The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1888-07-02
Lack of Faith in the Commercial
and Spiritual Worlds.
What Makes the Christian and the
Difference in Christians.
Why Christ is Comforter ant
Mans Best Friend.
The Lesson OF the Crucihxion-"Wnl
Mon Laugh in Heaven'" "The
One Altogether
Lovely"

CRETE, Neb., July To-day there is q
great outdoor meeting at this place-a
Chautauqua meeting-and people from all
parts are present. A sermon, by the Rev.
7. Dewitt Talmage, DID,, Is the principal
feature Of the occasion. Thereverendgen-
tleman's subject was, None Like Jesus"
lie took for his text, "Unto you, therefore,
which believe, he is precious" i. Peter,
H., z. Following is the sermon:
We had for many years in this country |
commercial depression. What was the |
matter with the storesY With the harvestsY |
With the people7 Lack Of faith. Money |
enough, goods enough, skillful brains
enough, industrious 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. ooh, says some one in
the audience, 81 have faith. l believe
that Christ came down TO save the world"
reply that in worldly matters when You
have faith you always act upon II. For
/ luhliiltt, ~ Il NOilh tilbW eVt ~ bho'hN''
operation by which you could make s., 900
you would Immediately 20 into II. You
would prove your faith in what tell you
by your prompt and Immediate action.
Now, IL what you call faith In Christ has
led you TO surrender your entire nature to
Jesus and TO corresponding action In your
life, Il is genuine faith, and II II has not, II
Is not faith at all.
There are some things which i believe
with the head. Then there arc other
: things which I believe with the heart.
, And then there are other things which
believe with the head and heart. be-
! lievc. for instance, that Cromwell lived.
II That II matter Of me head. Then theo
5 are other things which believe with the
. heart and not with The head. That n, /
D have no especial reason for believing
: them. and vet want 10 believe thcm. and
the wish Is the father 10 the expectation.
Z But there Is very great difference be-
: tween that which we believe about our
G selves, and that which we believe about
: others. For instanco, you Remembers. not
j a grea, while ago There was disaster IN
y PENNSYLVANIA amid the mines; there was
J. an explosion amid the damps, and many
| llNeN Mtft iutl III tnt htoihihk eVh
u picked up your newspapers, and saw that
h there had been a great disaster In Penn.
q sylyania. You said: "Ah, what n sad
= thing this il; how many lives lost o what
9 sorrowl" There had been an almost
Il miraculous effort 10 get those men out,
I and a few had been saved. 90" you
Is said, "what brave thing what grand
! thing that was How well u was done'
I Then YOU fold the paper up and sat down
! 10 your morning repasi. Your appetite
Q had not been inteTiefred with, and during
that day. perhaps, you thought only two
or three times OF the disaster. But sup
pose YOU and / had been In the mine,
and the diving had been all around us,
h and No had heard The pickaxcs Just above
a rs N they were trying 10 work their way
down, and after while we saw thv ngni
q and then the lilo bnckct LET down through
y the shaft, and sunocaicd and hall dead,
q we had inst strength enough 20 throw our.
b selves over into II, and had been hauled
r out into the light Then what an APP
probation we would have had OF the agony
and the darkness beneath. and the Joy oi
dcliycrancc. That Is the difference lie.
!" tween believing thing about others and
. believing Il about ourselves.
10 We take up tho Bible and read that
a Christ came 10 save the world. THAT
!, was beautiful" YOU say, "a fine specimen
. OF seli-denial That was very grand, In.
y deed" But suppose Il u found that We
le ourselves were down IN the mine Of Ein
!. and in the darkness, and Christ stretched
a down his arm OF mercy through the gloon
a and lifted us out Of the pit and sol ouI
= feet ON the Rock OF Ages and put a nov
= y song into our mouths. o, then II is q
= matter Of hand clapping Il Is matter o
congraiulaiion; II Is n matter Of deep emo
a tions. Which kind Of faith have you, my
:, brother3
- II is faith that makes Christian, and 4
N n the proportion Of faith that makes the
Il difference between Christians. What wa
~ :, Il that lifted Paul aud Luther and Paysor
!, aud Doddridgo above the ordinary loyo
u Of Christian charaeior7 II was tho sim
:, plicity, the bfiiliancy, the power and IN,
~ splcndor OF their faith q, that We had
so more Of III God pyc us more faith I,
~ preach and more faiIh 10 her. "lordl VI
I'M believe, help thou our unbclief" ''T,
=, YOU which believe. he is precious"
4" Fint-I remark Christ 10 precious I,
y the believer a. n Saviour from sin. 4
man says ITO whom are you talking1
am one of the most respectable men II
this ncighborhood; DO you call me sin
wv ner2p Ycsl Tho heart is deccitiu
all above all things and desperately wicked.
*, You say, "Iow do you know anything
IN about my heart3'' know that about u
he for God announces II In his word; an'
os what God says u always right. When
~ man becomes a Clsistisn, people say
g THAT man sets himself above u.s." q
70 no. Instead Of sitting himself up b
~, throws himself down. lie cries out. I"
hu was lost once, but nov ! am found.
20 was blind once, but now see. pros
~, traie myself at the foot Of the cross Of ia
", savior's mercy"
20 What gran thing Il is 10 feel that a
cl the bad words have ever uttered and a
co the bal deeds have ever done, and a
the bad thoughts that have gone throug
my mind are M though they had new,
e been, for the sake Of what Christ has dom
:, You know thero " q difference In stain
AZ Some can be washed out by water, b,
Of Others require chemical PREPARATION. III
In IN Of the heart Ia ~ black and indcliblc
&C. mark that no human application ca
ow cleanse Il, while the Jesus Chris, can was
tht Il out forever. q, the infinite, the on
the nipotcnt chemistry of the gospel. Sou
man says Il believe all tlat. belic'