Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1903-08-21
TALMAGE
SERMON
BY Rev.
FRANK DE WITT TALMAGE. DID,.
Pastor of Jefferson Park Presby-
teTien Church. ChiSaso

Chicago. Aug. i6.-In his sermon the
preacher points out the key 20 sue
cessful life and the secret whereby
even seeming reverses may be trans
formed into triumphs The text il
Joshua i, ., AS was with Moses.
so will be with thee"
One of the greatest novels ever writ
ten, 50 considered by many of our best
critics, is Victor Hugo's masterpiece,
Les Miserables." Amid all the art gal.
lery OF that treasured book the most
wonderful description is the word
painting by which the denunciator of
Napoleon the Little" pictures the
downfall Of Napoleon the Great at
the battle field OF Waterloo. When this
great master of literature topples over
the French colossus, the earth trem-
bles snd the dead centuries come forth
out of their nusty tombs and look on
in perpetual wonderment.
In that marvellous recital you can
hear the booming OF the artillery's
guns and the crack of the infantry's
muskess and the groans of the dying
and the cheers of the charging cav
airy. and the tramp of the British lines
forming themselves into the unbreaka-
BILE squares against which the Old
Guard flung itself in vain. In
ityou can see the flushed cheeks and
the flashing eyes of conQuering host
aud the pale. wan, haggard faces of a
flying mob
Yet after all In reading the thrilling
story 1 am impressed not so much by
what happened as what did not hap
PEN For many hours the eagle OF vic
tory seemed undecided upon which
standard TO alight. She ruttered this
way and that. as though awaiting some
ones expected advent to help her to
decide. Napoleon himself was waiting,
anxiously waiting, for the same helper.
Every little while he would take his
field glass and scan the surrounding
hills and valleys. Every little while he
would turn TO his stan officers and say:
DO you see him? Have you heard
any news from Grouchy? We must
have re-enforcements or we are lost"
In the meantime over the hills march
ed Marshal Butcher with his German
re-enforcements. That was the de-
cisive event. Victory hesitated no
longer. She flew to the standard OF
Wellington and perched there. The
Napoleonic star set In gloom to rise no
more in this world. IL was the lack OF
re-enforcements at a critical moment
which destroyed the French army. 1t
Is the lack OF divine re-enforcements
which may destroy US In the battle or
life.
'T Will Ne with Thee Said the Lord.
The text tells us of another general
who also needed re-enforcements. To
Joshua was committed the task OF con-
ouering a country held 10y warlike peo-
pie To him at the supreme moment
comes the assurance of the Lord OF
Hosts, Il will be with thee" Now. my
friends. the same kind OF divine re-en-
sorcement which came to Joshun when
he took command of the Isrnclitish
Forces may also be given TO us. When
God gave TO him his commission he said.
Joshua, IL you will he true TO me and
light under my standard i will lee with
thee, as 1 was with thy predecessor"
Tint divine slccor which God gave to
Joshua lac gave TO our Christian IA
theirs; that divine help he will give TO
as IL we will trust him and believe on
him and live for him. Therefore 1
would inspire every Christian to
prnyerfuliy 20 forth and do what God
wants him 10 DO. I would inspire all
Christians 10 live and work with n
brave heart. because the results OF our
N
promises are sure.
First. God will be with the Christian
workers OF this present generation. We
light under his glorious banner. David
had proved IL by experience when he
wrote, Thou hast given n banner 10
them that fear thee, that IL may be
displayed because OF the truth" Under
that banner the church of God has won
Victories IN all ages solomon saw 81
on Its march and pronounced IL s'terrf-
ole as an army with banners" He saw
IL later, triumphant over all evil, enter
ing hke q bride into the home of q
b<ideGrsom and her lord leading her
Into the banquet hall and placing over
her the banner OF love.
Now, banner is not merely a piece
OF rag or daring bit OF fiuttering
bunting or a dress parade endazzle-
lnent. The banner of God is flag or a
standard. 1t is the symbol OF supernal
authority. Whoever therefore strikes
at Gods banners strikes at the divine
heart When, some years ago, an
American citizen was arrested by the
Spanish authorities in Cuba and sem
fenced TO die, the American consul at
drst protested In vain, But on the day
set for the execution the Cuban au-
fhorities dared not shoot because that
consul wrapped an American flag about
the condemned man, saying: "He IN
an American citizen. Now shoot him
Through the folds OF that flag II you
dare! Today, in symbol, God wraps
about every Christian worker his BAN
ner. 1t IL the symbol of protection. 1t
81 the symbol Of omnipotence. II is the
symbol OF the atonement II Is the
symbol OF divine forgiveness. 1t Is the
symbol OF q glorious and never ending
life.
Symbols I'm the Gospel Banner.
We all can see the beautiful symbols
in the American flag. Is there none
for US In the gospel banner? We say
there never was a national dag so
poetic as ours! When George Wash
sngton and Robert Morris and Colonel
Ross. the committee appointed by the
Second Continental congress-, visited
Betsy Ross in her Philadelphia home,
they accomplished great work. That
nag symbolfzed thirteen different gov
srnments In one, and still that one gov
eminent kept Its thirteen distinct in
diyidualities. The thipteen bars and
the thirteen stars represented the thir-
teen colonies which afterward became
the thirteen states. Then, after Yer
ment and Kentucky. the first of the new
states, were added to the Union, the
thirteen bars and thirteen stars were
changed into fifteen bars and 6fteen
stars, but now, by law, there are stiIl
the original thirteen bars, but every