The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1888-05-11

Tabernacle today that a malicious falsehood
had gone through the country, saying that at
a recent meeting of the officers of the Thir-
teenth regiment at his house, he had set be-
fore them four kinds of wine. He said: ~
win pay 1000 to any charitable institution
If it can be proved that one drop of wine or
any other Intoxicating liquor was offered in
my house that evening. The twenty-five
testimony. Any three respectable clergy
men or lawyers or detectives may be selected;
they also to decide what charity shall have
the money. ask the newspapers all over
the land, which have been misled by the
falsehood, to correct it,"
The opening hymn of the service begins:
Salvation! oh, the joyful sound,
Tis pleasure TO our ears. 70 .....
DR.. Talmage announced as the subject Of
the sermon ''I,oss and GAIN" and his text
was: "What shall it profit man, if he shah
gain the whole world, and lose his own
soulr'-Mark viii, &C. ,..# III.
am accustomed, Sabbath by Sabbath, to
stand before an audience of bargain makers.
There may be men in all occupations sitting
before me, yet the vast majority of them, I
am very well aware, are engaged from Mon
day morning to Saturday night in the store.
In many of the families of my congregation,
across the breakfast table and tho tea table
are discussed questions of loss and gain You
are every day asking yourself: "What Is
the value of this9 What is the value of thatF'
You would not think of giving something of
greater value for that which is of lesser
value You would not think Of selling that
which costs you $40 for IS. If you had
a property that was worth SIS, 900, you
would not sell it for $4,000 You are intelli-
gent In all matters of bargain making. Are
you as wise in the things that pertain to the
matters of the soul9 Christ adapted his in
structions to the circumstances of those to
whom he spoke When he talked to fishermen
he spoke of the Gospel net When he talked to
the farmers. he said: "a sower went forth TO
sow" When he talked to the shepherds, he
told the parable Of the lost sheep. And am
not right when speaking this morning to an
audience made up of bargain makers, that
I address them in the words Of my text, ask
ing; "What shall it profit man, If he shall
gain the whole world, and lose his own soulP'
] propose, rs far as possible, to estimate
and compare the value Of two properties.
First, / have to say that the world is q
very grand property. Its flowers are Gods
thoughts in bloom. Its rocks are Gods
thoughts in stone. Its dew drops are Gods
thoughts in pearl This world is Gods child,
a hayward child, indeed; it has wandered off
through the heavens But about 1,SSs years
ago, one Christmas night, God sent out q
sister world to call that wanderer back, and
it hung over Bethlehem only long enough to
get the promise of the wanderers return, and
now that lost world, with soft feet of light,
comes treading back through the heavens.
The hills how beautiful they billow up, the
edge of the wave white with the foam of
crocusesl How beautiful the rainbow, the
arched bridge on which heaven and earth
come and talk to each other in tears, after the
storm is overt How nimble the feet of the
lamplighters that in a few minutes set all
the dome of the night ablaze with brackets
of frel How bright the oar of the saffron
cloud that rows across the deep sea of
heavenI How beautiful the spring, with
bridal blossoms in her hairi I wonder who
it is that beats time on June morning for
the bird orchestra. How gently the harebell
tolls its fragrance on the airl There may DO
grauder worlds, swarthier worlds, larger
worlds than this, but l think that this is a
most exquisite world-a mignonette on the
bosom of immensityl "Oh," you say, stake
my soul; give me that worldl am willing
to take it in exchange. am ready now for
the bargain. It is a beautiful world, SO sweet
a world, so grand q worldp
But let us look more infinitely into the
value of this world You will not buy
property unless you can get a good title to it
Afaer you have looked at the property and
found out that it suits you you send an at
torney to the public Office, and he examines
the book of deeds, and the book Of mort
cages, and the book of Judgments, and the
book of liens and he decides whether the
title is good before you will have anything
tc do with it. There might be a splendid
property, and in every way exactly suited to
your want, but if you cannot get good title
you will not take it Now, am here this
morning to say that it is impossible to get a
good title to this world. If ! settle down
upon it, in the very year ! SO settle down
upon it rs permanent possession l may be
driven away from it. Ay, In five minutes
after give up my soul for the world may
have to part with the world, and what kind
of a title do you call thati There is only one
way in which can hold an earthly posses
sion, and that is through the senses. All
beautiful sights through the eye, but the eye
may be blotted out; all captivating sounds
through the ear, but my ear may be deaf
ened: all luschiousness of fruits and viands
through my taste, but my taste may be de-
stroyed; all appreciation of culture and Of
art through my mind, but l may lose my
mind. What frail hold, then, have upon
any earthly possessionl
In courts of law, If you want to get man
Off property, you must serve upon him
writ of ejectment, giving him certain time
to vacate the premises; but when death
Gomez to us and serves q writ of ejectment,
he does not give us one second of forewarn-
ing. He says: "Off of this placed You have
no right any longer in the possession" We
might cry out: 81 gave you $100,000 for that
property !" the plea would be of no avail. w"
Nigh. say: 1--WE have a warranted deed for
that property" the plea would be of no avail.
We might say; "We have lien on that
store house, that would do us no good
Death is blind, and he cannot see n seal, and
he cannot read an indenture. So that, first
and last, want to tell you that when you
propose that give mp my soul for the world,
YOU cannot give me the first item of title
Having examined the title of property,
your next question is about insurance. You
would not he silly enough to buy large
warehouse that could not possibly be insured.
You would not have anything to do with
such a property Now, / ask you what as
surance can you give me that this world is
not going to be burned up' Absolutely mono.
GeoloSistc tell us that it Is already on fire;
that the heart of the warld is one great liv-
ing coal; that it Is just like a ship on fire at
sea, the flames not bursting out because the
matches are kept down. And yet you pro-
pose &c palm off on me, In return for my
soul q world for which, in tiss first place,
you give no title, and In the necond place,
for which you can give no insurance. "Oh,"
You say, 1.-THE water of the oceans will wash
over all the land and put out the fire." Oh,
no. There are infammable elements in the
water, hydrogen and oxygen Call off the
hydrogen, and then the Atlantic and Pacific
oceans would blaze like heaps of shavings.
You want me to take this world, for which
you can give no possible insurance.
Astronomers have swept their telescopes
through the sky, and have found out that
there have been thirteen worlds in the last
two centuries that have disappeared. At
first they looked Just like other worlds. Then
they got deeply red-they were on fire. Then
they got ashen, showing they were burned
down. Then they disappeared, showing that
even the ashes were scattered. And IL the
geologist be right in his prophecy then our
world is to go in the same way. And yet
you want me to exchange my soul for it.
Alb, no; it is world that is burning now.
Suppose you brought an insurance agent to
look at your property for the purpose of Civ
ing you policy upon it. and while he stood
in front of the house he should say: THAT
house is on fire now in the basement" you
could not get any insurance upon it Yet
you talk about this world as though it were