The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1886-12-23
DR.. TALMAGE'S SERMON.
THE CHRISTIAN ON TRIAL THE
THEME OF HIS DISCOURSE.


The World, Conscience, an Angel and
the Holy Ghost Bear Witness Against
Him, but Christ Pleads His Case and
He is Saved.
BROOKLYN, Dec. 19.-The Rev. T. Dewitt
Talmase, D. D., preached to-day i'll the
Brooklyn Tabernacle on the subject: "On
Trial" taking Cor his text John i, 2: ave
have an advocate with the Father, Jesus
Christ the righteous" he said:
Standing in a court room you say TO your
self: "At this bar crime has often been ar
raigned; at this witness stand the oath has
often been taken; at this jurors bench tho
verdict has been rendered, at this judges
desk sentence has been pronounced" But 1
have to tell you to-day Of trial higher than
any oyer and terminer, or circuit or supreme,
or chancery. 1t is the trial of every Chris
tan man for the life Of his soul. This trial Is
different from any other in the f:ct that it IS
both civil ard criminal. The issues at stake
sre tremendous, and I shall in my sermon
show YOU, first, what are the grounds OF
complaint; then who are the witnesses In the
cnuse, and lastly, who are the advocates
When q trial is called on, the first thing IS
to have the indictment read. Stand up, then,
o Christian man, and hear the indictment OF
the court of high heaven against thy soul!
It is an Indictment Of ten counts, for thou
hast directly or indirectly broken all tho ten
commandments. You know how it thun-
dered on Sinai, and when God came down
30, md tEa l,e as
cended as from srnoldering furnace, ana
the darkness gathered thick, and the loud,
deep trumpet uttered tho words: "Ihe soul
that sinneth, it shall die" Are you guilty or
not guilty! Do not put in negative plea TOO
quick, for have to announce that "au have
sinned and come short of the glory of God.
There is none that doeth good; no, not one.
Whosoever shall keep the whole law yet
offend in one point, he is guilty Of ALL" Do
not, therefore, be too hasty in pronounclng
yourself not guilty.
This lawsuit before US also charges you
with the breaking of solemn contract.
Many time did we promise to be the Lords.
We got down on our knees and said: W
Lord. am Thinc now and forever" Did
YOU keep the promise? Have you stood up to
the contract! I so back to your first COM
munion You remember IL as well as II 1t
we're yesterday You know how the vision
of the cross rose before you. You remember
how from the head, and the hands, and the
side, and the feet, there came bleeding forth
these two words: Remember me-" You
recall how the cup Of communion trembled
in your hand when you first took it; and as
in sea shell you may hear, or think you
hear, the roaring Of the surf even after the
shell has been taken from the beach, so you
lifted the cup Of communion, and you heard
in it the surging Of the great ocean of a
Saviour's agony; and you came forth
from that communion service with
face shining as though you had been
on the Mount Of TRANSFORMATIONS; and the
very air seemed tremulous with tho love of
Jesus, and the woods, and the leaves, and the
grass, and the birds were brighter and
sweeter voiced than ever before, and you said
down in the very depths Of your soul: Lord,
Thou knowest all things; Thou knowest that
love thee" Have you kept tho bargain, q
Christian man! Have you not sometimes
faltered when you ought to have been trues
Have you not been proud when you ought to
have been humble9 Have you not played
tho coward when you ought to have been the
hero? charge it upon you and | charge 1t
upon rnyself-we have broken tho contract.
Still further, this lawsuit claims damages
at your hands. The greatest SANDER on the
Christian religion is IN inconsistent pro-
fessor. The Bible says religion is one thing;
we by our Inconsistency say religion is some
y SC, ~ n
it is, that people can SEQ faults in others while
they cannot see any i'll themselves. II you
shall at any time find some miserable old
gossip, with imperfections from the crown OF
her head to the sole Of her foot, perfect
blotch of sin herself, she will so tattling,
tattling, tattling all the years Of her life,
about the inconsistencies Of others, having no
idea that she is inconsistent herself. GOD
save the world from the gossip, female and
male / think the males are the worst. Now
the chariot Of Christ's salvation goes on
through the world, but it is our inconsistent
cies, my brethren, that block up the wheels,
while all along the line there ought to have
been cast nothing but palm branches, and
the shout should have been lifted, "Hosanna
to the son of David"
Now YOU have heard the indictment read.
Are you ready to plead guilty or not guiltys
Perhaps you are not ready yet to plead. Then
the trial will 60 on. The witnesses wiil'be
called, and we shall have tho matter decided.
In the name Of God now make proclama-
ton: "Oycz! oyez! oyez! Whosoever hath
ANYTHING to offer in this trial, in which God
is the plaintiff and the Christian soul the de-
fendant, let him now step forth and give tes-
timony in this solemn trial"
The first witness that call upon the stand
in behalf of the prosecution is the World-all
critical and observant OF Christian character.
You know that there arc people around YOU
who pcrpetually banquet on the frailties OF
Gods children. You may know. If you have
lived in tie country, that Z crow cares for
nothing so much IS carrion. There are those
who imagine that out Of the fault; OF Chris
tians they can make a bridge Of boats
across the stream of death, and they
aro going to try it; but, alas,
for the mistake When they get amid
stream away will so the bridge and down will
go their soul to pcrdition. Q, World of the
greedy eye and tho hard heart, como OF the
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