Connecticut western news., 1898-09-15
ENEMIES OF MAN.
THE MIspEeDS AND THE DANGERS OF
 MODERN LIFE.

pr. Talmage's Plea For Purer Life-God Has Been the Worlds Best Leader-The Sins of Blasphemy and Drunkenness. Tho Day of Equation.
 tcopyright. 1898. by American Press Asso-
 ciation.l
 WASHINGTON, Sept. 1s.-This arous- ing discourse by Dr. Talmage will ex- cite interest by the manner in which 1t assails some of the great evils now abroad. The subject is Enemies Over thrown" and the text Psalms xviii, l, "Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered.
 A procession was formed to carry the ark, or sacred box, which, though only B feet 9 inches in length and feet g. inches in height and depth, was the symbol of Gods presence. AS the lead CTS of the procession lifted this orna- mented and brilliant box by two golden poles run through four golden rings and started for Mount Zion all the peo- pie chanted the battle hymn of my text, "Let God arise, let his enemies be scat- tered ''
 The Cameronians of Scotland, out ragged by James I, who forced upon them religious forms that were offensive, and by the terrible persecution of Drummond, Dalziel and Turner and by the oppressive laws of Charles and Charles II were driven to proclaim war against tyrants and went forth to fight for religious liberty, and the mountain heather became red with carnage and at Bothwell bridge and Ards Moss and Drumolog the battle hymn and the bat tie shout of those glorious old Scotch men was the text have chosen, "Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered.
 What whirlwind of power was Oli- yer Cromwell, and how with his sol diers, named the "Ironsides, he went from victory to victoryl Opposing ene- mics melted as he looked at them. He dismissed parliament as easily as schoolmaster school. He pointed his finger at Berkeley castle, and it was taken. He ordered Sir Ralph Hopton. the general, to dismount, and he dis mounted. See Cromwell marching on with his army and hear the battlecry of the "Ironsides, loud as storm and solemn as a deathknelf, standards reel ing before it and cavalry horses going back on their launches and armies fly ing at Marston Moor, at Winceby Field, at Naseby, at Bridgewater and Dart mouth--"LetG God arise, let his enemies be scattered"
 God. Not Man.
 So you see my text is not like com plimentary and tasseled sword that you sometimes see hung up in parlor, a sword that was never in battle, and only to be used on general training day, but more like some weapon carefully hung up in your home, telling it's story of battles, for my text hangs in the Scripture armory, telling of the holy wars of 8, 900 years in which it has been carried, but still as keen and mighty az when David first unsheathed it. It seems to me that in the church of God and in all styles of reformatory work what we most need now is battlecry. We raise our little standard and put on 1t the name of some man who only few years ago began to live and in few years will cease to live. We go into contest against the armies of iniquity, depending too much on human agencies. We use for battleory the name of some brave Christian reformer, but after awhile that reformer dies or gets old or loses his courage, and then we take an- other battlecry, and this time perhaps we put the name of some one who be- trays the cause and sells out to the en- emy. What we want for battlecry is the name of some leader who will never betray us and will never surrender and will never die.
 All respects have I for brave men and women, but if we are to get the victory all along the line we must take the hint of the Gideonites, who wiped out the Bedouin Arabs, commonly called Midi antics. These Gideonites had glori- ous leader in Gideon, but what was the battlecry with which they flung their enemies into the worst defeat into which any army was ever tumbled? It was, "The sword of the Lord and of Gideon" Put God first, whoever you put second. If the army of the American Revolution is to free America, it must be, "The sword of the Lord and of Washington. If the Germans want to win the day at Sedan, it must be, "The sword of the Lord and Von Moltke." Waterloo was won for the English because not only the armed men at the front, bat the worshipers in the oathedrals at the rear, were crying, "The sword of the Lord and of Wellington"
 Right h Might.
 The Methodists have gone in triumph across nation after nation with the cry, "The sword of the Lord and of Wes- ley" The Presbyterians have gone from victory to victory with the cry, "The sword of the Lord and of John Knox" The Baptists have conquered millions after millions for Christ with the cry, "The sword of the Lord and of Jud- son." The American Episcopalians have won their mighty way with the cry, "The sword of the Lord and of Bishop McIlvaine.' The victory is to those who put God first. But as we want a battlecry suited to all sects of religion ists and to all lands nominate as the battlecry of Christendom in the ap- preaching Armageddon the words of my text, sounded before the ark as it was carried to Mount Zion, "Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered '
 As far as our finite mind can judge it seems about time for God to rise. Does it not seem to you that the abomina- tions of this earth have gone far enough? Was there ever a time when sin was so defiant? Were there ever before so many fists lifted toward God telling him to come on If he dare? Look at the blas- phemy abroad. What towering profan- ityI Would it be possible for any one to calculate the numbers of times that the name of the Almighty God and of Jesus Christ are every day taken irreverently on the lips? Profane swearing is as much forbidden by the law as theft or arson or murder, yet who executes it? Profanity is worse than theft o1 arson or murder, for these primes are attacks on humanity-that Is an attack on God.
 This country is pre-eminent for blas-