The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1890-03-19
OLD CREEDS
Nay Weaken Our Chances for .
Home In Heaven. 4


Ths Maa whs Heartily Accepts Christ & .
Christtan- OthsFwiss He IL Not. and
Thst's All There Il IL lt-Tal.
nsgs's Sermon.
At the Tabernacle Sunday morning
Rev. T. Dewitt Talmsge, D. D., said he
thought the new Brooklyn Tabernacle
would be dedicated in September, and
the idea would be carried out Of build
ing the church by subscription to the
Christian Herald, Of which he has be-
come editor, all the subscriptions up to
$50, 900 to be paid to Mr.. John Wood,
treasurer Of the Tabernacle, Fulton
street, near Concord, Brooklyn. The
subject Of his discourse was Revision
Of Creeds," and he took for his text
John XII. A: Loose him, and let him
CO." DR.. Talmage said:
Ny Bible IL, at the place Of this text,
written all over with iead-pencil marks
made last December at Bethany on the
ruins Of the house Of Mary and Martha
and Lazarus. We dismounted from our
horses ON the way up from Jordan to the
Dead Sea. Bethany was the summer
evening retreat Of Jesus After spend
ing the day in the hot city Of Jerusalem
he would come out there slmost every
evening to the house Of his three
friends. think the occupants OF that
house were orphans, for the father and
mother are not mentioned. But the
son and two daughters must have
inherited property, Tor II must
have been, judging from what
saw OF the foundations and size OF
the rooms, IN opulent home. Lazarus,
the brother, was now the head OF tho
household, and his sisters depended ON
him and were proud OF him, for he was
very popular and everybody liked him,
and these girls were splendid girls.
Martha . ffst-rate housekeeper and:Mary
. spirituelle, somewhat dreamy, but AZ
fectionate, and a. good girl - could be
found in all Palestine. But one day
Lazarus got sick. The sisters were IN
condensation. Father gone and mother
gone, they feel very nervous lest they
lose their brother also. Disease did It's
work quick. How the girls hung over
his pillowl Not much sleep about that
house, no sleep at all. From the char
acteristics otherwhere developed judge
that Martha prepared the medicines, and
made tempting dishes Of food for the
poor appetite Of the sufferer, but Mary
prayed and sobbed. Worse and worse
gets Lazarus, until the doctor announces
that he can do no more. Tho shrek
that went up from that. household whom
the last breath had been drawn and the
two sisters were being led by symps-
thisers into tho adjoining room, all
those Of US can imagine who have had
our own hearts broken.
But why was not Jesus there a. no 90
often hes been? Far away in the coun-
try districts preaching, healing other
sick, how unfortunate that this omnip.
otent Doctor had not been q that do
nestle crisis in bethany. When ct last
Jesus arrived IN Bethany. Larasus had
been buried four days and dissolution
had taken place. In that climats the
brcathless body disintcgrates moro
rapidly than IN ours. II, immediately
after decease, that body had been swak-
ened into life, unbolievcrs might have
said that he was only In . comatose
state, or in sort Of trance. and BY some
vigorous manipulation or powerful stim-
ulsnt vitality had boen renewed. No!
-Four DAYS dead. At the door OF the
sepulcher Is crowd OF people, but the
three most memorable are Jesus, who
was the family friend. And the two be-
reft sisters. We went into the tradi'
tional tomb IN December, and 1t Is deep
down and dark, and with torches we ex'
plored It, we found IT all quiet that af.
ternoon OF our visit but tho day spoken
OF IN the Bible there was present
~ excited multitude. wonder
what Jesus Will 40? he ordcrs the
door OF the gravc removed
and then He begins TO descend the steps,
Mary and Martha close after Him, and
the crowd after them. Deeper down
into the shadows And deeper! The hot
tears OF Jesus roll over HIS checks and
splash upon the back OF his hands.
Were ever 90 many sorrows compressed
Into 20 small space % In that group
pressing on down after Christ all the
time bemoaning that He had not come
before? Now oil the whispering. and
oil the crying, and All the sounds Of
shufhing feet are stopped. II 10 the. 81.