Dodge City times., 1889-05-30
A POISONED DINNER.
SUBJECT OF DIR. TALMAGE'S TABER-
NACLE SERMON.

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SUBJECT OF DIR. TALMAGE's TABER
NACLE SERMON.
Parallel Drawn Between the Past and the
Present-The CoIoquintida Of Mighty
Tempta.ion-Caldrons of Iniquity to lie
Found Every where in Modern Life
The Rev. T. De Witt Talmage, ID. D.,
preached at the Brooklyn Tabernacle
Sunday to n vast congregation. His
subject was a Poisoned Dinner, and
his text ii Kings iv, 40: so they poured
out for the men to eat And it came to
pass, as they were eating ofthe pottage,
that they cried ont, and said. thou
man cf God, there is death in the pot.
And they could not eat thereof.
Elisha had gone down to lecture to
the students in the theological semln-
ary at Gilgal. He found the students
very hungry, as students are very apt to
be. 1t is very seldom the world makes
large provisions for those who give
themselves to intellectual toll. In order
that these students may be prepared to
hear what Elisha says, he first feeds
their hunger. He knew very well 1t is
useless to talk, to preach, to lecture
with hungry men.
So Elisha, recognizing this common
sense principle, which every Christian
ought to recognize, sends servants out
to get food for these hungry students.
They pick mp some good, healthful
herbs. but they happen to pick up also
coloquintida, a bitter, poisonous, DEATH
full herb. They bring all these herbs,
they put them into the boiling pot, they
stir them up, and then portion of this
feod is brought to the students and
their professors. Seated at the table,
one of the hungry students begins i'm
mediately to eat, and he happens to get
bold of some of the coloquintida. He
knew it by the taste. He cries out:
Poison, poison, o thou man of God,
there is death in the pot" Consterna-
tion is thrown over the whole group.
What fortunate thing it was that this
student was so early found the colo
Guintida in the mixture at the table.
You will by reference find :his story is
precisely as / have mentioned it.
Well, in our day there are great cal
drons of sin and death. Coloquintida
of mighty temptation is pressed into 1t.
Some dip it out, and taste, and eject it
and live. Others dip it ont, taste it,
keep on and die. And it is the business
of every minister of religion and every
man who wishes well to the human race,
and who wants to keep the world back
from its follies and its sufferings, to cry
out: Beware, poison, poison. Look
out for this caldron, Stand back! Be-
ware!"
Sin has done an awful work in our
world. 1t has gone out through all the
ages, it has mixed up great caldron of
trouble and suffering and pain, and the
whole race is poisoned-poisoned III
body, poisoned in mind, poisoned in
soul. But blessed be God that the Cos
pei of Jesus Christ is the antidote, and
where there was sin there shall be par
don, and where there was suffering
there shall be comfort, and where there
was death there shall be life.
Some time ago, you will remember,
persuaded you of the Importance of be-
ing charitable in judgment of others.
At the same time 1 said to you briefly
what this morning l wish to say with
great emphasis, that while we sympa-
thize with the sinner we must denOunce
the sin, that while We pity the unfortu-
nate We must be vehement against trans
gression. Sin is a Jagged thing that
needs to be roughly handled. You have
no right to garland it with fine phrases
or lustrous rhetoric, You cannot catch
q buffalo with a silken lasso.
A group of emigrants settle in wild
region. The next day wild beast comes
down from the mountain and carries Off
another child. Forthwith all the neigh
bors band together, and they go out with
torch in one hand and gun in the other
to hunt these monsters down, to find
their hiding place, to light up and ran
sack the caverns, and to destroy the in
vaders of their houses. So We want
now not merely to talk about the sins
and follies of the world, We want to go
behind them, back of them. Down into
the caverns where they hide We need to
go with the torch of Gods Word in one
hand and the sword of Gods eternal
Spirit in the other to hunt out and slay
these iniquities in their hiding places.
Or, to come back to the figures suggested
by my text, We want to find what are
the caldrons of sin and death from
which the iniquities of society are
dipped out.
L. In the first place, 1 remark: that
unhappy and und;sciplined homes are
the caldrons of great iniquity. Parents
harsh and cruel on the one hand. or on
the other hand loose in their govern
ment, wickediy loose in their govern
ment, are raising up a generation of
vipers. home where scOlding and
fretfulness are dominant is blood reia-
tion to the gallows and the penitentiary!
Petulance is n serpent that crawis up
into the family nursery sometimes and
crushes everything. Why, there are
parents who even make religion dis
gusting to their children, They scold
them for not loving Christ. They have
an exasperating way of doing their duty
The house is full of the war whoop of
contention, and from such a place hus-
band and sons go out to die.
Oh, is there a Hagar leading away
Ishmael into the desert to be smitten of
the thirst and parched of the sand? In
the solemn birth hour voice fell to
thee from the throne of God, saying:
Take this child and nurse it for me,
and ] will give thee thy wages" At
even time, when the angels of God
hover over that home, do they hear the
children lisping the name of Jesus? o
traveller for eternity, your little ones
gathered under your robes, are you lead
ing them on the right road, or are you
taking them out on the dangerous wind |
ing bride path, off which their mex
perienced feet may slip, and up which |
comes the bowling of the wolf and the |
sound of loosened ledge and tumbling |
avalanche? Blessed is the family altar !
at which the children kneel. Blessed is |
the cradle in which the Christian mother |
rocks the Christian child. Blessed is |
the song the little ones sing at night |
fall when sleep is closing the eyes |
and loosening the hand from the toy or |
the pillow. Blessed is that mother |
whose every heart throb is prayer for
her children's welfare.
The world grows old, and the stars
will cease to illuminate it, and the |
waters to refresh it, and the mountains
to guard it. and the Heavens to over
span it. and its long story of sin and |
shame and glory and triumph will soon
turn to ashes; but influences that started |
In the early home roll on and roll up
through ali eternity-blooming in all |
the joy, waving in all the triumph. ex-
ulting in all the song, or shrinking back
into all the darkness. Father, mother,
which way are you leading your chill