The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-01-12
ONE OF THE CHURCH'S NEEDS
DR.. Talmage Pleads for Increased Actiy-
ity in the Cause Of Good Works.
Vigorous Remarks Concerning Sham Chris
tians, and an ExhOrtation to Immediate
and Earnest Action by Real Workers.
Special to the Indianapolis journal.


vivalistic services is in progress in the Brooklyn
Tabernacle and is exciting great interest in the
public mind. The opening hymn was:
"Come, Holy Spirit, heavenly Dove,
With all thy quckening powers!"
After expounding appropriate passages of
Scripture, DR.. Talmage preached on the subject
Awakening" taking his text from Malachi ILL
L: Behold / will send my messenger and he
shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord
whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his
temple, even the messenger of the covenant
whom We delight in; behold, he shall come, saith
the Lord of hosts"
Sometimes, said DR.. Talmage, minister's
subject is suggested by his artistic tastes; some
times by the occurrences of the previous week;
sometimes by nearer who desires some par
ticular religious subject discussed. My subject
comes in no such way. 1t drops straight from
God into my heart. Give me your prayerful
and intense listening. I want to show this
morning, SO far as God may help me, that the
greatest need of the church universal is mighty
awakening The OK in the pasture field looks
around, and perhaps, comes to the conclusion
that all the world is clover field So we,
standing in the midst of luxuriant religious ad
vantages, might think, perhaps, that the earth
is covered with the knowledge of God; but so far
from that, if this platform were the world, so
would represent all that is conquered for
Emanuel. Or if this whole tabernacle were the
world, then one pew would represent so much of
it as the grace of God has already conquered.
Oh, there is need of radical change! Some
thing must be done, and / shall show this morn
ing that tho greatest need Of the church is great
awakening.
learn this need in the first place from the
GOODNESS in the majority of church members. If
a religious society have thousand members
eight hundred of them are sound asleep If it
have five hundred members, four hundred are
lethargic. If the Christians can rally-that is,
the protested Christians-for communion day,
and succeed in not dropping the wine cup. how
many of them are satisfied If it be choice be-
tween Christ and the world, the world has it.
You know it as we'll as I do. If a religious meet
ing be on certain night, and on that same night
there be extraordinary operate entertain
ment, or social gathering or a literary club, or
political meeting, or Freemason society, or
an Odd-fellows' association, you know which
they go to, God there fairly demonstrating
that while such professed Christians pretend
to be on His side they really on the other
side for there is point blank issue between
Christ and the world, and the world has it. You
know very we'll whether you are a professed
Christian or not; you know very we'll that the
dividing line between the church and the world
to day islike the equator or arctic, or antarctic
IL -.
and women sworn of God who sit discussing in
finitesimal questions-'Shall we dance2 Shall
we play cards? Shall we go to the theater9 Shall
we attend the opera?'-whle there are FIVE hun
dred millions of the race going down to darkness
unwarned. These sham Christians will go on,
occasionally taking little religion with the tip
end of their fingers, sauntering on lazily toward
the bar of Christ, until they come in front of
Gods swift revolving MILL and find themselves
to be 'the chaff which the wind driveth away"
DEAD WOOD In THE CHURCHES
Oh, how much dead wood we have in all our
churches The day of judgment will make a
fearful thinning out among professed Christians.
| suppose it will be found on that day that there
are hundreds Of thousands of men who have
their names on the church books who really
made religion second rate a third rate thing;
living for themselves unmindful of God and the
salvation of the race, and then tum bling over
the embankment where Judas went, and Achan
went, and where all those shall 60 who do rot
make religion the primordi., thine-the first and
the last natter Of the soul o, worldly professor
of religion, vacillatng professor, idle professor
tremble before God to-day. Do you not know
that if you die as you are, all the communion
tables at which you have ever sat will lift up
hands of blood, crying for your condemnation
And your neglected Bible and your prayerless
pillow will cry: $50 down! 60 down You
pretended to have religion, bat you had none
Out OF the seven days of the week you gave not
five hours to Christ. You broKo,y our saeramental
OATH Go down go down. And the feriest am. hi
mightiest thunderbolt of Gods indignation that
is ever forged will smite you into darkness Oh,
/ would rather be the man in the last day who
has never seen a church than you who protested
to be so much, and to do so much, and yet did
nothing. You shall perish in the way when
Gods wrath is kindled but little. o, worldly
professor Of religion-and there are hundreds of
them here to-day; am aiming at the mark-if
you could to-day realize your true condition. and
your true position before God, you would bite
your lip until the blood eame-you would wiring
your hands until the bones cracked-you would
utter cry that would send this whole audience
to their feet with horror May God wake you
up, worldly professor of religion. before you
wake up in the barred and flaming dungeons of
destroyed eternity. When you look abroad and
see lethargy among the professors of religion
almost all the world over, do you not see that
there is need that the bugles, and the Gym
balls, and the drums, and the trumpets of all
earth and heaven call upon the church to wake
up all these dormant professors of religiona
Awake, thou that sleepest; awake and Christ
shall give thee life"
Still further, I see need for great awaken
ing in the fact that those of us who preach the