The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-01-17
DIR, TALMAGES SERMON.
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE NOTED
DIVINE.
Subject: Pillars of fsmoke-Trials ofTruth
Expressed With biblical Symbol
The Suffering OF the Church OF God
Powerfully Set Forth.
Copyright. Louis Klopach. 1884,

The SuuerihE Oh TIC Snurch Va o"'A
Powerfully Set Forth.
rCopyrisht, Louis Klopsch 1884,
WASHINGTON, D. C.-The trials through
which the truth has struggled are by Dr..
Talmage here set forth under Bible SYM
bol OF great suggestiveaess and power;
text, Solomon's Song, ill.,. 6, 'Who Is this
that cometh out OF the wilderness like
Pillars Of smoker"
The architecture OF the smoke is Won
Grous, whether God with His finger
curves it into a cloud, or rounds 1t into
4 dome, or points 1t in spire, or
spreads it in a wing, or, as in the text.
hoists it in q pillar. Watch 1t winding
tip from the country farmhouse in the
curly morning, showing that the pas
toral industries have begun, or see 1t
ascending from the chimneys OF the
city, telling OF the bones fed, the fac
tories turning out valuable fabrics, the
printing presses preparing book ana
newspaper and oil the 10000 wheels
OF work in motion. On clear day this
vapor spoken of mounts with such buoy
ancy, and spreads such delicate veil
across the sky, and traces such graceful
lines OF circle and semicircle, and waves
and tosses and sinks and scars and scatters
with such af1uence OF shape and color ana
sUCgestiveness that, If you have never no
ticed it, you are like man who has all MS
life lived in Paris and yet never seen the
Luxembourg, or all his life in Rome and
never seen the Vatican, or all his life at
Lockport and never seen Niagara. FORTY
four times the Bible speaks OF the smoke,
and 1t is about time that somebody
preached sermon reco SniztnS this
strange, weird, beautiful, elastic, charm
ing terrific and fascinating vapor. across
the Bible sky floats the smoke OF Sinai, the
smoke OF Sodom, the smoke OF Al, the
smoke of the pit, the smoke OF the volcanic
hills when God touches them and IN my
text the glorious church OF God coming up
on. OF the wilderness like pillars OF smoke
In the first place, these pillars OF smoke
in nv text indicate the suffering the
church of God has endured. What do l
mean by the church? moan not Duild-
ing, not n sect, but those who in all ages
aud all lands and of all beliefs love COD
and are trying to do right. For many cen
turies the heavens have been black with
the smoke OF martyrdop. II SET IS sue o., Sy
side, you could girdle the earth with tue
fires OF observation-disclosures Taylor
burned at Hadleigb, Latimer burned ae
Oxford, John Rogers burned at Smlthheid,
John Hooper burned at Gloucester, Jonn
Huss burned at Constance, Lawrence
Saunders burned ut Coventry, joan OF are
burned at Rouen.
Protestauts have represented Catholics
as having monopoly OF prosecutors, put
ticed Infamous cruelties. The CathoitcS
during the reign OF Hunneric were by Fro.
testants put to the worss torturesi stripped
OF their clothing, hoisted 10 the alr, by
pulleys with weights suspended fromEpeE
feet, then let down, and cara and eyes,
nose and tongue were amputated8 8audted
hot plates OF iron were put against theten-
derest part OF their bodies. SssSS B
George Bancroft, the historians 9oys OF
the State OF Maryiand: "In the larMNhIc
Catholics had opened to Protestante mass
might not be said publicly, mol s6athclic
priest or bishop might utter hlsfalth IN u
voice OF persuasion, no Catholic might
teach the young. II q wayward child OF
a rap;st would become IN apostate, the
law wrested for him from his parents
share OF their property. Such were the
methods adopted to prevent the growth OF
popery."
has had its martyrs. 1t does sesn as II
when any one sect got complete doninaney
In any land the devil OF prosecutions mud
cruelty took possession OF that sect! 'Ihefl
see the Catholics after the Huguen ots.y See
the gentiles after the Jews In Touratue.
where great pit was dug and fire ltEhtea
at tue bottom Of the pit, and 160 Jewish VIC
tins were consumed. Seethe Presbyteytan
parliament Of England, more gtyfannIcnl
in their treatment OF opponents tnan ,had ~
been the criminal courts, Persecust sto4
against the Baptists by Pnd0 0Haptists. pg9
secution OF the Established sGhusch against
the Methodist Church, persecntfon eSA{zet
. the Qua&ers, persecuttvnsn INST tue PsestS
n>eians. Under Emperor Di06tetlAu
1000 Christians were smassacred5 a1ad
- 900 more Of them died from ba1lsh
ami exposure. 81 III
witness the sufferinss o. sths Wal denssss
OF the Albigenses, Of the Nest orianss Wit
ness st. BartholomeR's massacre. gltness
the Duke OF Alva driving out sof lSl6 lSeBlQg
Christians. Witness Herod and NERO 4ka6
Decius and Hildebrand and ToraueMHqH
and Earl OF Monitors and LORD sGlxx43k3
house, who, when told that he eMuHtsH8
account for his crue'tles, said, II hny6A1
need to account to man, and as lor tfod
will take Him in my own hands, a rea
line runs through the church hleEqry OF
1900 years, a line Of blood. Not by the
hundreds OF thousands, ,butsby the mllons'
No wonder John Milton put the gronus oil
the martyrs to an immortal tune, writing:
Avenge, O Lord, Thy slaughtered saints
whose bones sSl s4eiS,is,
Lie scattered on the Alpine moantAins
cold. z
The smoke OF martyrs hoy1ss and
would have ecltpsed the MONDAY sun AND
turned the brightest day tho world ever SAN
into a midnight. "Who Is this that
cometh up out Of the wilderness like pt.
lara Of smoker
Has persecution ceased? Ask that young
man who is trying to be Christian in g
store or factory, where from morntpg7Mfs M e
night be Is the butt OF all the mean Wiz.
ticisms OF unbelieying employees. Ask thai
wife whose husband makes. her @fondness
for the house OF God and even he kneel.
ing prayer by the bedside derision and
Is no more At for her holy companlonship
than q filthy crow would be ft companion
for a robin or q golden ortolesSs; CptHpro.
mise with the world and surrender to Its
conventionalities and 1t may let you alone,
but all who will live godly In Christ Jesus
must suffer persecution. Bea theatre going
card playing, wine drinking, round dancing
Christian and you may escape criticism
= and social pressure. But bc an up ant
down. out and out follower Of Christ, ant
worldling will wink to worldling as w
speaks your name, and you Will De put II
- many a doggerel and snubbed by those
not worthy to biacken your Oldest SHOES
When the bridge ut Ashtabula broke and
let down the most OF the carload OF pas
sengers to instant death. Mr.. P. +. Blis'
was seated on one side OF the aisle OF thu
car writing down Christian song whiei
be was composing, and on the other sidt
q group OF men were playing cards
Whose landing place In eternity would yor
prsfer-that OF P. T. Bliss. the gospel sing
er. or OF tho card players?
A great complaint comes from the thea
tres about the ladies' high hats because
they obstruct the view OF the stage, and ;
lady reporter asked me what I though
about it, aud told her that II the indecen
. pictures OF actresses in the show Windows
were accurate pictures OF what goes on il