The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1881-04-14
miscellaneous.
Rev. 7. Dewitt TALMAGE.
OPEN THE DOOR THAT CHRIST
THE LORD MAY ENTER me-.
The Old and Yet Ever New Story Of the CrOsS,
Reddened With the Blood Of the Lamb That
Was Slain.

-NN
Was Slain.
BUBJEcT-'wHAT TO DO WITH JESUS"
Text-st. Matthew 1922: "What shal
/ do, then, with Jesus"
Pilate was a base politician. He had
Bympathies, convictions ofright and de-
Bires to be honest; but all these we're SUBJ
merged by wish to be popular and to
please the people. Two distinguished
prisoners we're within the grasp Of gov
ernment, and the proposition was made
10 free one of them. There stands Bar
abbas, the murderer; there stands Christ
the savior OF the world. Atthe demand
of the people the renegade is set free
As the hard.visaged, Cruel'eyed Barab'
bas goes among his congratulating SYM
pathizers, receiving their coarse sympa'
thies and congratulations, Plate turnf
to his other distinguished prisoner-'mild
meek, inoffensive, loving, self.saCrifcingr
and he is Confounded as to what course
he had better take, so he impanels the
mob as jury to decide, saying to them:
"What shall 1 do, then, with JesusR"
Oh, it is no dried or withered question,
but one that throbs with warm and quick
pulse in the heart Of every man and wo-
man here. We must do something with
Jesus. He is here. You and are not
30 certainly here as He is, for he fills all
this place-the loving, living, dying
Christ-and each one will have to ask
and answer the question: "What shall
I do, then, with Jesus2" Well, my friends
there are three or four things you can
do with him.
You can, in the first place, let him
stand without a word Of recognition; but
! do not think your sense Of common
courtesy will allow that, He comes
walking on such long journey you will
certainly give him a chair on which he
may sit. He is 80 weary you would not
let him stand without some recognition.
If a beggar comes to your door, you rec
ognize him and say; "What do you
want?" If you meet a stranger faint in
the street, you say: What is the matter
with your" and your common humanity
and your common sympathy, and your
common sense Of propriety, will not al
low you to let him stand without reCog-
nition-the wounded one of the hills.
You will ask: What makes him weep?
Where was he hurt? Who wounded
him2 Whence he Came-whither he
goes2 l know there have been men,
who, with outrageous Indifference, hated
Christ; but know very well this morn
ing, that that is not what you will do
with Jesus, Another thing you can do
with Him--you can thrust Him back
from your heart and tell him to stand
aside. If an inoffensive person comes
and persists in standing close up to you,
and you have in various ways given him
to understand that you do not want his
presence or his society, then you ask the
reason of his impertinence, and bid him
away. Well, that is what we can do
with Jesus. He has stood close by us a
great while-ten, twenty, thirty, forty
years. He has stood close by you three
times a day, breaking bread for your
household, all night watching by your
pillow. He has been in the nursery
among your children; He has been in the
store among your goods; He has been in
he factory amid the flying wheels; and
low, if you do not like His society, you
,an bid Him away-aye, if he will not
70, you can take him by the throat and
ell him you do not want his interfer-
,nce; that you do not want his breath
IN your cheek; that you do not want his
ye on your behavior. You can bid him
way; or, if he will not go in that way,
hen you can stamp your foot as you
VOuld at dog, and cry: "Begone" Yet,
know you will not treat Jesus that way.
know you too well. When PLATE could
lot do that, you could not. If you were
esperadoes and outlaws 1 might expect
Of yoL; but l know that that is not the
,ay you will treat MIN, that that is not
hat you will do with Jesus.
There is another thing you can do 8
ith him. You can look upon him ,
lerely as an optiCian to cure blind eyes; :
? an artist to tune deaf ears; a friend, a q
BOD friend, a helpful companion, a q
leerful passenger on shipboard; but .
lat will amount to nothing. You can /
ok upon him as God and be abashed !;
hen he rouses the storm or blasts fig :
go, or heaves rock down the noun r
in side. That will not do you any good y
0 more save your soul than the admir-. \
ion you have for John Milton or Oliver y
l can think Of only one more !,
ing you can do with Jesus; that il, to .
ke Him into your hearts. That is the y
'st thing you can do with Him. That Il
the only safe thing you can do with h
i'm, and may the Lord 0mnipotent by al
is spirit help me this morning to per. a. q,
ade you to do that. .., y, y,
A minister OF Christ was speaking to y,
me children, and said, II will point " a,
u to Christ" A little child rose in the =
dienCe and came up and put her hand a,
the hand of the pastor and said: q,
lease, sir, take me to Jesus now. / h
INT to 60 now" OA, thatit might be Il
is morning, with such simplicity Of ex- 81
Renee, that you and / join hand and e
Ok after Christ, and get an expression II
His benefaCtion, and His mercy. In IL IL
o first place, my hearer, take Christ y
to your confidence, III you can not - :,
jet him, who can you trnst2 / do not (,
'er you q dry Astrological technicality. ~
imply ask You to come and put your =,
II Oh tho ."sRpck Of Ages" Take hold "
Christs hands and draw Him t5 your NJ ii
Al with perfect abandonment, and 'hurl ~
grselfa into the deep sea Of His mercy, "a