The San Saba news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1873-1966, 1889-04-12
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINEs sun
DAY SERMON.
Subject: ISLANDERS Against Religion
Answered"

Subject: ISLANDERS Against Religion
Answered"
TEXT: "AHd I took the little book out Of
Tie angels hand, and ate Il up: and 10 tCds
IN my mouth slosst rs honey; and as soon
as i had eaten u nlV belly l1ds bitter. ARd
ne said unto me: Thou must prophesy
again before many peoples, and nations,
ana tongues. and kings Rev. L, 10-1L
Donitian, the Roman Emperor, had in his
realm troublesome evangelist who would
Keep preaching, and so he exiled him to a
barren island, as now the Russians exile con-
vets to Siberia, or as sometimes the English
Government used to send prisoners to Aus
tralia- The island l speak of is now called
fatmos, and is so larren and unproducttve
that its inhabitants live by fishing.
But one day the evangelist of whom
speak, sitting at the mouth Of q cavern on
the hillside, and perhaps half asleep under
the drone of the sea, has a supernatural
dream, and before him pass as in panorama,
time and eternity Among the strange
things that he saw was an angel with
little book in his hand, and in his
dream the evangelist asked for
this little book, and the angel gave it
to him, and told him to eat it up.
As in dream things are sometimes in
congrnous, the evangelist took the little book
and ate it up. The angel told him before
hand that it would be very sweet in the
mouth, but afterward he would be troubled
with indigestion. True enough, the evangel-
ist devOurs the book, and it becomes TO him a
sweetness during the mastication, but after
ward physical bitterness
Who the angel was and what the book was
no one can tell The commentators do not
agree, and shall take no responsibility of
Interpretation, but will tell you that
IL suggests to me the little book
OF creeds which skeptics take and chew
up and lind a very luscious morsel
TO their witticism, but after while it is to
lneh a great distress. The angel Of the
church hands out this little book Of evangel-
Ism, ana the antagonists of the Christian
Church take it and eat it up and it makes
them smile at first, but aftsrward it Is to
them dire dyspepsia.
. All intelligent people have creeds-that is,
Iayorlte theories which they have adopted.
Political creeds-that is theories about tariff,
ABOUT finance, about civil service, about
government Social creeds-that is, theories
ABOUT manners and customs and good neigh
oorhood. Asthetical creeds-that is theories
ABOUT tapestry, about bric-a-brac, about
Styles OF ornamentation. Religious creeds-
mat is, theories about the Deity, about the
soul, about the great future. The only being
'diot. This scozing against creeds IS always
a sign of profound Ignorance on the
part OF the scoffer, for he has
himself hundred creeds in regard TO other
.hlngs- In our time the beliefs of evangelis
&c churches are under fusilade of carlos
lure and Misrepresentation Men set up
what they call orthodox faith, and they rake
!, with the musketry of their denunciation.
l ney falSlfy what the Christian churches be-
ieve. They take evangelical doctrines and
'et them IN harsh and repulsive way, and
put them out Of the association with other
ruthS They are like a mad snatomist who,
ieslrlng TO tell what man is, dissects hu-
nan body and hangs up in one place the
ieart, and in another place the two lungs,
mo IN another place an ankle bone, and says
hat is man. They are only fragments of
places.
Evangelical religion is healthy, symetri- |
al we'll jointed, roseate, bounding life, and |
ne sealpel and the dissecting knife of the in
del or the atheist cannot tell you what it is
evangelical religion is as different from I
What 1t is represented to be by these enemies |
S the scarecrow which farmer puts in the /
ornheld to keep off the ravens is different |
rom the farmer himself
For instance, these enemies of evangelism /
ay that the Presbyterian Church believes 1
hat God IS a savage Sovereign, and that He .
made some men just to damn them, and that I
here are infants in hell span long. These
I'd SANDERS some down from generation TO
eneration. The Presbyterian Church be-
ieves no such thing The Presbyterian /
)hurch believes that God is a loving aud lust
sovereign, and that we are free agents.
No, no; that cannot be, y say these men who
ave chewed up the creed and have the con-
eQuent embittsred stomach. ssThat is iupos-
lblei II Tod Is Sovereign, we can't be free
gents Why, my friends, we admit this
a every other direction. l, De Witt Tai
lage, am a = Brooklyn. go
49, n Nss' please, but
fChurch
that is my
- mayor OF this
ity; he is my a.4e1icif1al sovereign The
Governor Of New York, he is nv State
1vereign. The President Of the United
tates; he is my national sovereign. Four
1vereigns have /. and yet in every faculty
{ body, mind and soul / am a free man. So.
GU see, 1t Is possible that the two doctrines
o side by side, and there is a common-sense /
-ay OF presenting it, and there is a way that
repulsive- If you have the two doctrines in
worldly direction, why not in a religious di-
sction If l choose tomorrow morning to
ak into the Mercantile Library and i'm
rove my mind, or TO 60 through
ne conservatory of nv friend at ia 4
rowing under the arches of glass, and who
as an aquarium all asquirm with trout and
old fish. and there are trees bearing /
ranges and bananas-if l want to go theirs,
could. am free to go. If l want to 90
yer to Hoboks1 and leap into a furnace Of
n oil factory, If l want to jump from the
lstform Of the Philadelphia express train,
/ want to leap from the Brooklyn Bridge,
may. But suppose I should go tomorrow
larar. - LI,t.. !
'ould DO to blame That is all there is
bout sovereignty and free agency. God
ules and reigns, and He has conservatories
nd He has blast furnaces. If you want 20
ak in the gardens, walk there If YOU
ant TO leap in the furnaces, you may.
Suppose now a man had charmed key
18th which he could open all the jails and
e should open Raymond Street Jail and the
ew ork fombs and all the prisons on the
1ntlnenG In three weeks what kind of a
ountry would this bel all the inmates
irned out of those prisons and penitentiar-
$ Suppose all the reprobates, the bad
1irits, the outrageous spirits, should be
lrned into the New Jerusalem. Why, the
ext morning the gates Of pearl would be
'und of hinge, the linchpin would be gone
1t OF the chariot wheels the ''houSe
many mansions would be burg
rized. Assault and battery, arson.
oertlnism and assassination would
SIDE IN the capital Of the skies. Angels of
cd would be insulted on the streets. Heaven
-ould be dead failure If there were no
reat lookup. If all people without regard
} their character when they leave this world
D right into glory-I wonder IL in the
nipple of the skies Charles Guitsau and
ohm Wilkes Booth occupy the same pewI
our common sense demands two destiniesi
nd then as to the Presbyterian Church be-
ewing there are infants in perdition, if Won
III bring me Presbyterian of good morals
I'd sound mind who win say that he believes
iere ever was baby in the lost world, or
YER will be, will make him deed to thu
ouse ! live in and he can take possession
,-mOrrow.
So the Episcopalian Church is misrepre.
nued by the enemies Of evangelism. Thew
y that church substitutes forms and cere.
onies for heart religion. and it is all a mat
r for liturgy and genuHexion False
sain. All Episcopalians viii tell you that
e forms and creeds Of their church ara
orse than nothing unless the heart 90 with
EN-
So also the Baptist Church has been mis-.
presented. The enemies of evangelism saw
e Baptist Church believes that unless n
An Is immersed he will uaver cot int