The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1885-12-18
TALMAGE's SERMON.
~Orises In Life" the Subject Of An
Eloquent Discourse.
Delivered at the First Congregational
Church Of Columbus, Ohio - The
Young Man Of the Present, Like
Absalom Of Old, Not Safe.

Young Man Of the Present, Like
Absalom Of Old, Not Safe.
Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage visited Colum-
bus, O., recently and delivered q sermon
in the First Congregational Church Of that
city before an audience that completely
filed every available portion of the edi-
flee, and many hundreds were unable to
gain admittance. The subject Of the dis.
course was "Crises in Life" Mr.. Talmage
taking for his text:
Is the young man AbsaIom safe?-II Sam.
mel, xviii, j.
DR.. Talmage said two great character
istics of Absalom were worldly ambition
and splendid hair. BY the one he was de-
based, by the other hung. He was a bad
boy and broke his fathers heart. He
wanted to get his fathers throne before
the decease of the father. He wanted to
get it Immediately. He got an army. He
started out in a great instruction. David,
the father, sits at the palace waiting for
the news of the battle to come, not SO
anxious about whether Absalom's hosts
won the day, or whether his own hosts
won the day, as he is anxious about the
safety of his boy. The father in him
mightier than the King.
While he sits there waiting for the COM
ing OF the messenger from the battlefield,
he sees the dust rising in the highway, and
long before the messenger comes up,
bringing the swift dispatch, David cries
out TO him: us Absalom alive? Is ASA
lom dead? Is the boy wounded? Tell me
quickly-is the young man Absalom
safe:" But as the messenger had
no very decisive Intelligence to give he
stood aside. There David sat waiting for
another messenger, and after a while he
saw the dust rising on the highway, and
long before the messenger had come up,
David shouted to him again-shouts to this
one as he had to the others: "Rave YOU
heard anything from my boy. Is he wound
ed. Is he alive? Is he dead? Is the young
man Absalom safe.''
Alas. He was not safe. Absalom, riding
on a mule-the meanest animal in all the
world on which to ride, the hardest q. the
bit and the stiffest at the neck-Absalom
riding on mule, had gone under tree
branch. and his hair had caught on the
tree branch. and the mule, true to his char
acteristics. had gone on. he not able TO stop
it, and Absa!om was suspended, and SO he
died. With an awful negative the words
OF my text were answered: us the young
man Absalom ssfc:" No, he was not safe.
Destroyed Tor this life: destroyed for the
life to come.
want TO utter a few words this morning
in regard to the safety OF young men: in
deed. Of all men. While men may get
along toierably well without the religion
OF Chris. in some circumstances of life,
there are three or four turning points
where man must have God or perish, or
If be does not come to such 4 crisis as that,
to such an extreme as that, he must have
God or make mistake that will last for
ever. Propose this morning to speak to
Won of three or four of these turning points
in life.
The first turning point is the choice of an
occupation or profession 1t is a very seri-
Gus time when a young man comes from
the school or the college, and has COM
pleted his education, or has received all
the education from the schools he will re-
ceive, and SAYS: "But what shall it be:
For what occupation, for what profession
am prepared.- Mechanism will spread
before him hundred different occupa-
tons. Professional life will spread before
him seven or eight differen. caUings. In
deed, perhaps. in all there may be 800 diff
erent callings and occupations. For only
one of those SO is he fitted and prepared.
IF he does not have divine direction, 400
chances to one he Will get in the wrong
business. In other words, the mos. tre-
mendous crisis in mans life, o: one OF
the mos: tremendous, is the time when he
chooses his occupation or profession, and
he needs God to tell him how to choose.
knew a man who started in commercial
life with bright prospects. He crossed
over from commercial life into the medical
profession. He went from the general
medical profession into specific surgery.
He went from surgery into tine ministry.
Then he passed from the ministry into
surgery, and SO his life has been a COM
plete vacillation. How much better it
would have been if that man could have
got the right profession or occupation at
the start He was particularly qualified
for surgery, and I believe if he lad gone
before God and asked for his direction he
going from one occupation to another,
making his life mistake, he would have
gone on to great usefulness and success.
You ask your father what you had better
do He will give you one kind OF advice,
he will advise YOU one style Of occupation
or profession. Your mother will give you
other advice, your sister other advice,
while you will be in doubt as to whether
you have physical endurance for this, or
mental acuinen for that, or tact for some
other business. At such a time one needs
to go TO God. God built your body, and he
knows what is your physical endurance.
Col constructed your mind, and he knows
for what occupation you have particular
adaptation. Go to him and ask the ques-
ton: Lord, what wilt thou have me to
do:-
l meet many young men in this house
this morning who have not perhaps thor
ou2hly decided upon the work or occu-
patton for which the Lord fitted him.
Before you leave the house to-day ask
Gods direction, that you may make no
mistake. Blunder here and blunder for
ever. You know a great many men who
have been ruined for two worlds because
they got in the wrong business.
Another important pass in ones life, .
turning point in ones history, is the time
when he establishes his own home. When
. man builds his home he builds for
eternity. Is it not amazing that affiancing
in life is so often q matter of merrimens
and of JOKE, when it decides so much for
this world and the world to come. do
no. put the case too strongly when
sar that when q man marries he marries
for Heaven or for hell. On, build not