The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1902-01-15
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
Cheering Words of Encouragement
to All the Timid and Doubling.

to All the Timid and Doubling.
In this Dr.. Talmage'S first discourse
for the new year he speaks words OF
encouragement to all the tlmld ana
doubling. The text is Exodus Xii. :.
This month shall be unto you the
beginning Of months: it shall be the
first month Of the year to you.
The last month Of the year has pass
ed out of sight. and the first month
of the new year has arrived. The mid
night gate last Wednesday opened. ard
January entered. She deserves d bet
ter name. forshe is called after Janus.
the heather deity who. they supposed.
presided over doors and so might De
expected to preside at the opening of
the year. This month was OF Old called
the wolf month because. through the
severity Of its weather. the hungry
wolves came down seeking food and
deycuring human life. In the rnlssalS
Of the middle ages Januray was repre-
sented as attired in white. suggestive
Of the snow. and blowing the fingers,
as though suffering from the cold, and
having a bundle of wood under the
arm, suggestive Of the warmth that
must be kindled.
Yes January is the open door OF the
year, and through that door will come
what long PROFESSIONS, some OF them
bearing palm leaves and some myrtle.
others with garlands Of wheat and
others with cypress and mlstletoe.
They are coming, and nothing can
keep them back-the events OF a
twelvemonth. It will, | think, be one
Of the greatest years Of all time. 1t
will abound with blessing and disaster.
National and international controYer-
sizes of momentouS import will be
settled. Year of coronation and de-
thronement, year that willSettle Cuban
and Porto Rican and Philippine and
South African and Chinese distinies.
The tamest year for many decade,
past has dugits millions OF graves nd
reared it's millions ofmarrlage alta S.
We can expect greater events in this
wear than ever before, for the wor Ids
population has so vastly increased
there are so many more than in any
other year to laugh and weep and tri-
umph and perish. The mightier wheels
Of mechanism have such wider sweep.
The fires are kindled in furnaces not
seven times but seventy times heated
The veIocitieS whirling through the air
and sailing the seas and tunneling the
mountains will make unprecedented
demonstration. Would to God that be-
fore the now opening year has closed
the earth might cease to tremble with
the last cannonade and the heavens
cease to be lighted up with any more
confagation of homesteadS and the
foundries that make swords be turned
into blacksmith shops for making
plowShareS.
The front door of stupendous year
has opened. Before many Of you there
will be twelve months Of opportunity
for making the world better or worse,
happier or more miserable. Let US
pray that it may be a year that Will
indicate the speedy redemption of the
hemisphere. Would to God that this
might be the year in which the three
great instruments now chiefly used for
secular purposes might be put to their
mightiest use in the worlds evangelical
tion-the telegraph, the telephone. the
monograph. Electricity has such PC
tent tongue, such strong arm. such
swift wing, such lightning foot, that
itoccurs to me that it may be the angel
that St. John saw and heard in apoc-
alyptic vision when he started back
and cried out, Il saw another angel
flying in the midst of heaven having
the everlasting gospel to preach unto
them thai dwell on the earth and to
every nation and Kindred and tongue
and people, They were tongues Of fire
that sat on the heads Of the disciples
at the PentecoSt, and why not the
world called to God by tongue Of cleo
tric fire? Prepare your batteries and
make ready to put upon the wires the
world wide message Of ''whosoever
will
Furthermore. this month Of January
has the greatest height and depth of
cold. The rivers are bound in crystal
chains. The fountains, that made high
est leap in the summer parks now tess
not one jet, for every drop would bea
frozen tear. The sledS craunch through
the hard snow. Waruest attire the
wardrobe can afford is put on that we
may defend ourselves against the fury
of tn elements. Hardest of all the
Of US take under charge one poverty
stricken household or one disabled man
or one invalided woman. On our way
home from such charity, though the
wind may be bowling and the night
tempeStuous, l should nowwonder If
we could hear a voice that SaS heard
on Galilee and at the gate Of Main
and by the pool of Bethesda saying.
''Inasmuch as We did it to them. ye did
it to me-
Behold in this January month the
increasing daylight. Last month the
sun went down at 4:30. but in this
month the days are getting longer.
The sunrise and the sunset are farther
apart. Sunlight instead Of artificial
light, and there isfor our dear old bat
tered earth growing light. The day
spring from on high hath visited us"
We shall have more light for the home.
more light for the church, more light
for the natl, on more light for the
world-ight Of intelligence. light OF
comfort, light of rescue. light Of evan,
gelization, light from the face OF God,
light from the throne. But, you say
the light increases so slowly. each day
of tllis;January only one minute longer
than its predecessor, the sun setting
the lst day Of January at o'clock
and 43 minutes, the sun setting the ID
s,- op Jop,,arv IF i orlGrk and :.