Democratic messenger., 1888-10-13
GREAT THINGS TO DO.
DIR. TALMAGE SPEAKS OF THREE HE
CONSIDERS GREATEST.
They Are 20 Save Either q Man. wsman
or . chiid-The One Opportunity Of
Lifetime-Immense Audiences At
traeted 10 the Brooklyn

or Chiid-The One Opportunity Of n
Lifetime-Immense Audiences At
tracted 10 the Brooklyn
Tabernacle.
BROOKLYN, N. Y, Oct. 7.--Alihough no
building has been large enough to hold
the audiences attracted by the Rev. r.
Dewitt Talmage. d. D.. In any part Of
this country or Great Britain for the last
90 years, the throngs In and around the
immense audience room Of Brooklyn Ta-
bernacle seem to be increasing as the
years go by. The opening hymns this
morning were heartily sung by the con-
DIR. Talmage chose for his
subject "The Three Greatest Things to
Do" His text was Daniel XII, SO: "The
people that do know their God shall be
strong, and do exploits" Following Is
the sermon:
Antiochus Epiphanes, the old sinner,
came down three times with his army 10
desolate the Jews. advancing one time
with 102 trained elephants swim ging their
trunks this way aud that, and 5000 in
fantry and 6,0O0 cavalry troops. and they
were driven back. Then the second time
he advanced with 10000 armed men, and
had been again defeated. But the third
time he laid successful siege until the navy
Of Rome came In with the fash OF their
long banks Of oars and demanded that the
siege be lifted. And Antiochus Epiphanes
said he wanted time TO consult with his
friends about II, and Popilius, one of the
Roman ambassadors, took staff and made
a circle on the ground around Antiochus
Epiphanes and compelled him TO decide
before he came out Of that circle, where.
upon he lifted the siege. Some Of the
Jews had submitted to the invader, but
some Of them resisted valorously, as did
Eleazer when he had swinc's flesh forced
into his mouth, spit Il out, although he
knew he must die for Il, and did die for Il,
and Others. as my text says. were enabled
to do exploits.
An exploit would define to be hero.
ic act, brave feat, great achievement
"Well," you say, II admire such things,
but there Is no chance for me; mine Is a
sort Of humdrum life. II / had an Anti.
ochus Epiphanes TO fight also could do
exploits" You are right SO far as great
wars dtc concerned. There will probably
be no opportunity TO distinguish yourself
In battle. The most of the brigadicr. r.gen.
erals Of this country would never have
been heard Of had It not been for the war.
General Grant would have remained In
the useful work of tanning hides a. Gale.
ma. and Stonewall jackson would have
continued the quiet college professor In
Virginia. And whatever military talents
you have will probably lie dormant for.
ever. Neither will you propably become
a great inventor. Nineteen hundred and
ninety-nine out Of every two thousand
inventions found IN the Patent Office at
Washington never yielded their authors
enough money TO pay for the expenses oi
securing the patent. So you will proba-
bly, never be a Morse or an Edison, or a
Humphrey Davy or an Eli Whitney,
There Is not much probability that you
will be the one out of the hundred that
achieves extraordinary success in CONNER
cial, or legal, or medical. or literary
spheres. What then !. Can YOU have an
opportunity to do exploitsg l am going
to show you to-day that there are three
opportunities open that are grand, thrill
Ing, far.reaching, stupendous and over.
whclming. They are before you now. In
one, II not all three Of them, you may do
exploits The three greatest things on
earth to do are to save man, or save a
woman, or save child.
ONE OPPORTUNITY IN 4 LIFETIME
During the course of his life almost
every man gets into an exigency, Is caught
between two fires, Is ground between two
millstones. sits on the edge OF some preci.
pice, or In some other way comes near
demolition. Il may be a financial, or a
moral, or domestic. or social, or po.
citical exigency. You sometimes see II in
court.rooms. A young man has got into
bad company and he offended the law
aud he Is arraigned. All blushing and
confused he Is In the presence Of judge
and jury and lawyers. He can be sent
right on In the wrong direction. lie ID
feeling disgraced, and he Is almost dcsper.
ate. Let the district attorney overhaul
him as though he were and old offender
let the ablest attorneys at the bar refuse
to say word for him because he cannot
afford considerable fee, let the Judge
give no opportunity for presenting the
mitigating circumstances. hurry up the
case and hustle him up to Auburn or Sing
Sing. Ifhe lives 20 years, for 20 years he
will be criminal. and each decade Of his
life will be blacker than It's predecessor. In
the interregnums Of prison life he can get
no work, and he Is glad TO break win
dow glass, or blow mp safe or play the
highwayman so rs to get back again with.
In the walls where he can get something
TO eat and hide himself from the cruel
gaze Of the world. Why dosen't his faith.
er come and help him. Ills father is dead.
Why dosen'l his mother come and help
himf She is dead. Where are all the
ameliora,ing and salutary influences Of
society! They do not touch him. Why
did not someone long ago in the case un-
derstand that there was an opportunity
for the exploit which would be famous In
Heaven quadrlllion OF years after the
earth has become scattered ashes In the
last whirlwlndl Why did not the dis.
trict attorney take that young man into
his private Office and say. "My son, see
that yon are the victim Of circumstances.
This Is your first crime. You are sorry.
I viii bring you the person who wronged
Into your presence. and you will apollo
Viza and make all the rena Fnii0n vou can