The Yale expositor., 1898-12-02
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
THE CRADLE OF THE TWEEN
TIETH CENTURY.
FROM the Following Bible Text, Chron.
XII. 32:-"rhe Children of Issachar
Had Understanding to Know What
Israel Ought to Do"

When Joab took the census there were
las, 900 of them. Before the almanac
was born, through astrological study,
they knew from stellar conjunctions
all about the seasons of the year. Be-
fore agriculture became an art they
were skilled in the raising of crops.
Before politics became a science they
knew the temper of nations; and
whenever they marched, either for
pleasure or war, they marched under a
three-colored fiag-topaz, sardine, and
carbuncle. But the chief Characters
I tic of that tribe of Issachar was that
they understood the times. They were
not like the political and moral incom-
petents Of our day, who are trying to
guide 1898 by the theories Of 1928. They
looked at the divine indications in
their own particular century. So we
ought to understand the times, not the
times when America was thirteen col
onies, huddled together along the At
lantic coast, but the times when the
nation dips one hand in the ocean on
one side of the continent, and the 9TH
the continent; times which put New
York Narrows and the Golden Horn
OF the Pacific within one flash of cleo
trio telegraphy; times when God is as
directly, as positively, as solemnly, as
tremendously addressing us through
the daily newspaper and the quick rev.
olution Of events as he ever addressed
the ancients, or addresses us through
the Holy Scriptures. The voice of God
In Providence is as important as the
voice of God in typology; for in our
own day we have had our Sinais with
thunders Of the Almighty, and Cal
varies of sacrifice, and Gethsemanes
that sweat great drops of blood, and
Olivets of ascension, and Mount Pts
gahs Of far-reaching vision. The Lord
who rounded this world six thousand
years ago, and sent his Son TO redeem
1t near nineteen hundred years ago,
has yet much to do with this radiant,
but agonized planet. May God make
us like the children Of Issachar, (which
were men that had understanding OF
the times, to know what Israel ought
to do"
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
L'Insurgente, and the first infant cries
IF tbie HrnUna1 in tho
roar of naval battle. And political
strife on this continent was the hot
test, the parties rending each other
with pantherine rage. The birthday
present of this nineteenth century was
vituperation, public unrest, threat of
national demolition, and horrors ma
tional and international. l adjure you,
let not the twentieth century be met
IN that awful way, but with all bright
ness of temporal and religious pros
poets.
First, let us put upon the cradle OF
world. The old map was black with
too many barbarisLss, and red with too
many slaughters. and pale with too
many sufferings. Let us see TO it that
on that map, so far as possible, our
country from ocean to ocean is
Christianzed continent-schools, col
leges, churches and good homes in
long line from ocean beach to ocean
beach. On that map Cuba must be
free. The archipelago of the Philip
pines must be free. If cruel Spain
expects by representation and intrigue
to get back what she has surrendered,
then the warships Iowa, and Indiana,
and Brooklyn, and Texas, and Vesu
vius, and Oregon must be sent back to
southern waters, or across to the coast
of Spain, to silence the insolence, as
decidedly as last summer they silenced
the Cristobal Colon, and Oquendo, and
Maria Teresa, and Vizcaya. When we
get those islands thoroughly under our
protectorate, for the first time our mis-
sionaries in China will be safe. The
atrocities imposed on these good men
and women in the so-called Flowery
Kingdom will never be resumed, for
our guns will be too near Hong Kong
to allow the massacre of missionary
settlements.
On that map must be put the 18TH
milan canal, begun if not completed. No
long voyages around Cape Horn for
the worlds merchandise, but short and
cheap communication by water instead
of expensive communication by rail
train, and more millions will be added
to our national wealth and the worlds
bettorment than l have capacity to cal
culate.
On that map 1t must be made evil
dent that America is to be the worlds
civilizer and evangeizer. Free from
the national religions of Europe on the
one side, and from the superstitions OF
Asia on the other side, it will have
facilities for the work that no other
continent can possibly possess. As
near as l can tell by the laying on of
the hands Of the Lord Almighty, this
continent has been ordained for that
work. This is the only country in
the world where all religions are on
the same platform, and the people have