Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1888-03-16
TalnagGS Correspondence.
OUT OF 1T HE EVOLVES AsUBJEoT
FOR A FRIDAY NIGHT TALK.

OUT OF 1T HE EVOLVES AsUBJEcT
FOR A FRIDAY NIGHT TALK.
BROOKLYN, Mar, 2.-The Rev.
T. DE Witt Talmage, d. d., pastor
of the Tabernacle, said in his Fri
day night talk of this date;
Yesterday received a letter from
stranger in Nebraska, saying
that he had bought a large tract of
land, and had got in trouble about
it. and he wanted me to loan or
give HIM $4,000. | told my wife
to send him the sl5, 900 right away,
but, as she did not happen to have
that money abont her, the prooa'
bility is it was not sent. Recently
I received a letter from a young
man saying he would get married
| if I would send him money enough
TO nav for his wedding trip. A
man in New England wants to be-
come a lecturer, and won't | writo
him two or three lectures. Two
letters from people who are des-
nerate. and il | don't send them
relief they will jump off the Brook
lyn bridge. A man writes me for
my autograph, inclcsing postage
stamp. Not getting an answer, he
writes me to he honest enough to
send back the postage stamp.
Getting no answer to that, be
writes me: "You scoundrel, you
stand there and preach the Gospel
and yet dare cheat man ont OF a
postage stamp" Letters through
Brooklyn postofIice, and New York
postoflice, and handed in at my
door, and lett for me at the church,
until my pockets are full, and my
tables are full, and the shelves are
full. and the closets full, and one
of my ideas of the loveliness Of
heaven Is that there will be nc
morning or evening mail. | have
piles OF letters of good advice tell
ing me how to preach and how
not to preach, and the poorer the
syntax and etymolOgy the more
urgent the counsel. Letters dis
cussing theological points spelling
the word God with a small "g.'
Multitudes OF welcome letters o
encouragement, which are to mi
perpetual and everlasting help
and which 90 into the very tibe
of my immortal nature, and will b.
something to be glad about for al
eternity. Letters through whlcI
breathe tenderness and a patho
and beauty and power which
put in type and Disseminate
might bless all the world.
I say these things for two rea
, sons-one to excuse my unfaltt
fulness in postal correspondent
and the other as introduction t
the following suggestive commun
cation:
"DEAR SIR-I do not beliey
q much that you preach, but l al
, certain that you believe 1t all. I
f he a Christian | must believe tn
= Bible to be true. do not bellev
3 it. | go to hear you preach b'
; cause you preach the Bible as
Q was taught it in my youth by
9 father who, like yourself, believe
=. what, in the capacity Of a preache
Q he proclaimed. | have been fC
Q thirty-fve Yeas anxious to wal
r in the path my mother is treadin
}, confident in her simple faith.
0 have lived to see my chlldren's chi
r dren, and the distance that lies b
:. tween me and my real estate in Ii
| graveyard cannot be very grea
J. At my age 1t would be worse tina
4 folly to argue simply to confoun'
il or dispute merely for the love
e wrangllng. feel my breath gro'
It ing shorter, my steps more totte
J. ing, and am lost in the wilderness
d After stating many difficulties
:. the ninth chapter of Romans
% says:
$ 81 pray morning, noon, al
n night because | am afraid not
o pray. What shall | do that ha'
It not done so that 1 may see clearly
rSigned ONE OF THE CoNGR
CATION"
This letter excites all my syI
d pathies, for l have been in tn
!, ouagmlre, and | know how de-
r it is. A man may get into a mt
y bid state of mind and may belle
>" anything or disbelieve anythin
1t A student of DR.. Witherspoon car
le and SAID: "I believe everything
g imaginary. myself am only
a imaginary being" DR.. With'
IN spoon said to him: "Go down al
10 hit your head against the cole
10 door, and il you are imaginary a
III the door Is imaginary 1t won't hr
!. you." When a car gets on t
a track you may find it next mimi
Ie upside down or in splnters.
~ / notice there are no slurs at
10 ligion in this letter-the first lett
q. of the kind | ever saw. The III
he thing a man generally does af
ne turning his back upon Christian
bo :" is to spit in the face of Christ
d. carricaturing religion. But &
nd letter is respectful and reverenti
- l congratulate the author OF it
4, r. 49, ho hoI niona nara