The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-12-13
THE GREAT PROBLEM OF LIFE
DR.. Talmage breaches from the Text
"Is The Young Man Absalom Safe?'
Life Develops Many Great Crises, and in
Success, in Anguish and Sorrow, in Per-
plexities, God Can Help His Children.

| Sermon at Columbus, Ohio
| DR.. Talmage read and expounded the parable
| of the "Prodigal Son" and then announced the
subject of his discourse, "Crises in Life" and
| the text, Ii Samuel, xviii, 3d. SIS the young
| man Absalom safe9" DR. Talmage said:
| Two great characteristics of Absalom were
| worldly ambition and splendid hair. By the
| one he was debased, by the other hung. He was
| bad boy and broke his fathers heart. He
wanted to get his fathers throne before the de-
cease OF the father. He wanted to get it imme-
| dately. 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 AbsalomS
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 mighter than the king.
| While he sits there watching and waiting for
| the coming of messenger from the battle field
| he sees the dust rising in the highway and long
| before the messenger comes up bringing the
swift dispatch, David cries out to him: sis Absa-
| lom alive? Is Absalom dead2 Is the hoy
woundeds Tell me quickly, is the young man
Absalom safeY" but the messenger had no very
| decisive intelligence to give he stood aside.
| There David sat waiting for another messenger,
and after while no 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 other: "Have you
| heard anything from my boyl Is he wounded!
| Is he alive! Is he dead? Is the young man 40
| salon safe?'
| Alasl he was not safe. Absalom. riding on a
mule-the meanest animal in all the world on
which to ride, the hardest at the bit and the
| stiffest at the neck-Absalom, riding on a mule.
| mad gone under a tree branch and his hair had
caught on the tree branch; and the mule true to
It's characteristics, had gone on, he not able to
| stop it, and Absalom was suspended, and SO he
died. With an awful negative the words of my
text were answered: ''Is the young man Absa-
lom safea" No, he was not safe-destroyed for
tic tfa g. kha1 e. -
want to utter few words this morning in
| regard to the safety of young men, indeed of all
men. While men may get along tolerab!y we'll
without the religion Of Christ in some crcum-
stances of life, there three or four turning
points where man must have God or perish;
or. if he does not come to such crisis as that
to such an extreme as that he must have God
or make mistake that will last forever pro-
pose this morning to speak to you of three or
four OF these turning points in life
The first turning point is the choice Of an occu-
patton or profession. 1t is very serious time
when young man comes from the school or the
college. and has completed his education. or has
received all the education from the schools he
will receive, and says "But what shall beY
For what occupation for what profession, am
preparedlH Mechanism will spread before him a
hundred different occupations. Professional life
will spread before him seven or eight callings.
Indeed perhaps, in all there may be 500 different
callings and occupations. For only one of those
500 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 most ire
mendous crisis perhaps in mans life, or
one of the most 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 the
ministry. Then ne passed from the ministry
iyfn aoG &c fo hac hoar ylota
vacillaton. How much better it would have
been if that man could have got the right pro-
fession or occupation at the start. He par
ticularly qualified for surgery, and / believe if
he had gone before God and asked for His drec
ton he would have received it, and instead of
going from one occupation to another making
his life mistake ne would have gone on to
great usefulness and success.
You ask your father what you had better do.
He will give one kind of advice; he will ad-
wise you one style of occupation 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, OF mental acumen for that tact for
some other business. AT such time one needs
to 60 to God God built your body, and he
knows what is your physical endurance. God
constructed your mind, and he knows for what
occupation you have particular adaptation. Go
to Him and ask the question: lord, what wilt
thou have me to dog
meet many young men in this house, this
decided upon the work or occupation for which
the Lord has fitted them. Before you leave the
house to day ask Gods direction, that you may
make no mistake. Blunder here, and you blum
der forever. You know great many men who
have been ruined for two worlds because they
got in the wrong business.
Another important pass in ones lfe turning
point in ones history is the time when he es
tablishes his own home. When builds
his home he builds for eternity. Is it not amaz-
ing that affancing in life is often a matter of
merriment and of joke, when it decides SO much
for this world and the world to come? do not
put the case too strongly when l say that when
man marries he marries for heaven or for hell!
Oh, build not your home on earth upon the
sparkle of bright eye or the color of fair
cheek. The time will come in your history
when you Will want in your home, not pet or
toy, but heroine and you will find that life is
not a gay romance but tremendous reality and
coming home from your store, or Office, or shop
or factory studio, most of all you will need
some one in your home with face cheerful but
sympathetic.
There is an aged man who looks back to a crisis
| in life when his fortune went away and reason
almost left the throne. He knew not what to do
He remembers a particular evening when he
came home from the store. He hardly dared
break the news to the wife. He could not bear
to tell he had suspended in business that he had
stopped payment, that his fortune had gone. He
went into the house, he closed tina door upon the
world. and in domestic peace found foretaste
VI Iudo uCaFCA "AOEO pauiSS uoFcI COHu0. AL
if it had not been for that help that you had
what would have been the result when you told
her of your financial embarrassment and mis-
fortuneY She cheerful. she was sympathetic
she was helpful; she helped you all through those
dark days of trial, and after the piano went she
could sing without the accompaniment just as
we'll as she ever sang with the accompaniment
There have been Christian women who have so
had their domestic troubles sanctiied that they
could get more music ont of Wheeler & Wilson
sewing machine than ever in the days Of their
prosperity they got out of a Chickering grand
Stenway.
A Christian minister in England called upon a
home of great restitution. There were the hus-
band, the wife, and there were the children. No
comfort IN the household Everything indica
tive of want and struggle. The minister of the
gospel said to this young man: Your mistake
~ H.. An1r. &c