The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-07-11
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S SUN
DAY SERMON.
Subject: "Tae Consultations or the
Redeemed" preached at
Winfield, Kansas.)


thousand branches His roots reach dow1
through all the earth; his branches spreae
through all the heavens. He speaks Will
voice, with eye, with hand, with foot. hi!
silence often is thunder, and his life is an an
them or doxology. There is no such thing a!
negative influence. We are all positive II
the place we occupy. making the world better
or making it worse, on the Lords side or the
DEVILS, making up reasons for our blessedness
or banishment and We have already done 9
mighty work in peopling heaven or hell.
herr people tell Of what they are going to DO
A man who has burned down city might as
we'll talk of some good that he expects to do,
or q 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 nave S,.
already consumed infinite values, or you
have. by the power of right influence, won
whole kingdoms for God.
It would be absurd for me to stand here
and, by elaborate argument, prove that tne
world is off the track. You might as well
stand at the foot of an embankment, amid the
wreck of capsized rail train, proving by
elaborate argument that something is out OF
order. Adam tumbled over the embankment
sixty centuries ago, and the whole race, in one
long train, has gone on tumbling In the
same direction. Crashl Crash! The oGiy
question now is, By what leverage can the
crushed thing be lifted! By what hammer
may the fragments be reconstructed
Iwant to show you how we may turn many
pay for so doing
First-We may turn them by the charm
of right example. A child, coming from a
filthy home, was taught at school to wash its
face It went home so much improved in ap-
pearance that its mother washed her face.
And when the father of the household came
home, and saw the improvement ia domestic
appearance, he washed his face. The neigh
bors happening in, saw the change, and
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 q fable, by which we
set forth that tho best way to get the world
washed of its sins and pollution is to have
our own heart and life cleansed and purified
A man with grace in his heart, and Christian
cheerfulness In his face, and holy consistency
IN his behavior, is 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
chatter. There are happy men who
60 into sick room, and, by look,
help the broken bone to knit and
There are pure men whose presence silences
the tongue of uncleanness. The mightiest
agent Of good on earth is a consistent Chris
tian. like the Bible folded between lids Of
cloth, of calfskin or morocco, but like it
better when, in the shape OF a man, it goes
out into the world-a Bible illustrated
Courage is beautiful to read about; but
rather would see man with all the world
against him confident as though all the world
were for him. Patience Is beautiful to read
about: but rather would see q bufeted soul
calmly waiting for the time OF delivernnce
Faith is beautiful to read about; butrather
would find man in the midnight wslking
straight on as though he saw ever thing
Oh, how many souls have been turned to God
by the charm Of bright examplel
When, in the Mexican war, the troops were
wavering, General rose in his stirrups and
dashed into the enemy's lines, shouting:
ssMen, followl" They, seeing his courage
and disposition, dashed on after him and
gained the victory. What men want to rally
them for God is an example to lead them.
All your commands to others to advance
amount to nothing so long as you stay be-
hind. To affect them Alright you need to
to give the stirring cry of "Men, follow"
Again: We may turn many to righteous
ness by prayer. There is no such detective
rs prayer, for no one can hide away from it.
It puts its hand on the shoulder Of man ten
thousand miles off. 1t alights on a ship mid
Atlantic. The little child cannot understand
the law of electricity, or how the telegraphic
operator, by touching the instrument here,
may dart message under the sea to anot her
continent; nor can we, with our small in tel
lect understand how the touch Of Chris
tian's prayer shall instantly strike soul on
the other side Of the earth. You take
ship and 60 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 tho 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 loved one on the road
you may spur up q lathered steed until he
shall OUTRAGE the one that brought the news
to Ghent; but prayer shall catch it at one
gallop A 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 a
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 winds
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 company Of poor
boys together, and then he prayed
up an asylum in which they might be shell
tered. He turned his face toward Edinburgh
and prayed, and there came thousand
pounds. He turned his face toward London
and prayed. and there came a thousand
pounds He turned his face toward Dublin
and prayed, and there came a thousand
pounds. The breath Of Eljah's prayer blew
all the clouds off the sky. and it was dry
weather. The breath of Elijah s prayer blew
all the Clouds together, and it was wet
weather. Prayer, in Daniels time, walked
the cave as a lion tanner. 1t reached up and
took the sun by its golden bit and stopped it;
We have al yet to try the full power OF
prayer. the time will come when the
American church will pray with its face
toward the west, and all the prairies and in.
land cities will surrender to God; and will
pray with face toward the sea, and all the
islands and ships will become Christian
Parents who have wayward sons will gel
down on their knees and say: Lord, send my
boy home" and the boy in Canton shall get
right up from the gaming table. and go dowr
to the wharf to find out which ship start!
first for America .,
Not one OF us yet knows how to pray. Al
we have done as yet has only been potterlng
and guessing, and experimenting. A boy
gets hold Of his fathers saw and hammer
and tries to make something. but it Is pool
affair that he makes The father comes ant
the house or the ship. In the childhood OF oul
Christian faith, we make but poor work will
these weapons of nravar. but when we CONF
to the stature or men In Jesus Cnrlst, then
under these implements, the temple OF go
will rise and the worlds redemption Will o
launched. God cares not FOR the lengtl
of our prayers, or the number of our pray
ers, or the beauty Of our prayers. or tn
place Of our prayers; but it is the faith il
them that tells. Believing prayer soar
higher than the lark ever sang; plunge
deeper than diving bell ever sank; dart
quicker than lightning ever flashed. Thougl
we have used only the back Of this weapol
;reta,d of tho adoo what maryels have bee