a.
anticipation Cf things near nj hand ana
urges preparation for stirring events;
text, | Chronicles. l2:32; The children
of lssachar, which were men that ha'
understanding Of the times, To know
what Israel ought TO do"
Great tribe. that tribe of lSsacha".
When .loab took the census. there were
ii5.6OO of them. Before the almanac
was born, through astrological study
they knew from stellar couiuuctions
all about the seasons Of the year, nc-
fore agriculture became an art they
were skilled in the raising Of crops.
Before politics became science they
knew the temper Of nations. and when
ever they marched. either for pleasure
or war. they marched under three
colorcd flag topaz. sardinc and car
buncle. Eut the chief characteristic
Of that tribe Of lSsachar was that they
understood the times. They were not
like the political and moral incompe-
tents of our day. who are trying 10
guide l>?S Ivy the theories of 1928.
They locked at the divine indications
in their own particular century. So
we ought tn understand the times. not
the times when America was ~ colonies
huddlcd together along the Atlantic
coast, hut the times when the nation
dips one hand In the ocean on one
side the continent ard the other hand
in the ocean on the other side the con
tinent; times which rut New York
Narrows and the Golden Horn of the
Pacific within one fash of electric
telegraphy; times when God is rs di-
rcctly, as positively. rs solemnly, as
tremendously addressing MS through
the daily newspaper and the quick
revolution of events rs he ever adj
DRESSED the aTcicnts or addresses US
through the Holy Scriptures. TIL
voice of God in Providence is rs i'm.
portant as the voice of God in typology
for in our own day we have had cur
Sinais with thundcrs of the Almighty.
and Calvarics of sacrifice and Gethscm-
anes that sweat great drops of blood,
md OlivCts of ascension, ard Mount
Pisgahs of far-rcaching vision. The
Lord who rounded this world 5000
years ago and sent his Son To redeem II
near 1900 years ago has yet much to DO
with this radiant but agonized planet.
May God make us like the children &c
lssachnr. (which were men that had
understanding of the times. to know
what Israel ought to do"
The grave of this century will soon he
dug. The cradle Of another century will
soon he rocked. There is something
moving this Way out Ct the cternitics.
something thai thrills ne. blanchcs me.
aprallS mc. cNhilarntes me. crrapturcs
me. II will wrcatEc the orange bios
SONS for millions of weddings. II will
beat the Girgc for millions Of obse-
quics. Ii will carry the gilded ban
rers of brightest mornings and the
black flags of darkest n:idnighis. The
world will play the grand march of its
heroes and sound the rogucs' march of
its cowarls. Other professions may
halt or break down or fall lack. but
the procession led 10y that leader moves
steadily on ana will soon lie here. II
viii preside over coroaations and de-
thronemcnts. ! hail it! | bless il! !
welcome it! The twentieth century of
the Christian era.
What may We expect of il and how
shall we prepare fer it are the momen-
tous questions propose now TO discuss.
As in families human nativity is an
'icira;ed by al sanctity and kindli-
ness and solemni;y and care aud hope
fitness. so ought we prayerfully. hore-
fully. irdustriCusly. confidently pre-
care for the advent Of Il new century.
The nineteenth century must not treat
the twentieth On its arrival as the
eighteenth century treated the nine
tcenth. Our century Inherited the
wrecks of two revolutions and the SUI
persiiticas CT age. Around its cradle
stood the armed assassin of old world
tyrannics; the reign of terror" be-
queaihirg its horrors; Rohespierre.
Plotting lis diahoiism; the Jacobin
club, with lis Wholesale massacre; the
Guillotinc. chopping its heheadments.
The ground Puaking with the great
guns of Marengo. Wagram and Ead-
.ejcs. Ali Europe in CONFUSION. Asia
in comparative quiet. but the quietness
of death. Africa in the clutches of the
slave trade. American savagcs in full
Cry. their scalping knives lifted. The
exhausted and poverty struck people
of America sweating under the debt of
S.01. 0G0. OOO. which the revolutionary
war had left them. Washingtor Just
gone into the long sleepat Mount Yer
ron. ard the nation in bereavement.
aaron Burr. the champion libertinc. be-
coming soon after vice president. The
government of the United States only
an experiment, most OF the chilCso-
piers and statesmen and governments
of the earth prophesying it would be n
disgraccful failure. No poor founding
laid at night on the cold steps of a
mansion. TO be picked up in the morn
ing. was poorer of than this century at
its nativity. The United States govern
ment had taken only II steps on its
JOURNEYS it's constitution having been
formed in 1859. and most of the ma
tions of the earth laughed at our gov
eminent in its first attempts to walk
alone.
The birthday of our nineteenth CEN
fury occurred in the time of war. Our
small United States navy, under Capt.
Truxton, commanding the frigate Con-
stitution, was IN collision with the
French frigates La Vengeance and
Lrnsurgente, and the first infant cries
of this century were drowned in the
roar of naval battle. And political
strife on this continent was the hottest
the parties rending each other with
pantherine rage. The birthday present
of this nineteenth century was vituper-
alton, public unrest, threat of national
demolition and horrors national and
international. adjure you. let not the
twentieth century be met in that awful
way, but with all brightness of tempo
raj and religious prospects.
First, let us put upon the cradle of the
new century a new map of the world
The old map was black with too many
barbarisms and red with too many
slaughters and pale with too many SUI
ferings. Let us see to il that on Tat