The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1879-11-20
T. DEWITT T'ALMAGE,
THE FATAL LINE AND THE DEAD
POINT OF DANGER.
"My Spirit Shall not Always StriVs'-There is
no Place In the Grave Where You Can
Kneel Down and Say Your Pfsyers-
Sermon Delivered In the Brooklyn
=" Tabernacle on sunday, NOVem-
ber 10th, by Rev. I. De.
Witt Talmase.


crowded to the doors to-day, and the services
were unusually impressive. The opening hymn
was
"5how pity, Lord, oh, Lord, forgive"
And the sermon was as follows:
Subject: "rhe Fatal Line."
TEXT Genesis, vi, my Spirit shall not al.
ways SlriVe.'
God was going to destroy the world by a uni.
versal deluge. He was going to give 100 years in
which for the people to repent; but He says, In
the chapter from which my text is taken, that
that will be the utmost limit. II cannot always
impOrtune men My Spirit shall not always
strive" That which was appropriate to the peO.
pie before the food is Just as appropriate to the
people after the food. God Is going to give every
one of you a fair chance, He will not allow Satan
to impose upon any one without giving him a
chance to escape When. a few years ago, a
steamer burned on Long Island Sound, and the
hulk OF the vessel was siterward beschcd, 1t is
sal that the bell of that steamer kept tolling
through the day and through the night for weeks,
sOlemnly and impressively, 10 those who passed
by on the water. And have to tell you that
God has 80 arranged it that right over the place
where the soul goes down there is q moral ship.
wreck or awful spiritual catastrophe that right
over 1t there isa warning that rings through the
day and through the night and through the years
saying, "BewaTel Bewarel" When FIRST began
to preach l was very cautious, and guarded my
subject and walked around about 1t carefully,lest
men should misunderstood me, but have passed
that point. find that get on better when with.
out regard to consequences l throw myself upon
The hearts and cOntciences of men, speaking
right out all that have TO say about their present
happiness and their future we'll being. Ny dear
friends come to you to day on a specific errand,
The trumpet shall give no uncertain sound.
stand between the living and the dead. Heal me,
OH immortal men and women while l tell you
how Gods spirit strives with your souls ana then
set forth the truth that there will be Limit to
that meroiful ministratiOn
Let me tell you, in the first place, that Gods
spirit strives with you through silent contemplR
tion. Was there ever a time In your store when
you thought about the future2 You opened your
account books aud something said, Are your &C.
counts right with GOd2" And then you ran your
eye up the credit account and down the debit &C.
count and you raid, "0h, that long debit account
of Gods mercy toward me-" And "0h, that
credit account-irs a blank page" Aud then
you put your key into The money safe and turA
the lock and swing back the door, and something
said within you Am safe for eternity2" IfR
fire should sweep down this street and take my
store, my most valuable things would be safe
here, but how about that conapgration that will
twist New York and Philadelphia and Brooklyn
and Boston with Its tongue OF fame as an "Ox's
tongue twists a grass bladeH" and there, with
your file Of letters right above you, and the
weigher WhistllDg carelesSly on the doorstep
and all your surroundings entirely secular q
thought came through your mind that started
the sweat on your brow, a customer came In and
said, What the matter Aren't you well to day2
All, q messenger had been to your store-Jhe best
messenger that had ever been herewith tidings
from the throne of God. That was spire gale
from heaven that struck your cheek; that was
note from the bell of heaven that rung in your
ear. Or perhaps 1t was some Sabbath morning.
You sat at your window with your feet on
chair. You looked out of the window and SAW
people Fastening down the street. You said:
.Wnere are they gOingH 10 ChurCn, suppose,
WHAT is the use Of all III IL praying, aud preaCnlng
and Singinlf | wonder II l wont be AS we'll UH
rs they Rre2 Getting older am IL Am any bet
teI2 What is this within mv2 lSit asOu2 What
is eternity2 Am ready for in On, GOGl-if there
be h GOd-saVe my soulful have sOul-trOm
hell-lt there be helI There was Holy
Spirit in your room. YJu did not hear His step
on the carpet You heard no ruStIing OF robes bs
He passed, but he held III His hand the ChallCe
OF eIerual life and II you mad only stretched
forth your hand and taken Ouly one drop from
that cup IL would have thrilled you with lie
eternal. The Spirit sometimes comes walking IN
on The pavement Of the su light, sometimes
come floating III on the dark wave Ot the moon.
light; nut 10 every man III lhB mouse he has
come at sometime in silent contemplation, No
door could shut Hin out no daIkuess Cou,d
make Him lose his way, no distance could weary
Him. He said 10 you, Child immortal, pilgrim
10 the grave traveller to the judgment day, heir
Otetrntty, are you teady2'
But furlher-that spirit strives with man
through the preachlngof the Gospel The critic
might call 1t a very poor sermon but the que.-
ton is whether II presented Christ an initiate
Christ, and the wants Of the ueOple What IL
preaChins2 II is philosophical squsltiOn. Is
It scientific ,xplOrattOnH Then you might better
cover the stand with philosophical apparatus and
talk about air CurreulB and Farraday's theory of
electrical polarization No; preaching the Gospel
as understand 1t, is trying TO haul men out OF
their sius and start lhem heaven ward and II that
be done all isuOne, ana II that fails all fails. Get
out Of my way with your theories about the way
these things ought TO be- don Christ, my Lord,
wants to save The peOpl-, and that truth we will
preach aud slug aud pray uDlil every muscle Of
every energy Of the bonl is exhausted. Coo give
to those OF as who preach more earneBtness more
conservation, thet the truth may leap from The
lips OF the preacher into the heart OF the penteut
aroused and praying auditory. How many ser.
mons have you heaTd2 thOusaDo2 Two thOus.
and some OF you, Three thousand sermons you
have heard Have they brought you TO Christi
You remember those sermons you heard In the
old country meeting housti How that passes be.
fore your mind, Father al one end OF the paw,
mother az the other end Christian men praying
all around about you the mtuister Of Christ plead.
ing with you 10 yield your heart to the Savior,
On, that Is all changed now. That was the best
opportunity you have had IN twenty years. No
day mas ever come since 30 good as that day In
which you heard the Gospel OF Jesus Christ that
was the time, my dear brother, when you ought
to have listened Now yOu are in Christian ser.
vices. again you feel your duty. Again the
spirit Of God strives with your heart. Are you
ready TO yield TO these il huenCes2 "0h." says
some man, Il n ust get away from my bad habits
first" No; you begin IN tie wrong way, Not
the righte .us-klnneTs Jesus came TO call" II
yuu wait until you get RI OF your bad habits you
will rever come at all. Christ only by his grace,
can strike of the ShBckles Of YOUR SO |. But"
says some one III this house. II DON'T know what
you mean when you tell me that Christ died for
me, wish you would explain that" He became
your substitute Do you believe ~ Then stretch
right out this NONE mt into the free land Of the
gospel. III the name OF the King Of heaven and
earth proclaim emancipation to all the enklaved.
on, that the spirit OF God, with his OmnipOent
hammer, might strike that IIuth home TO the con-
sciences of men. Through this sermon, through
other seTmons the spirit Of Col is stirring within
yOHr soul.
Let me say further that ,d's spirit often strives
thiongh Providence Where IL your property
now II took you ten, twenty, or thirty years to
get It, Ia mOnln OF week YOU lost it-perhapS
Just with signature, Where is your Carriage2
Tone Where il your hOm.? Gone Where are
all those friends that stood by you ia ths years of
prOsperibH Gone Morning glOries bloom while
the SUI is coming up, but newer show the.iselves
while the sun il going down. Through all that
scatteTation Of your earthly resources God was
telling you by his spirit to teek for treasures that
never iail, In hands that newer break When
your bills came IN aud you could not pay them
old you not wish that you had Christ to help your
And on that evenlful day when you called In
yonr especial friends ana said, II shall have 70
20 stop payment" did you not wish You had
divine sympathiEei1 Aud on that day when all
the family goods went down In the auction, and
eYerYthinR thai MAJ nlpRsRnl To Ihn nun hisn n.