Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1880-05-14
THE M-ETAPHORICAL TAI
MAGE.
Sermon by "a Man who Says He
Expects 10 Save 10000 Souls.

New lOIk heFalui lU-l
The brightsummer morning brought
a crowd yesterday to Talmage's taber-
nacle. Mr.. Talmage read a pile of
notices. one being a bene6tor com
plimentary," as he called it, to organist
Morgan, Of whom the preacher re-
marked, Future ages will hear OF the
special blessing we have enjoyed IN
having this great master" (Salary of
great master, 81 200; hence the com
plimentary." The boy choir sang
charmingly. Professor Ali, tho cor
net blower, was left out Of the notices,
although he will blow at the Sea Beach
hotel, Coney Island, during the sum
mer. He mentioned this himself.
The text was from Luke, vi, 6: They
enclosed a great multitude Of fishes,
and the net brake" Simon and his
men," said Mr.. Talmage cheerfully,
had had poor luck-many fishermen
know what hal is-but when Christ
went on the smack then there was a
drawing in of so many fishes that they
brake the net. Ship ahoyl' they shout
ed to another smack and it came down
~swooping along. (Mr. Talmrge
sWOOped.) There was water splsshed
on the deck, but there were two
smacks loaded with their aoundering
treasures. Some would say why not
stay on shore and go bobbing for one
fish at a time (Talmage hobs off edge
of PLATFORM, but | believe in a net a
mile long, a stir breeze and a big haul
of fish. All this has a parallel in the
church. The church is the boat, the
net is the gospel, the world is the sea,
and the fish are the people. When
they come in by a school it's a revival.
| believe 10 revivals, and hope to live
TO see the time, as | believe it will
come, when 100000 people will rush
to Christ in a single day. | think it
is not a fact that people who join the
church in reyivals do not stick. The
best people we have are those who
come in under an excitement. |
don't want any cold blooded people.
A man born in an ice-house may live.
but he never gets over the cold he
catches at birth. A man who can
look on and see a revival aud not feel
interested has something wrong about
him. The icebergs once had a con.
veption; the biggest and broadcast and
coolest presided. He called for order
by striking with an ice mallet on a n
ice table. He looked out over the
ice-feld, but the south wind was
blowing and the sun shining, and
there was trouble in the body. The
first resolution in this convention
was, Resolved, that we abolish the
sun, but there was trouble and even
the great ice-king began to perspire.
There was too much excitement. said
they, but the icebergs rubbed and
jOstled, and then they rushed out
ito the gulf stream and were abb
sorbed into the bosom Of the broad
Att ntic. The obstruction of re.
Yivals lies in a want of conversion on
the part of the ministry. | tell
you hat if you do not take a turn
there will be not a trace of christian.
10y in 100 or 200 years. 1t is a matter
of figures. Here we have $4,000. 900
of children born each generation aud
only a few hundred thousand saved to
the church. You can calculate how
long it will be before the world will
be anti-christian. Warmth in the
pulpit begets warmth in the pews, anc
an u%nconyerted man may preach iol
ages to a congregation and they viii
remain unconverted still. Men should
carry the business rules of their lif
into the church. If I am a boo.
merchant and you a larger one, and
go to you to buy a thousand yards o
cloth, you do not say, We'll I'll sen,
down twenty to-day and twenty to
morrow and twenty on for fifty days.
No, you make the transaction in tel
minutes, and the business is closed
But when you come to church you be
gin to have doubts when you hea
that there are a thousand sinners out
side about letting them in at one time
and you want to fill the church on IL
installment plan. No, let them all b
bolted into the church on a sing
Sabbath, and they are all don
for for time and eternity, Just thin
of it (Talmage's fingers spread out 9
a calculating machine), in ten year
we could make the whole earth chris
ian if every christian would on eac
Sabbath bring in a convert. Com
pound interest will tell you what tn
result will be when you double you
capital every week, ana in 1890 "
could have a christian world, and tn.
organ could echo forth the hymn {
praise on that occasion. / shall cor
slider my life a failure il with the or
%portunities at my command Isave lei