The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1888-05-18
LOSS AND GAIN.
d.. Talmage Discourses ON the Bar
gains Of This Life.

80IQ0 Oh x010 A110s
The Values OF This Life and the value Of
the soal-No Good Titles In This
world-we Take Nothing
with "a.
DR.. Talmage recently preached In the
Brooklyn Tabernacle upon the subject Of
"Loss and Gain" from the text: ''What
shall It profit man, IL he shall gain the
whole world and lose his own soulf'
Mark viii. So He said:
lam accustomed, Sabbath by Sabbath,
to stand before an aud ence of bargain
makers. There may be men in all occupa-
tons sitting before me, yet the vast ma
jority Of them, am very well aware, are
engaged from Monday morning to Satur-
day night In the store. In many OF the
families Of my congregation. across the
breakfast table and the tea table are dis
cussed questions Of loss and gain. You
are every day asking yourself: "What is
the value of thisl What is the value of
thatT 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 ten dollars for
tive dollars. II you had property that
was worth $l5, 900 you would not sell 1t for
N,OO0 You are intelligent in all matters
of bargain making. Are you rs wise in
the things that pertain to the matters Of
the soull Christ adapted his instructions
to the circumstances Of those to whom He
spoke. When He talked to fishermen He
talked Of the gospel net. When He talked
to the farmers He said: IA 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 address them in the
words Of my text, asking: ''What shall it
profit q man il he shall gain the whole
world and lose his own sOuiw propose,
as far rs 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 Maynard child indeed; it
has wandered OF through the Heavens.
But about eighteen hundred and eighty
eight 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 tread.
ing back through the Heavens. The hills,
how beautiful they billow up. the edge Of
the wave white with the foam of crocuses
How beautiful the rainbow, the arched
bridge on which Heaven and earth come
ind talk to each other In tears, after the
storm is overt How nimble the feet Of the
lamplighters that in q few minutes set all
the dome Of the night ablaze with brackets
of firei How bright the oar Of the saffron
cloud that rows across the deep sea of
Heaven! How beautiful the spring, with
bridal blossoms in her hairl i wonder who
it is that beats time on June morning for
the bird orchestra. How gently the hare
bell tolls its fragrance on the air! There
may b. grander worlds, swarthier worlds,
larger worlds than this; but think that
this is q most ex quisite world-a mignonette
on the bosom of immensely! TO-" you say,
''take my soul, give me that world! am
willing to take it IN exchange. am ready
now for the bargain. It is SO beautiful q
world, so sweet world, 50 grand world ~
But let US look moro infinitely into the
value of this world. You will not buy
property unless you can get good title to
1t. After you have looked at the property
and found out that it suits ) on, you send
an attorney TO the public Office and he ex-
amines the book Of deeds, and the book Of
mortgages, and the booK of judgments, and
the book Of liens and he decides whether
the title is good before you will have any
thing to do with it. There might be q
splendid property, and in every way ex-
actly suited to your want; but ii you can
not get good title you will not take it.
Now, am here this morning to say that it
is impossible to get o good title to this
world. II settle down upon it, in tine
very year SO settle down upon it as per-
manent possession may be driven away
from 1t. Aye. IN five minutes after give
up my soul for the world l may have to
part with the world; and what kind OF q
title do you call that There is only one
way In which can hold an earthly pos
session and that is through the senses AL
beautiful sights through the eye, but the
eye may be blotted out. All captivating
sounds through the ear, but my ear may
be deafened. AL lusciousness Of fruits and
viands through my taste, but my taste may
be destroyed. All appreciation Of culture
and art through my mind, but may lose
my mind. What D frail hold then have
upon my earthly possession. In courts OF
law, if you want to get man OF prop
er:y you must serve upon him writ of
ejectment, giving him . certain time to
vacaie the premises, but when Death
comes to US and serves a writ OF ejectment
he does not give Us one second OF fore
warning. He says: ''Oh of this place.
You have no right any longer in the pos
session."
We might cry out: Il gave you hun
dred thousand dollars for that property"
the plea would be Of no avail We might
say: I'VE have a warranty deed for that
property" the plea would be Of no avail.
We might say: I'VE have . lien on that
store-house;" that would do US no good.
Death is blind, and he can not see a seal,
and can not read an indenture. So that,
first and last. want to tell you that when
you propose that give up my soul for the
world, you can not give me the first item
Of title.
your next question is about insurance.
You would not be silly enough to buy q
large warehouse that could not possibly
be insured. You would not have any thing
to do with such Q property. Now, ask
you what assurance you can give me that
this world is not going to be burned upl
Absolutely none. Biologists tell US that it
is already on fire; that the heart OF tho
world is one great living coal; that it Is
just like ship ON Dire At sea, the flame not
burning out because the matches are kept
down. And yet you propose to palm OF on
me. in return for my soul, q world for
which, in the tirst place, you can give no
title, and in the second place for which you
can give no insurance. Co." you say. 1.-The
water Of the oceans will wash over all the
land and nut out the firen O. no Thera