National Republican., 1886-12-20
"ON TRIAL. BY DR., TALMAGE
GOD is THE pLAINTIFF-THE CHRISTIAN
SOUL is THE DEFENDANT.
The Indictment Against Thy soul-Are
You Guilty or Not Guilty ?-The
Grounds OF Complaint-Tremen
Issues at Stake.

BROOKLYN, Dec. 19-The Rev. Dc witt Tai
mage, d. D., preached to-day in the Brooklyn
Tabernacle on the subject: ION Trial" TAX
ing for his text John ii, 2: awe have an advo-
cate with the Father, Jesus Christ the right
eOus," he said:
Standing in court room you say to your
self: "At this bar crime has often been ar
Iaigned; at this witness stand the oath has
often been taken; at this jurors bench the yer.
dict has been rendered; at this JUDGES desk
sentence has been pronounced" But have
to tell you to-day Of q trial higher thau any
oyefAnd terminer or circuit, or supreme or
chanceIy; II is The trial OF % every Christian laa
ent from any other Ia the fact that " is both
civil and criminal. The issues at stake are
tremendous, and 1 shall In my sermon show
you. first. what are the grounds OF complaint;
then who are the witnesses in the cause, and
lsstly, who are the advocates.
When 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 1t Is
ON Indictment OF ten counts, for thou hast d.
Iectly or indirectly broken all the ten COM
mandmenls. You know how 1t thundered on
Sinai and when God came down how the
mountain rocked. and the smoke assembled as
from smouderIDg furnace. and the darkness
gathered thick, and the loud deep trumpet
uttered the words: "The soul that siuneth, IL
shall die" Are you guilty or not guilty. Do
TO announce that 'all have sinned and come
thoft of the glory Of God. There is none that
doelh coed; no. not one. me- Whosoever, I, shall All
is guilty of ALL" DO not, therefore, be too
hasty in pronouncing yourself not guilty. =,
This lawsuit before US also charges you with
the breaking OF q solemn contract. Many
time did we promise TO be the Lords. We got
down on our knees and said 20 Lord, am
Thine now and forever" Did you keep the
go back TO your first communion, You re-
member II as well as II II were yesterday. You
know how the vision OF the cross rose before
you. You remember how fro n the head, and
the hands, and the side, and the feet, there
came bleeding forth these two words IRE:
member me |" You recall how the, cup OF
communion trembled in your hand when you
first took IT. ana as In a 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 II the surging OF the great ocean OF
a aSayiours agony; and you came forth from
that communion service with face shining as
though you had been on the Mount OF Trans
hguTation; and the very air seemed tremulous
with the 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
Ioul: "lord. Thou knowest all things; Thou
knowest that love Thee" Have you kept the
bargain, o Christian man have you not
sometime fallered when you ought TO have
been true' Have you not been proud when
you ought to have been humber Have you
not played the coward when you ought 10
have been the hero? / charge II upon you,
and charge II upon myself-we have broken
the contract.
siill further, this lawsuit claims damages at
your hands The greatest hlander 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 deplorable about II Is
that people can see faults in Others while they
cannot see any In themselves. II you SHAH et.
any time ind some miserable old gossip with
1mperiectlops from the crown of her head to
the sole OF her foot-a perfect blOtch Of sin her.
telf-she Will 60 tAttling, tRtlllng, tattling all
the years OF her life about the Inconsistencies
of Others, having no idea that She is incon-
sistent henelf. God save the world from the
gossip, female and male think the males
are the worst Now the chariot of Chrlsl' sal.
walton goes on through the world but II Is
our Inconsistencies, my brethren that block
up the wheels, while all along the line there
ought IN have been cast nothing but pllm
branches, aud the shout should have b,en
lifted; "Hosanna to the son of DayllW
Now you have heard the indictment read
Are you ready 10 plead guilty or not guilty?
Perhaps you arc not ready yet to plead. Then
the trial Will go on. The witnesses will be
called, and we shall have the IN at ,r decided
In the name of God now make,prOclamatiol
'Oyezl Oyezl Oyezl WhOsoever hath anything
S'f1 In this trial, In which God is the plain
mid the Christian soul the defendant, let
an( w step forth and give testimony in this
tioi rialh
Wv ''ness that call upon the stanlln