Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1886-12-30
ION TRIAL"
OR. TALMAoE's SUNDAY MORN.
ING DISCOURSE.
God Save the World From the
Gossip, Female and Male.
"Grieve Not the holy Ghost -Quenoh Not
the Spirit DO Not Begin to
Tremble at the Thought Of
Condemnation.
Speeial % DE KANSAS Cnu Times.

| BROOKLYN Dec. l2-lne rev. Il. Dewitt
Talmage, d. d., preached to-day in the Brook
| Ign tabernacle on the subject: ION Trial. !"
Taking for his text / John II, 2: I'VE have an
| advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the
| righteous" he says:
Standing In court room you say TO your
| self: ."At this bar crime has often been ar
| ragned; at this witness stand the oath has
| often been taken; at this Jurors bench the
verdict has been rendered, at this judges desk
| sentence has been pronounced" But have
| to tell you to-day of a trial higher than any
| Oyer and Terminer or Circuit, or Supreme, or
Chancery. 1t is the trial of every Christian
man for the life of his soul. This trial is diff
| ferent from any other in the fact that II is
| both civil and criminal. The issues at stake
are tremendous, and | shall In my sermon
| show you, first, what are the grounds OF COM
| plant; then who are the witnesses In the
| cause, aud lastly, who are the advocates.
When trial is called on, the first thing Is
| TO have an indictment read. Stand up then,
| o Christian man, and hear the indictment of
| the court Of high heaven against the souli 1t
is an indictment Of ten counts, for thou hast
directly or Indirectly broken all the ten com
mandments. You know how 1t Numbered on
mountain rocked and the smoke assembled
as from snoulderIng furnace, and the dark
ness gathered thick and the loud deep trum-
pet uttered the words: THE soul that sinneth
| it shall de!' Are you guilty or not guilty,
Do not put IN a negative plea too quick, for
have to announce that "all have sinned and
come short of the glory of God. There is
none that doeth good no, not one Whose
ever shall keep the whole law, yet offend In
one point, he is guilty Of ALL" Do not, there
| fore, be too hasty in pronouncing yourself not
not guilty.
The lawsuit before us also charges you with
| the breaking Of a solemn contract. Many a
| time did we promise to be the Lords. We
! got down on our knees and said: 80 Lord,
am Thine now and forever" Did you keep the
! promlses Have you stood up to the contract
| 60 back to your first communion. You re-
member 1t as well as If it were yesterday. You
| remember how the vision Of the cross rose up
before you. You remember how from the
head, and the hands, aud the side, and the
feet, there came bleeding forth these two
words: "Remcmber mep' You recall how the
cup of communion trCmblcd In your hand
| when you first took It; and as a sea shell you
| may hear, or think you hear, the roaring of
| the surf even after the shell had been taken
! from the beach, so you lifted the cup of COM
munion, and you heard In it the surging Of the
great ocean of a Savior's agony; and you
came forth from that communion service with
| face shining as though you had been on the
Mount of TRANSPORTATION; and the very air
| seemed tremulous with the love of Jesus and
the very woods, and the leaves, and the grass,
h. IL 4 4
than ever before, and YOU SAID down in the
very depths of your soul: Lord, Thou know
est all things; Thou knowest that / love
Thee" Have you kept the ba gain, o Chris.
J tian mani Have you not sometime faltered
, when you ought to have been truei Have you
not been proud when you ought to have been
| humble! Have you not paved the coward
when you ought to have been the heroi
charge it upon you, and charge it upon my
self-we have broken the contract.
Still further: this lawsuit claims damages
at your hands. The greatest SANDER on the
Christian religion Is an inconsistent professor.
The Bible says religion is one thing; We by
| our Inconsistency say religion is some other
| thing and what is more depIorable about it is,
that people can see faults in others while they
cannot see any in themselves IL you shall at
any time find some miserable old gossip, with
impertections from the crown Of her head TO
the sole of her foot, perfect blotch of sin
herse (, she will go tattling, tattIing tattling
all the years OF her life about the inconSs-
tencr of others, having no idea that she is in
consistent herself. God save the world from
gossip, female and male! | think the males
are the wort Now the chariot of Chrlst's
salvation goes on through the world; butHt is
| our Inconsistencies, nv brethren that block
up the wheels, while all along the line there
ought to have cast nothing but palm branches,
and the shout should have been lifted:
"Hosauna to the son Of David"
Now you have heard the indictment read.
Are You ready to plead guilty or not guilty.
the tlial will go on The witnesses will be
called, and we shall have the matter decided.
In the name of God l now make procana
tion: ''OyeZ! OyeZl OyeZi Whosoever
hath ANYTHING to offer in this trial IN which
God is the plaintiff and the Christian soul the
defendant, let HIM now step forth and give
testimony in this solemn trial"
The first witness that ] call upon the stand
in behalf Of the prosecution, is the world-al
critical and obseryant Of Christian character.
You know that there are people around you
who perpetualIy banquet on the frailtIes OF
Gods children You may know, If YOU have
lived In the country, that a crow cares for moth
ing so much as carrion. There are those who
imagine that out of the faults of Christians
they can make bridge of boats across the
stream of death, and they are going TO try it;
but, alas, for the mistake! When they gel
amid stream away will 20 the bridge and
down will 20 their soul to perdition. D World
of the greedy eye and the hard heart, come OF
the stand now and testify in behalf of tho
prosecution against this Christian soul on trial
What do you know about this Christian man
oh saws the World, II know a great dea
about him. He talks about putting hi
treasures In heaven but he is the Shapes
| man in trade | ever knew. He seems L
want us to believe that he is child OF God
but he s just full of imperfectIons do no
know but am great deal better than he Il
| now. Oftentmes he IL very earthly, and h
talks so little about Christ and so much abou
him6elf, am very glad to testify that this is I
bad man.
Stop, o World wi h the greedy eve and tn
hard heart. fear you are too much interest
ell in this trial TO give impartial evidence
| Let all those who hear the testimony OF TIL
witness know that there Is an old family quar-
rel between these two parties. There Away
has been a variance between the World an'
the Church and while the World on the wit
ness stand to-day has told great deal o
truth about this Christian man, you must TAX
they still keep the old grudge good. World o
the greedy eye aud the hard heart, that vii
do. You may sit down.
The second witness | call In this case is Con
science. Who art thou o Consciencel Wha
is YOUR businessl Where were you born
What are you doing herei OPP says Con
science, II was born in heaven. i came dow
to befriend this man. / have lived with hin
| have instructed him ! have warned him
] showed him the right and the wrong
advising him to take the one and eschew tn
other. I have kindled great light In hi
soul. With whipof scorpions have scoure
| ed his wIckedncss, and / have tried to chez
him when doing right; and yet am compelle
10 testify on the stand to-day that he ha
| sometimes rejected my mission. Oh, ho
many cups of life have | pressed to his liz
: that he dashed down, and how often has b
stood with his hard heel on the bleedin
heart OF the Son of God 1t pains me yer
: much that l have to testify against tn
| Christian man, and vet l must, in behalf {
| Him who will in no wise clear the guilty, sa
| that this Christian man has done wrong. II
| has been worldly. He has been neglectfu
He has done q thousand things he ought ne
to have done and left undonc a thousan
things he ought to have done" You can
down.
Tne third witness call In the case, is q
T angel Of God. Bright and shining one, viii
o doest thou herel What hast thou to 81
against this man on trial. 'Oh," says the al
. gel, II have been messenger to him. hay
4 | guarded him. ! have watched him. Wit
his wing ] have defended him, and oftentim
: | when he knew II not led him into the gree
n | pastures and beside the still waters. / snatc
ed from him the poisoned ehalices. WHIT
: bad spirits came upon him to destroy him
a | fought them back with infinite ilerceness; ar
i hava m tastifv to-day that he has reip(