The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1882-01-12
TUNES ON THE GOSPEL HARP.
A Requiem for the Old and a joy
GUS SalutatiOn for the New
Year Played by Mr..
Talmage.

Before beginning his New ears SER
mon Mr.. Talmage wished his congrega-
ton happy New Year, and SAID: % We
have come to the season of the year when
it Is customary to give and receive saIu-
tations. will not be able to receive at
home tomorrow, so after the exercises L
will meet you each and all at the foot of
the pulpit to exchange glad greetings for
the new year"
After the hymn, I" There is a gate
ajar," Mr.. Talmage SAID: "Standing
here on the first morning of the new year,
the two sentiments of gratitude and hope
tulness are dominant in my heart and in
yours; gratitude for the past and hope
fulness for the future. 1t is only a few
hours ago that we laid In the soil the dy-
ing year. Under the twelve strokes of
the. hammer of the city clock the old pa
triarch fell dead. Fifty-two times had
the shuttle flown, each time weaving a
week with the golden border of Chris
tan Sabbath, 365 that the clock struck
twelve for noon and twelve for night.
During that time how many marriage gar
lands woven, how many graves dug
Year of assassination and of triumph; of
joy and OF sorrow! l twist a garland of
amaranth and of cypress; amaranth
for the joy and the cypress for the
grief, and l put the garland on the
old year. Right beside the grave of the
old year is the cradle of the new year.
The season of the year is very sugges-
tive. 1t is more than one anniversary to
me, for If / live till next Saturday will
be fifty years of age. If L live till next
Friday L will keep the first anniversary of
my sons death. So that this season of
the years. full of suggestions, full of SOL
emnity. In our church it has been a year
OF great prosperity; we have played the
gospel trumpet. During the past year
n IN frIn IN NnFfn i
love, not by sychOphancy, but by preach
ing straightforward gospel whOmever
it might hit. When a congregation
thinks that minister should 90 to some
other field of usefulness, it is time for him
to go. There is time to come and a time
to go. knew a minister who killed two
churches, crippled a third and the fourth
was saved by his early death. Great
laughter.) Standing in your midst dur
ing the past year you have seen many
impertections in me but you could not
see them as L have seen them. l hope
that our friendship during that year will
be renewed in heaven. During the past
year we have tried to cultivate a spirit of
Christian friendship. There are church
es which are Arctic seas, full of icebergs.
The Christians come in and sltdown as if
they were in a ferTy-boat. From Satur-
day night to Sunday morning they are
simply ferried over. The church ought
to be great home circle, father, moth |
er, brother and sister, the pulpit, the fire.
place and the people all gathered around
it. Who is that sitting beside you? |
don't know. Great CONSERVATION and |
uneasy glances among the ladies) L |
declare that you have right to give the |
right hand OF friendship to your fellow
worshipper. If fish 90 in shoals and |
sheep in flocks let the worshippers of |
God go together. During the past year |
have tried to preach you a very
practical religion. 1 know that you are |
business men and women. 1 care very |
little about the Utilities and the Philis- |
tines and the Jacobites. Iwant to preach |
a gospel that belongs to Wall street and |
Fulton street and Broadway and Mon |
tague street and SchermerhoTn street. l |
don't want to preach a half-past-ten-
notwithstanding sermon. A vast |
number of business men get no practical |
good out of their religion. Suppose you
are in business corner, there are a dozen
duns waiting for you in an outside room
and you can't pay. Do you take any /
practical good out of your religion? No:
you send for some old skinflint and try to
borrow a 81 200 at 2 per cent. month
your friends say 'God-bless you 2
when one ounce of practical help is worth
more than a thousand God-bless-yous.
Nothing makes a man so mad as to hear
you say God bless you when you ought
to help him. L play you three tunes on
the gospel harp of Comfort. weeping
may endure for night, but joy, cometh
IN the morning. That's one. All things
work together for good to them that love
God.' That's the second. The lamb
which is in the midst of the throne shall
feed them, and shall lead unto living
fountains Of waters /; and God shall wipe
away all tears We cannot call that 1881
back again. Gone once, gone forever
But now we start on the new year. 1t is
| blank as we look, but God looks into
,he year 1882 and he sees all things. 1t is
going 10 be just as eventful to you as 'S1.
we live to see the close makes
40 difference. Roll on, sweet day of
when the lands and hills
hall break forth into singing, and all the
woods shall clap their hands, and it shall
De to the Lord for name, for an ever
lasting sign"