Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1898-12-22
DIR. TALMAGES SERMON.
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE NOTED
DIVINE.

Subject: "The Coming century"-What the
New Cycle Will Usher In-Needs of the
New Are-The End of the Century
Watch Night.
TEXT: "The children of Issachar, which
we're men that had understanding of the
times, to know what Israel ought to do."-
Chronicles Kill, 80.
Great tribe, that tribe OF Issacharl When
Joab took the census, there were 40, 6oo OF
them Before the almanac was porn,
through astrological study, they knew from
steller conjunctions all about the seasons
of the year, Before agriculture became an
art they were skilled in the raising OF
crops Before politics became sclehco
thew knew the temper of nations, ana When-
ever they marched, either for pleasure y,
war they marched under a three colored
hap-topsz, sardine and carbuncle. But
the chief characteristic of that tribe OF
Issaehar was that they understood the
times. They were not like the political
and moral Incompetence OF our oay, VINO
are irving to guide 1898 by the theories OF
1928. They looked at the divine indica-
tions in their own particular century. So
we ought to understand the times, not the
times when America was thirteen colonies,
huddled together along the Atlantic coast,
but the times when the nation dips one
hand in the ocean on one side the continent
and the other hand in the ocean on the
other side the continent; times which put
New York Narrows and the Golden Horn OF
the Pacific within one fash of electric
telegraphy; times when God is as directly,
as positively as solemnly, as tremendously
addressing us through the daily newspaper
and the quick revolution 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 thun-
ders of the Almighty, and Calvaries of sac
rifice, and Gethsemanes that sweat great
drops of blood, and Oliyets Of ascension,
and Mount Pisgahs of farreaching vision.
The Lord who rounded this world 5000
years ago and sent His Son TO redeem it
near 1900 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 grave OF this century will soon be
dug The cradle of another century will
soon be rocked. There is something NOV
ing this way out Of the eternities, some
thing that thrills me, blanches me, appalls
me, exhilarates me, enraptures me. IL
will wreathe the orange blossoms for mil
lions of weddings. 1t will boat the dirge
for millions of obsequies. 1t will carry the
gided banners of brightest mornings and
the black flags of darkest midnights. The
heroes and sound the rogues' march OF its
towards. Other professions may halt or
break down or fall back, but the procession
led by that leader moves steadily on and
will soon be here. 1t will preside over
coronations and dethronements. hail it,
1 bless it, welcome it, the twentieth cen
tury of the Christian era.
What may we expect Of it, and how shall
we prepare for it, are the momentous ques-
tions propose now to discuss. As in famf-
kt,,fk fr tnfr fn1 hyyn n
sanctity and kindliness and solemnity and
care and hopefulness, so ought we prayer
fully, hopefully, industriously, confidently
prepare for the advent of a new century.
The nineteenth century must not treat the
twentieth century on its arrival as the
eighteenth century treated t he nineteenth.
Our century inherited the wreck OF revolu-
tionS and the superstiti ons OF ages.
Around it's cradle stood the armed assas-
sins of Old World tyrannies; the "reign OF
terror" beeue thing it's horrors; Robes
pierre plotting his diabolism. the Jacobin
club, with its wholesale massacre; the
guillotine, chopping its beheadments. The
ground quaking with the great guns oil
Marengo, Wagram and Badajos All Eu-
rope in conyulsion. Asia in comparative
quiet, but the quietness OF death. Africa
in the clutches of the slave trade. Ameri-
can savages in full cry, their scalping
knives lifted. The exhausted ard poverty
struck people of America sweating under
the debt of $500. 600 900, which the Revolu-
tionary War had left them. Washington just
gone into the long sleep at Mount Vernon,
and the nation in bereavement; Aaron
Burr, the champion libertine, becoming
soon after the Vice-President. The Gov
ernment of the United States only an ex-
pertinent, most OF the philosophers and
statesmen and governments OF the earth
prophesying it would be disgraceful fail
ure. No poor founding laid at night on
the cold steps of mansion, to be picked
up in the morning, was oorer off than this
century at its nativity. The United States
it's journey, it's Constitution having been
formed in 1885, and most of the nations of
the earth laughed at our Government in
its first attempts to walk alone.
The birthday of our nineteenth century
occurred in the time OF war. Our small
United States Navy, under Captain Trux-
ton, commanding the frigate Constitution,
was in collision with the French frigates
La Vengeance and LInsurgente, 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 pres
ent ofthis nineteenth century was vitupera-
tion, public unrest, threat of national
dem olition and horrors national and inter-
national. I adjure you, let not the twen-
tieth century be met in that awful way but
with all brightness of temporal and re-
ligious 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 barbar-
isms and red with too many slaughters and
pale with too many sufferings. Let us see
to 1t that on that map so far as possible
our country from ocean to ocean is Il
Christianized continent-schools, colleges,
churches and good homes in long line
from ocean beach to ocean beach. On that
map Cuba must be free. Porto Rico must
be free. The archipelago Of the Philip
pines must be free. If cruel Spain expects
by procrastination and intrigue to get
back what she has surrendered, then the
warships Iowa and Indiana and Brooklyn
and Texas and Vesuvius and Oregon must
be sent back to Southern waters or across
to the coast ofSpain to silence the insolence
as decidedly as last summer they silenced
the Crstobal Colon and Oquendo and
Maria Teresa and Vizcaya. When we get
those islands thoroughly under our pro-
tectorate, for the first time our missionaries
in China will be safe. The atrocities i'm
posed on those good men and women in