The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-10-09
TABERNACLE PULPIT.
DIR. T4LEEl4GE's DISCOURSE EESTER-
DAY MORNING.
THE THREE GREATEST THINGS TO DO.

BROOKLYN, October 7.-[Special.l ALTHOUGH
no building has been large enough
to hold the audiences attracted by the
Rev. I. Dewitt Talmage, d. D., in any
part Of this country or Great Britain
fors the last twenty years, the throngs
in and around the immense audience room OF
Brooklyn Tabernacle seems to be increasing as
the years go by The opening hymns This
morning were heartily sung by the congrega-
ton. DR.. Talmage chose for his subject:
"Three Greatest Things To Do" His text
was Daniel xi. 80: "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 to desolate
the Jews, advancing ono time with hundred
and two trained elephants swinging their
trunks this way and that, and sixty-two thous-
and infantry and six thousand calvary troops,
and they were driven back Then the second
time he advanced with seventy thousand
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 he lifted. And Antiochus Epipanes said
he wanted time TO consult with his friends
about it, and Popilus, one of the Roman en-
bassadorS, took a staff and made circle on the
ground around Antiochus Epiphanes and com
PEELED him to decide before he came out Of
tnat circle, whereupon he lifted the siege.
Some OF the Jews had submitted to the
invader but some of them resisted
valoreusly, as did Elcazer when he
had swine's flesh forced into his
mouth, spit it out, although he knew he must
die for it, and did die for it, and others, as my
text says, were enabled to do exploits.
An exploit would define TO be q heroic act,
brave feat, great achievement. ''Wen"
you say, II admire such things, but there is no
chance for me; mine. IS sort of humdrum
life. II had Antiochas Epiphanes to
fight also could do exploits" You are right
so far as great wars are concerned. There
will probably be no opportunity to distinguish
yourself in battle. The most of the brigadier-
generals OF this country would never
have been heard of had it not been for the
war. General Grant would have remained in
she useful work OF tanning hides at Galena and
StonewaH Jackson would have continued the
quiet college professor in Virginia. And what
ever military talents you have will probably
lie dorm ant forever Neither will you proba-
bly, become 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 ex-
penses of securing the patent So you will
probably never be a Morse or Edison, or q
Humphrey Davy or an Eli Whitney. There
is not much probability that you will be the
one out OF the hundred that achieves extraor-
binary success in commercial or legal or medi-
cal or literary spheres. What then? Can you
have no opportunity to do exploits? l am
going to show you today that there are three
opportunities open that are grand, thrilling.
far-reaching, stupendous and over
whslming. They are before you now,
In one, if not all three of them, you
may do exploits. The three greatest
things on earth to do are to save man, or
save woman, save child.
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 precipiece or in some
other way comes near demolition. 1t may be
a financial a m3ral. domestic social
or political eXigency. You sometimes see it
IN court rooms A young man has got into bad
company and he has offended the law, and he
IS arragned. All blRshins and confused he is
in the presence OF judge and jury and lawyers.
He can be sent right on in the wrong direction.
He is feeling disgraced and he is almost des-
perate Let the district attorney overhaul him
as though he were an old offender, let the
ablest attorneys.at the bar refuse to say q word
for him because he cannot afford a considerable
fee, let the judge give no opportunity for
presenting the mitigating circumstances, hur-
ry UP the case and hustle him up to Auburn
or Sing Sing. Ii he live seventy years. for
seventy years no WI be a criminal and each
decade OF his life Will be blacker than It's prede-
cessOr. In the interregnuln5 Of prison life he
can get 10 work, and he is glad to break q
window-Slass, or blow up q safe, or play the
highwaynlan, SO as to get back again within
walls where he can get something to eat and
hide himself from the cruel gaze of the world.
Why donSf his father come and help him? His
father is dead. Why don't his mother como
and help him? She is dead. Where are all
the anticipating and salutary influences OF
society? They do not touch him. Why did
not some one long ago in the case understand
that there was all opportunity for the
exploit which would be famous
In heaven quadrillion of wears
after the earth has become scattered ashes in
the last wiirlwind? Why did not the district
attorney take that young man into his private
office and say: "Giy son, see that you are
the victim OF circumstances. This is your first
Grimm Won q / will bvOG tho
son you Wronged into your presence and you
will apologize and make all the reparation you
can, and l will give you another chance" On
that young man is presented iii the court room
and lie has no friends present, ard the judge
says "Who is your counselY and he an
swers: II have none" And the judge says
"Who viii take this young man. case2" And
there IS q dead halt ana no one oHefs, ana al
ter awhile the Judge turns to attorney
who never had good case in all his life and
never will, and whose advocacy would lie
enough to secure the contemplation q lnno-
cence itself. And the professional incOmpe-
tent crawls up beside the prisoner,
helplessnesg to rescue de pair when there
ought to he a stonpgle among al the best men
Of the profession as to who should have the
honor OF trying TO help that unfortunate. How
. much would such an attorney have rocoivcd
as his Zee for such an advocacy? Nothing in
dollars, but much every WY IN happy con-
seriousness that would make his own life
brighter and his own dying pillow sWeeter and
his own heaven happicr-tlse consciousness
that he had saved am0n!
SO there are commercial eSigenci5a. A
very late spring obli,cratas the demand FOR
spring overcoats and spring hats and spring
apparel of all sorts. Hundreds Of thousands OF
people say; "Itsecms we are going to have
no spring and we shall 20 straight ont Of win
ter into warm weather, and we can gen aiong
without the usual spring attire" Uf there is
no autumn weather, the heat piuuging
into the cold, and the usual clothing, which is
compromise between summer and winter, is
not required. 1t makes & difference in The sale
Of millions and millions OF dollars Of goods, and
some oyer-saEgUine young merchant is caught
with vast amount Of uusalegEle goods that
never viii be salcabiC again except at prices
ruinousy reduced. That young merchant
with a somewhat limited capital IL IN prodic-
anent What shall the old merchants do as
they see that young man in this awlrl crisis?
Rub their hands and laugh and say: "tiood
Tor him. He might have known better
When he has been IN bushes rs long as we
have, he VIII not load lis shelves "a that way.
Ha! hal lie will burst up before long lie
had no business TO open his slore 50 near 10
ours anyhcw." Sherds sale! Iied flag in
fhe viudo,v. a. low much Is bid for these otif-