The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1880-06-10
aaltsce11amenMs.
REV. DE WIT TALMAGE.
BUOYs,
On the Troublesome Sea Of Life Pointing to the
Danger Below the Surface.

Danger below inc sWiihOe'
Brooklyn, May 3O.-The Tabernacle
was we'll filed this morning by an inter
ested audience, who paid strict attention
to the Doctors lecture to the new mem
bers ofthe congregation. He announced
his subject as follows:
suBJECT-"BRNTHERLY ADVICE"
Text-II Peter By: "Ye, therefore,
beloved, seeing We know these thi gs be
fore, beware lest ye also being led away
with the error of the wicked, fall from
your own steadfastness."
Your little child hangs over the taf-
frail of the steamboat and says, Father,
what is that black thing in the water p"
You say THAT is a buoy, showing that
there is a rock underneath, and danger
there" So the Apostle Peter in the
text points out the perils in the Christ
ian voyage, and warns us, lest we make
the same shipwreck which was made by
these people of whom he wrote. 1t
would be a strange thing if all our anx'
iety about men ceased the moment they
were converted. You would almost
doubt the sanity of that farmer who, af.
ter planting the corr and seeing it come
up, should say, "My work is all done. l
have no more anxiety for the crop" No.
There is work for the pillow and the hoe;
there must be a careful keeping up of
the fences, and frightening away of the
birds that would pillage the field. And
l say the entrance upon Christian life is
only the implanting of grace in the
heart. There is earnest, hard work yet
to be done, and perhaps many years of
anxiety, before there shall be heard the
glorious shout of "tTarvest Home p' The
beginning 70 be a Christian ia only put
ting down the foundation but after that
there are years of %hammering, polish
ing, carving, before the structure is COM
pleted. 1t takes five years to make a
Christian character, it takes ten years.
In fact a man dying after halt a century
of Christian experience feels that he has
only learned the A, B, Cs of a gloriops
alphabet. 1t is the latter part Of May
now in the natural world. The early
blossoms were all scattered, but the sap
is busy in the trees, and after while the
luscious fruit will be hanging it. And
so it is in the hearts of many of you this
morning. The early blossoms of your
first experience have been scattered, and
now we are a~nxiously watching whether
all those spring blossoms will show them
selves in the grand, ripe fruit of Christ.
ian character. The next year will de-
eide a great deal in your history, young
Christian man. 1t will decide whether
you are to be a burning and shining light
in the church, or a spark of grace cover
ed up in a bushel of ashes. 1t will de-
eide whether you are to be a strong man
in Christ Jesus, with gigantic blows stri-
king down the foe, or a whining, grumb.
ling soldier, who ought to be dIummed
out of camp with the "Rogue's March,"
You have just been launched, the voy.
age is to be made earth, and heaven
and hell are watching to see how fast
you sail, how you will weather the tenn.
pest, and if, at last, amid the shouting of
the angels, you shall come into the right
harbor. May God help me to give you
words of Christian counsel, as 1 address
myself more especially to the three hun.
bred or more souls who are now joining
church My first word Of counsel is,
hold before your soul a very high model.
Do not say: II wish l could pray like
that man, or speak or have the %Consecra.
ton of this one" Say: "Here is the
Lord Jesus Christ, a perfect pattern by
Him, with Gods help, I mean to shape
all my life" In other words, you will
never be any more of a Christian than
you strive to be. If you build a founda-
ton 2Ox90 feet, you will only have a
small house. If you resolve to be only
a middling Christian, you will be one.
If you have no high aspiration in relig.
ious things, you will never succeed in
ralipinn Won hova a riOhf 10 tho hinh.
est style of Christian character. From
your feet there reaches out a path Of
Christian attainment which you may
take, and become better than Payson or
Doddridge, or Summerield. Why notP
Did they have a monopoly of Christian
grace? Did they have a private key to
the store house OF Gods mercy? You
have the same promises, the same Christ
the same Holy Ghost, the same present
and everlasting love, and if you do not
reach their standard-aye, 60 beyond, it
is not because Christ has shut you out
from any moral or spiritual elevation,
but because you deliberately refused to
take it. | admit that a man can not be.
come a Christian like that without a
struggle. But what do you get without
fighting for itP The fortresses of dark.
ness are to be taken by storm. You may
by a little strategy flank the host o temp-
tation, but there are temptations and
evils in the way you will have to meet
face to face, and it will be shot for shot,
slaughter for slaughter. The Apostle
Paul represents the Christian life as a
combat. When the war vessel Of Christ's
church comes into glory, it will not be
beautifully painted and adorned. Oh,
no! 1t will be like a vessel coming il
with a heavy cargo, from China or In.
dia, the marks of the wave and hurri.
CANE upon it, sails rent, rigging spliced,
pumps all working to keep her aloat. l
see such a vessel coming, and l get out
my small boats and push toward them,
and l shout, "Ahoy, Captain! What are
you going to do with those shivered
timbers? That was a beautiful ship
when won want ont hnt Won have rnined