The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-07-12
OLD WELLS DUG OUT.

Rev. T. De Witt Talmage breaches what
! some consider true religion pure gospel, elo-
uuent sermons; and what others regard as
coarse sensationalism, full of illustrations
that would better fit the mouth of an ignorant
ranter at negro camp-meeting than the
preacher to a cultivated Brooklyn audience.
| Harper l. Brothers have published some of
Mr. Talmages sermons, and the third OF the
series with the title cold Wells Dug Out is
before us. These sermons, the author tells
us in his preface, are printed from the notes
taken down by photographers as they were
| delivered and have not been changed, be-
cause the author SAYS he has mot had time to
! reconstruct them" As a piece of literary
| work. therefore, the book is rough, crude and
unworthy of any man who cares for literary
! reputation. We will make a few extracts to
show his style. In sermon preached after
the burning of his church, he says that
when Christian sympathy came from Plymouth
Church. and ten other churches Of Brooklyn,
| sit became very damp weather about the eye
lashes. And if any one tells you there Is no
such thing as Christian brotherhood, tell him
he lies From the same sermon, III pas
sage descriptive Of flowers.
They set their banquet Of golden cups for the
bee and dripped in drops of honevsuckle for the
humming-bird. They dashed their antlers
against the white hand of the sick child, and
came to the nostrils Of the dying like spice gales
from heaven
1t is to be supposed that the preacher knew
what the antlers OF flower are, though We
doubt if his congregation did.
The closing portion OF this same sermon is
as follows:
Ny friends. all these flames in BROOKLYN and in
Chicago, and in Boston, are only prefgurements
of great day of fire, which you and will see
just certainly you sit there and stand here.
That day the fire Will test us thoroughly. When
that fire comes over the fields it will come swifter
than an autumnal fire across the Illinois prairie.
Before it beasts will dash from the rocks in wild
leap. Coming over the precipices, it will be a
Niagara of fire. The continents Of earth will
wrap themselves i'll winding sheet OF flame, and
the mountains will cry to the plain sire and the
PLAIN will cry to the sea- ''Fire' and the will
back to earth, and the caverns will groan it, and
he winds will shrek it, and the thunders will
tell it, and the nations will cry, 8 Fire fire!
And the day will burn on, and away will go all
your cities. But what will become Of those who
have Christ no sins pardoned, no heaven Sc
cured? Oh, l wish that this morning, in our first
service in this beautiful place, the hour might be
signallzed by great stampede for Heaven!
In another sermon upon the same subject :
he says:
If Satan really did burn the Tabernacle down,
as some people say he did, he will find it the
poorest job he ever undertook.
One can fancy Satan sneaking away with his
tail between his legs, while chorus of yells
rises up rom tne 1ttle 1npS around OF ''OOOO
for Talmage."
In this same sermon he says that he wants
the new Tabernacle to be bigger, for he has
been wearing himself out for the last two
years in trying to keep his voice in, though
the brightest goal he can think of is ga coun-
try parsonage amidst the mountains.
In sermon on Wickedness in High Places
he says:
On that Union Pacific Railroad many Of your
took through ticket to hell
And further on:
If you go into political life without your princ-
pies thoroughly settled, before you get through
with it you will drink and you will swear, and
aud You will lie and you will take brides. All!
you say that is not complimentary. Well, I
always was clumsy at compliments.
Examples of such strange mixture of things,
sacred and profane, can be found ON nea rly
every page IF this book, and the impression
they make III most minds is one of sorrow
and disgust. -LouisuiUe Couier-Jomnn,