The Brookhaven leader., 1888-05-17
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
The Value Of Mans Soul Compared
With that of the World.
The Difference to he Measured by the
InestlmabIe Price Paid for the
Former I'm the Sacrifice
Upon Calvary.

by Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage for a recent
sermon in Brooklyn Tabernacle. His text
was:
What shall st profit man, II he shall gain
the whole world, and lose his own soul!-Mark
witt, &c.
am accustomed, Sabbath by Sabbath,
TO stand before an audience of bargain
makers. There may be men in all occu-
pattons sitting before me, yet the vast ma
yority 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 this? What is the value of
that%' 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 five dollars.
II you had property that was
worth fifteen thousand dollars, you would
nor sell it for four thousand dollars. You
are intelligent in all matters of bargain
making. Are you as wise in the things
that pertain 10 the matters of the soul?
Christ adapted his instructions to the cir
CumstanCPs of those to whom he spoke.
When he talked to fishermen, he spoke of
the Gospel net. When he talked to the
farmers he said: a sowcr 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 morn
ing to an audience Of bargain makers,
this, address them in the words Of my
text, asking:
What shall it profit a man. If he shall gain
the WhOlp world and lose his own S0ulS
propose, as far as possible, TO estimate
and compare the value of two properties
First, have to say that the world is q
very grand property. It's 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 hayward child, indeed;
1t has wandered off through the heavens.
But about 1888 years ago, one Christmas
night, God sent ont a sister world 10 call
that wanderor back. and it hing over
Bethlehem only long enough to get the
promise of the wanderers return; and
now that lost world, with soft feet of
light, comes treading back through the
heavens. The hills, how beautiful they bill
low up the edge of the wave white with
the foam of crocuses! How beautiful the
rainbow, the arched bridge on which
anu tttl III tOIiiF anu t'tAh " Ntl' II
other in tears, after the storm is oyer!
How nimble the feet of the lamplighters
who in few minutes set all the dome OF
the night ablaze with brackets of fire!
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 hair. l wonder who it Is
that beats time on a June morning for the
bird orchestra. How gently the harebell
tolls its fragrance on the air! There may
be grander worlds, swarthicr worlds,
larger worlds than this; bat ] think that
this is most exquisite world-a mig
nonette on the bosom of immensely!
"Oh," you say, "fake my soul! give me
that world, / am willing to take il in ex-
change. am ready now for the bargain.
1t is so beautiful a world, 50 sweet world,
30 grand a world"
But let us look more miuutely into the
value of this world. You will not buy
property unless you can get good title
to it. After you have looked at the prop
erty and found out that it suits you, you
send an attorney to the public Office and
he examines the book of deeds, and the
book of mortgages. and the book of judg-
ments, and the book of liens, and he de-
cides W neither the title is good before you
might be splendid property, and in
every way exactly suited to your want;
but if you can not get good title, you
will not take it. Now, I am here
this morning 10 say that it is
impossible to get q good title to this
world. If | settle down upon it, in the
very year l so settle down upon it as
permanent possession, l may be driven
away from ii. Aye, in five minutes after
give up my soul for the world | may have
TO part with the world; and what kind of
title do you call that? There is onlyone
way in which can hold an earthly pos
session, and that is through the senses.
All beautiful sights through the eye, but
the eye may be hlotted out; all captiyat-
ing sounds through the ear, but my ear
may be deafened; all righteousness Of
fruits and viands through my taste, but
my taste may become destroyed, all APP
probation of culture and of art through
my mind, but | may lose my mind. What
frail hold, then, l have upon any earthly
possession!
In courts of law, if you want TO get q
man off property you must serve upon
him a writ of ejeCtment, giving him a GER
tain time TO YaCate the premises; but
when death comes to us and serves writ
of eiectment, he does not give rs one Sec
ond of forewarning. He says:
"Off of this place! You have no right
any longer in the possession" We might
cry out:
81 gave you one hundred thousand dol
lars for that prOperty;" the plea would be
of no avail. We might say:
"We have warranty deed for that
property" the plea would be OF no avail.
We might say:
1--WE have lien on that store house,"
that would do us no good Deaths blind,
and he can not see Il 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.
Having examined the title of proper
", your next question is about insurance.
You would not be silly enough to buy a
large warehouse that could not possibly
be insured. You would not have any
thing to do with such property Now,
ask you what assurance can you give me
that this world is not going to be burned
up? Absolutely none. Biologists tell us
that it is already on fire; that the heart of
the world is one great living coal; that it
is just like ship on fire at sea, the flames
not bursting out because the matches are
kept down. And yet you propose TO palm
off on me, in return for my soul, a world
for which, in the first place, you give no
title, and in the second place, for which
you can give no insurance. Oh" you
4la g hn will HIr1lsi 4,