The west Tennessee star. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1888, 1888-07-13
TALMAGE's SERMON.
A Discourse on the EHicacyo OF Faith
in Jesus.
That which Damages the Commercial
World Also Damages the Spiritual
Jesus n Friend Always Pres
ent when Wanted.

Rev. I. Dewitt TalEnage, in a recent
sermon, took for his subject: "None Like
Jesus" his text being:
Unto you. therefore, which believe he is pre-
cious.-L Peter, H., z.
He said: We had for many years in /
this country commercial depression.
What was the matter with the stores?
With the harvestsg With the people?
Lack of faith. Money enough, goods
enough, skillful brains enough. indus-
trious hands enough, but no faith. Now
what damages the commercial world
damages the spiritual. Our great lack is
faith. That is the hinge on which eternity
turns, The Bible says we are saved by.
faith.
90" says some one in the audience, 81
have faith. 1 believe that Christ came
down to save the, world.''
1 reply that, in worldly matters when
you have faith you always act upon it.
For instance, if 1 could show you busi-
ness operation by which you could make
five thousand dollars, you would immedi-
ately go into it. You would prove your
faith in what tell you by your prompt
and immediate action, Now, if what you
call faith in Christ has led you to sur
render your entire nature to Jesus and to
responding action, in your life, it is
genuine faith, and if it has not, it is not
faith at all. tt--
There are some things which I believe
with the head Then there are other
things which l believe with the heart.
And then there are other things which I
believe both with the head and heart. I
believe, Tor instance, that Cromwell
lived. That is a matter of the head. Then
there are other things which 1 believe
with the heart aud not with the head.
That is, / have no especial reason for be-
| lieving them, and yet l want to believe
| them aud the WISH is the father to the ex-
| pectatiOn. But there is. a very great diff
| ference between that which we believe
| about ourselves; and that which we be-
| lieve about others. For instance, yousfe-
member not great while ago there was
| a disaster in Pennsylvania, amid the
mines; there was an explosion amid the
| damps, and many lives were lost. In the
/ morning YOU picked up your newspaper
| and saw, that there had been a great dis
/ aster in Pennsylvania. You said: "Ah,
/ what sad thing this is; how many lives
! host! o. what sorrow :" Then you read q
| little further on. There had been an
almost miraculous effort TO get those men
! out, and a few had been saved. CO." you
said. "what a brave thing, what a grand
| thing hat was How we'll it was done ~
| Then You-fOlded the paper up and sat
| down to your morning repast. FYOnr4ap-
I
| during that day. perhaps, you thought
| only two or three times of the disaster.
| But suppose you and / had been in the
/ mine, and the dying had been all around
us, and we had heard the pick-axes just
4 abovesus as they were trying to work
their way down, and after awhile we saw
the light, and then the lfe-bucket let
down through the shaft and, suffocated
and half dead, we had just strength
! OH 20
and had been hauled out into the light
Then. what an appreciation we would
have had of the agony and the dark
ness beneath, and the joy of deliver
a, ance. That is the difference between be-
Heving thing about others and beliey-
= ing it abotit ourselves .'''
We take up. the Bible and read thai
Christ came to save the world. ''That
was beautiful" /" you say, "a fine specimen
of self-deniaI... That was very grand in
deed" But suppose it is found that W.
ourselves were down in the mine of siI
and in the darkness, and, Christ stretched
down his arm of mercy through the gloon
q and lifted US out of tho pit, and set oul
feet on the. Rock of. Ages, and put anay
song into our mouths. o, then it is
e matter of hand clapping; it is q matter o
: congratulations it isa matter of deep emo
! tions. Which kind of faith have you, IN,
, brefher? A'el@t--- ~
It is faith.that makes a Christian, and i
= IS the proportion of faith that makes tn
, 4iferenee between Christians. What wa
! ii that lifted Paul and Luther, and Pay
I son, and Doddridge abovel the Ordiuar,
:. leveE6f Christian charactHrY It was tn
+, simplicity. the brilliaRcYs the power an
the spIendor of their faith. o, that W
]. had more of i'll Cod give us more faft
to preach and more faith 10 hear. f'Lord
: we believe, help thou our unbelief" '"T
: you whfchbelieve he is precious" .''
Ill remark Christ is. precious to tn
: believer, as a Saviour from sin. A maj
Z says: '
/! s. ''Fo whom are you taIkfngg lam one q
8 the most respectable, men in this neigh
+ borhood; doyou call me- a sinner?" Yes
D 1.-THE heart is !deceitful above all thing
a and desperately wicked.P You say: fe
: ''How do you know any thing about m
4 | heartTrs -.'.' '- '-.t stt go
r. know that about it for God announce
y 1t in His Word; and what God says is al
g ways right When a man becomes
"A Christian people say: That man set
himself above us,'' o, no! Instead {
; setting himself up he throws himse.
down. he cries out: ~ ~
Twas lost once, but now am found
was blind once, but now Isee, I prostrat
4 myself at the foot Of the cross Of tn
I
= What grand thing it is to feel that a
l. the bad words have ever uttered, and a
> the bad. deedsiI have ever done, and a
I. the bad thoughts that have gone throug
. my mind, are as though they had nevC
= been, for the sake Of what Christ hi
: done. You know there is a difference
: stains. Some can be washed out /
: water but others require a chemici
:, | preparation. The sin of the heart Is
= black and indelihle a mark that no hi
- | man application can cleanse It, while II
" blood Of Jesus Christ can wash it out fol
= evers o, the in6Bite, the oufnipotel
chemistry Of the Gospel! some ma
p says: 81 beTfeve all that / believe &c
has forgiven the imost- OF my sins, b
s. there is one sin l can not forget" VIII
e IS it, ] do not want 20 know what it
% but / take the responsibility OF sayir
le that God will forgive it as willingly
T. any other SIM
~ Ger sias like mountains for their size,
le The seas. of sovereign grace expand
" The seaTof sovereign grace arise
= There was a very good man, about Sc
- enty-fve years Of age, that once said:
- q believe God has forgiven me, b
1si there was one sin which / commit
le when was about twenty years of age Tia
It ! never fo~gaye myself for. and 4 car
feel happy when think Of it."
He said that one sin sometimes car
y over his heart and blotted out all his no
s. Of Heaven Why, ne lacked in faith. 7
I'd grace fhat can forgive a small sin can to
es give a large sin. Mighty TO save. Nigh
IN to save. Who Is the god like unto o
90 God. that pardoneth iniqutyf q, WI
in Jesus is TO The soul that believes in hiI
he faTlie soul fobks up- INTO Chrlst's face a
Sd savs,. es-I3o what extent wilt thou forgi
ef mes,, And Jesus looks back into his IA
e adA avs. .1To the uuermost." The So
a. says..f ''WiH 1T never be br0pght
H. again. Never says Chr ist- w ont
&c be brought up again in the Jud dgmen day
s. NO" says Christ. 'sneYtr in the jadgme