The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1891-01-24
PLEADING WITH SINNERS
a Stirring Revival Discourse By
Rev. r. Dewitt Talmage.
the Great Inviting Word OF the Christian
hehsion-"Come'-Room For All in the
sssionrTs, Fold-Peace For All
the World.

En o"HfoAF y Folu-Reace For All
the World.
In u recent ermo at Brooklyn DR..
IalInag chose for his text, Come"
Genesi3, ri. is. Come" Revelations
XIII lB Following is the
Imperial, tender and all persuasive is
this word t'Ctrae." Six hundred and
s~eventS-eight times is it found in the
scriptures. II stands at the front gate
OF the Bible asin my first text, inviting
antediiuvitars into Noah's ark, and it
stands at n other gate of the Bible as
In my second text, inviting the post
diluvians into the ark of a Saviour's
mercy t.Gone'' is only a word of four
letters. but IL is the queen of words,
and nehrly tile entire nation of English
vocabulary bows to it's scepter. 1t is
an ocean Into which empty ten thousand
rivers or meaning. Other words drive,
but this beclSons. All moods of feeling
hath that pyord Come" Sometimes it
weeps and sometimes it laughs. Some
times II pz7ays, sometimes it tempts, Inc
something's IL destroys. 1t sounds from
h door OF the church and from the
seraglios Of sin, from the gates Of Heaven
and tbs gates Of hell. 1t is confident
and acc<ese'snt of all power. 1t is the
heiress of most of the past and almoner
OF most OF this future. Come" You
may pronounce it so that all the heav-
ems Will be heard in it's cadences, or pro-
nounce Il 80 that all the woes of time
and etsrnitY shall reverberate in its one
syllable 1t is on the top lip of saint
and proiiigate, 1t is the mightiest of
all solicitants either for good or bad.
To-day ] weigh anchor, and haul in
the planss. and set sail on that great
word. although ( am sure l will not be
] to reach the further shore. l will
let down the tafhoming line into this
sea and try to measure its depths, and,
though l tie together all the cables and
cordaEe ] have GA board, l will not be
able to touch bottom. All the power
OF the Chrittian religion Is in that word
Come The dictatorial and COM
mandatory in religion is of no avail.
The Imperative mood Is not the appro-
pirate mooS when we would have peo-
pie sayinglS impressed. They may be
coaxed, but they can not be driven. Our
hearts are like Our homes; at a friendly
knock the door will be opened, but an
attempt to force open our door would
land the assailant in prison. Our theo-
logical s~eIninnries, which keep young
men three years in their curriculum be-
fore launching them into the ministry,
will do.wel II In SO short a time they
can teach the candidates for the holy
Office how to say with right emphasis
and intonation and power that one
word-tsCone!" That man who has
such efficiency IN Christian work, and
that woman who has such power to
persuade people TO quit the wrong and
begin the right, went through a series
o losses, bereevements, prosecutions
and the trtals of twenty or thirty years
bsfore theS coEld make it a triumph of
grace every time they uttered the word
~Come.,s
You nust remember hat in many
cases cur Come" has a mightier
Some to- conquer before it has any
effect at all Just give me the accurate
census, the statistics of how many are
down III fraud. in drunkenness, In
gambling, la irapurity or in vice of any
sort, AMI l will give you the accurate
census or statistics of how many nave
been SHIN by the word Some" 'Come
4hd click wine glasses with me at this
ivory bar 's9ome and see what we
can win at this gaming table," Come,
tsAnter with me This doubtful specula-
ton" Come vtth me and read those
infidel tracts on Christianity" "Come
with ms to a place of bad amusement"
"Come vita me in a gay bout through
underground New York"
II in this city there are 20, 900 who are
down IN nparaI character, hen 20, 600
fell under the power of h word
Some Iwas reading of a wife whose
husband had beer overthrown by strong
drink, ard she went to the saloon where
he was rnirred, and she said: ''Give me
my husbans." And the bartender,
pointing to n maadlin and battered man
drowsinG in the :corner of the barroom,
said: 'si'hefe he is; Jim, wake up;
here's your wife come for you" And
the woman said DO you call that my
husbande What have you been doing
with himP Is that the manly brow? Is
that the clear eye? Is hat the heart
that ! m,arrsed? What vile drug have
you given him tbct has turned him into
n fend? Take your tiger claws OFF of
him. Uncoil those serpent folds of evil
habit thGt are crushing him. Give me
back my husband, the one with whom
/ stood az the altar ten years ago. Give
him back 10 me-" Victim was he, as
millions of Others have been, of the
word "Cemsr
Now VIC want ell the world over TO
harness this wore for good rs others
have harnessed it for evil and it will
draw the Ave continents and the seas
between them; yea, it will draw the
ole earth back TO the God from whom
Jas wandered. It Is hat wooing and
.rsuasive word that win lead men TO
give up their aims. Was skepticism
ever brought into love of the truth by
an ebulitlon Of hot words against inf
deity? Was ever the blasphemer
stopped Ia hiB oasts by denunciation Of
blasphemyP Was ever a drunkard
weaned from his cups by the temper
nnce lecturers Inimicry of staggering
steps and hiccoligh? No. It was:
..Come wish line to church to-day and
hear unr tdnEEiSr;l' Come and let me
introdnc<sy6tNto ID Christian man whom
hou win ~ sure to ADMIRE ''Come
with me into associations that are
cheerful and good and inspiring;"
"Come with me into Joy such as you
never before experienced"
With that word which has done 80
much for others ! approach you to-day.
Are you all right with God2 mo-" you
say, at think ! ara not; | am sometimes
alarmed when ] think Of Him; l fear
will not be ready to meet Him In the
last day; my heart is not right with
God" Come then and have 1t made
right. Through the Christ who died to
save you, come! What Is the use in
waiting? The longer you wait the
further off you are and the deeper you
are down. Strike out for Heavenl o
remember that a few years ago q
steamer called the Princess Alice, with
n crowd Of exc~ursionists aboard, sank
in the Thames, and there was an awful
sacrifice OF life, A boatman from the
shore put out for the rescue, and he had
a big boat, and he got it so full it would
not hold another person, and as he laid
hold Of the oars tn pull for the shore,
leaving hunHfeds helpless and drown
ing. he erisd put: 10, that / had a big
ger boatis THANK God ! am not linn
tied. and that / can promise room for
All ID this gospel boat. Get in; get inl
And yet there is room. Room in the
heart Of y psrdorring God. Room in
Heaven.
i also apply the word of my text to
those who would Else practical comfort.
II any ever escape line struggle OF lfe,I
have not found tntsm. They are not