Charlotte messenger. [volume] (Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., N.C.) 1882-18??, 1888-07-21
REV DR.. TALMAGE.
THE BROOTLYN DIvINEs SUNDAY
SERMON.

Every man has thousand roots and a
thousand branches. His roots reach down
through all the EARTH his branches spread
through all the heavens He speaks with
voice, with eye. with hand. with foot. His
silence often is thunder, and his life is an an
them or doxology. There is no such thing as
negative influence. We are all positive in
the place we occupy. making the world better
or making it worse. on the Lords side or the
devils, making up reasons for our hlessedness
or Punishment: and we have already done n
mighty work in peoping heaven or he'll
bear people tell Of what they are going to do
A man who has burned down city might as
well talk of some good that he expects to do,
or a man who has saved an empire might as
well talk of some good that he expects TO do.
By the force of your evil influence you have
already consumed infinite values, or YOU
have. by the power of a right influence, won
whole Kingdoms for God
1t would be absurd for me to stand here
and, by elaborate argument, prove that the
world is off the track. You might as well
stand at the foot Of an embankment, amid the
wreck of a capsized rail train, prov ng by
elaborate argument that something is out OF
order. Adam tumbled over the embankmen5
sixty centuries ago and the whole race, in on :
long train, has gone on tumbllng in the
Fame direction. Crashl Crash The only
question now is, By what leverage can the
crushed thing be lifted BY what hammer
want to show you how we may turn many
to righteousness, and what will be our future
paw for so doing
First--We may turn them by the charm
OF right example. A child, coming from
filthy home, was taught at school to wash its
face 1t went home SO much improved in ap-
pearance that its mother washed her face
And when the father of tho household came
home, and saw the improvement in domestic
appearance, he washed his fnce. The neigh
bors happening in, saw the change, and
fried the same experiment until all that
street was purified, and the next street
copied its example, and the whole city felt
the result of one schoolboy washing his
face That is a fable, by which we
set forth that the best way to get the world
washed of its sins anil pollution is 10 have
onr own heart and life cleansed and purified.
a man with grace in his heart, and Christ an
cheerfulness inbis face, and holy consistency
IN his behavior, is a perpetual sermon; and
the sermon differs from others in that it has
but one head, and the longer it runs the bet
ter. There are honest men who walk down
Wall street. making the teeth of iniquity
go into a sick room, and, by look,
help the broken bone to knit, and
the excited nerves drop to calm beating
There are pure men whose presence sciences
the tongue of uncleauness The mightess
agent IF good on earth is consistent Chris
cloth, of calfskin or morocco, but like it
better when, in the shape Of man, it gees
ont into the world-a Bible illustrated.
Courage is beautiful to read about; hut
rather would see man with all the world
against him confident as though ell the world
were for him. Patience is beautiful to read
about; but rather would see buffeted soul
calmly waiting for the time OF deliverance.
Faith is beautiful to read about: but rather
would find a man in the midnight walking
straight on as though he saw everything.
Oh how many souls have been turned to God
by the charm of bright examplei
When, in the Mexican war. the troops were
wavering, a General rose in his stirrups and
dashed into the enemys lines shOutn nc:
Men, follown They. seeing his courage
and disposition, dashed on after him and
gained the victory. What men want to rally
them Tor Tod is an example TO lead them
All your commands to Others to advance
amount to nothing so long MS you stay be-
hind. 10 affect them Alright you ne,d to
start for heaven yourself, looking back only
to give the stirring cry of "Men, follow"
Again: We NAV turn many to righteous
ness by prayer. There is no such detective
as prayer, for no one can hide away from il.
1t puts its hand on the shoulder of a man ten
thousand miles eff IL alights on shin mid
Atlantic. The little child cannot understand
the law OF electricity, or how the Geographic
operator, by touching the instrum mt here,
lldy udIb u In6SSdRe u1uer Ine sea TO anDb ner
continent; nor can we, with our sm9ll in tel
lect. understand how the touch of a Chris
tian's prayer shall instantly strike soul on
the other side of the earth You take
ship and go to some other country,
and get there at II o'clock in the morn
ing. You telegraph to New York, and the
message gets here at o'clock in tire same
morning. In other words it seems to arrive
here five hours before it started. Like that
is prayer. God says: Before they call will
hear" To overtake a loved one on the road
you may spur up a lathered steed until he
shall OUTRAGE the one that brought the news
TO Client; but a prayer shall catch il at one
gallop. boy running away from home
may take the midnight train from the coun-
try village and reach the seaport in time TO
gain the ship that sails ON the morrow: but
mothers prayer will be on the deck to meet
him. and in the hammock before he swings
into it, and at the capstan before he win Is
the rope around it, and on the sea. against
the sky, as the vessel plows on toward it.
There is a mightiness in prayer. George
Muller prayed "A company of poor
boys together, ard then he prayed
up an asylum in which trey might be shell
tered. He turned his face toward Edinburgh
snd prayed, and there came thousand
pounds. He turned his face toward London
and prayed, and there came a thousand
pounds ii turned his face toward Dublin
and prayed. and there came a thousand
pounds The breath of Ehj1h'S prayer blew
all the clouds off the sky and it was dry
weather. The breath Of Elijah prayer blew
all the ouds together. and 1T was wet
weather. Prayer in Daniels time. walked
the cave as a lion tanner 10 reached up aud
.ook the sun by its golden bit and stopped it,
We have yet 10 try the full power Of
prayer TIE time will DOM. when the
American church will pray with its face
coward the west, and all the prairies and in
ami cities will surrender to Cod; and viii
pray with face toward the sea and all the
slsn Is and ships will become Christian
arenss VINO have wayward sons will get
town ON their knees aud say: Lord. send my
boy home" and the boy In Canton shqll get
right up from the gaming table and 90 down
- the wharf to find out which ship starts
hrst for America.
Not one OF MS yet knows how 20 pray. All
we have done as vet has only been potfering.
lnd guessing. and experimenting. A boy
gstS hold Of his fathers saw and hammer.
and tries to make something. but IL Is a poor
iffair that he makes. Tbs father comes ani
SakeS the same saw and hammer, and builds
he house or the ship In the childhood Of omr
Christian faith we make hut poor work with
these weapons Of prayer. bnt when we come
% to stature Of men in Jssls Christ. then
under these implements, the temple Of Goo
will Fise and the worlds redemption will bt
launched. God cares not for the length
Of our prayers. or the number Of our pray,
frs. or the beauty If our prayeTr. tie