Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1898-12-14
SERMONS OF THE DAY

V1tbuuSVbuO W JILL Osss
eobj-rt: "rhe Coming Century''-what this
New Cycle win Usher In-Needs of the
New Age-The End of the Century
Watch Night.
TEXT: "The children OF Issachar. which
were men that had understanding OF the
times, to know what Israel ought to do
Chronicles XIII. 80.
Great tribe, that tribe OF Issachari When
Joab took the census, there were Las, 600 OF
them. Before the almanac was born.
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 ol
crops. Before politics became science
they knew the temper OF nations, and when
ever they marched, either for pleasure OF
war, they marched under q three colored
fag-topaz, sardine and carbuncle. But
the chief characteristic of that tribe oI
Issachar was thut they understood the
times. They were not like the politica
and moral incompetents OF our day, who
are trying to guide 1898 by the theories oi
1928. They looked at the divine indica-
tiODs in their own particular century. Sc
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 coDtinen:
and the other hand in the ocean on the
other side the continent; times which put
New York Narrows and the Golden Horn ol
the Pacific within one fash of electric
telegraphy; times when God ia 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 bad our Sinais with thun.
ders of the Almighty, and Calvaries Of sac
rfflce, and Gethsemanes that sweat great
drops of blood, and Olivets Of ascension,
and Mount Pisgahs Of farreaching vision.
The Lord who rounded this world 6000
years ago and sent His Son 10 redeem II
near 1900 years ago has vet much to dc
with this radiant but agonized planet. May
(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. 1t
will wreathe the orange blossoms for mil
lions of weddings. 1t will beat the dirge
luz VI ODScQuieS. II Will carry tQe
gi!ded banners OF brightest mornings and
the black flags of darkest midnights. The
world will play the grand march OF its
heroes and sound the rogues' march OF its
towards. Other professions may halt or
break down or fall back, but the procession
will soon be here. 1t will prp'ide over
coronatioDs and dethronements. bail 1t.
I bless it. / welcome 1t. the twentieth CEN
fury of the Christian era.
What may we expect of 1t, and how shall
we prepare for 1t, are the momentous gues-
tions propose now to discuss. As In fami-
lies, human nativity is anticipated by all
sanctity and kindliness and solemnity and
care and ,hopefulness, so ought we prayer
fully. hopeful tpdustriously, confidently
prepare'for bo-aetfeEt-ef a-tew century,
The nineteenth century must not treat the
twentieth century on its arrival as the
eighteenth century treated he nineteenth.
Our century inherited the wreck of revolu-
tions and the superstiti ons of ages.
Around its cradle stood the armed assas-
sins of Old World tyrannies; the "reign OF
terror" begueathing its 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 of
Marengo. Wagram and Badajos. All Eu-
rope in convulsion. Asia in comparative
quiet, but the quietness of death. Africa
In the clutches Of the slave trade. Ameri-
can savages in full cry, their scaiping
knives lifted. The exhausted and poverty
struck people Of America sweating under
the debt Of $500. .OO0, 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
cko 81 x1x,
propbesying it would be disgraceful fail
ure. No poor founding laid at night on
the cold steps of a mansion, to be picked
mp in the morning, was oorer off than rhis
century at its nativity. The United States
Government had taken only twelve steps on
formed in 1888, 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 sr all
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 fthis nineteenth century was vitupera-
tion, public unrest, threat of national
demolition, and horrors national o Ed inter
national. 1 adjure you, let not the tweu-
tieth century be met in that awful way, but
with all brightness of temporal and re-
ligfous prospects.
First, let us put upon the cradle of the
new century 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
CbristianiZed 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. II cruel Spain expects
by procrastinatfon 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 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 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
the so-called Flowery Kingdom will never
be resumed. for our guns will be too near
Hong Hong to allow the massacre OF mis-
sionRry settlements.
On that map must be put the isthmian
canal, begun IL no. completed. No long
voyages around Cape Horn for the worlds
merchandise, but short and cheap commu-
nication by water instead or expensive
by rail train, and more
millions will be added to our national
wealth and the worlds betterment than
have capacity to calculate.
On the map it must be made evident that
America is to be the worlds civilizer and
evangelizer. Free from the national re-
ligions of Europe on the one side and from
the superstitions Of Asia on the other side.
1t will have facilities for the work that no
other continent can possibly possess. As
near as 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 free selection for them
selves without any detriment. When we
present to the other continents this assort-
<,f trtyA horv NH