Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1891-08-07
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINES SUN
DAY SERMON
Subject: opportunities fog Chris
tians." preached at o1adi-
son, Wisl


come for her TO present petition TO her in
famous husband in behalf OF the Israelitish
nation to which she had once belonged. She
was afraid TO undertake the work lest she
should lose her own life; but her uncle, Nor
decai, who had brought her up, encouraged
her with the suggestion that probably she
had been raised up of God for that peculiar
mission. who knoweth whether thou art
come to the kingdom for such a time as
this" Esther had her God-appointed work:
you and have ours. 1t is my business to
tell you what style OF people We ought to be
In order that we may meet the demand of
the age in which God has cast our lot. II you
have C )me expecting TO hear distractions
discuss ed or dry technicalities of religion
gioriiied, you have come to the wrong place:
but X you really would like to know what
this age has a right to expect of you as
Christian men and women, then am ready
In the Lords name to look you in the face.
When two armies have rushed into battle
the officers of either army do not want phil
Osophical discussions about the chemical
properties OF human blood or the nature of
gunpowder. They want some one to man
the batteries and swab out the guns And
now, when all the forces of light and dark
ness, of heaven and hall, have plunged into
the fight, it is no time 20 give ourselves to
the definitions and formulas and technicali-
ties and conventiOnalities of religion. What
we want is practical, earnest, concentrated,
enthusiastic and triumphant help What we
need in the East you in Wisconsin need.
In the first place. in order to meet the
special demand of this age you need to be
an Enthusiastically aggressive Christian. Or
half and half Christians we do not want any
more. The church of Jesus Christ will be
better without ten thousand of them. They
are the chief obstacle to the church's adj
vancement. l am speaking of another kind
OF Christian. All the appliances for your
becoming earnest Christian are at your
hand, and there is straight path for you in
to the broad daylight of Gods forgiveness.
You may have come here to-day the bonds
men of tie world, and yet before YOU 90 out
OF these doors you may become the princes
of the Lord God Almighty. You know what
excitement there is in this country when a
foreign prince comes to our shores Why?
Because it is expected that some day he will
tit upon a throne. But what is all that
honor compared with the honor to which
God calls you-to be sons and daughters of
the Lord Almighty; yea, to be queens and
kings unto God! ''They shall reign with
Him forever and forever"
But, my friends you need not be aggres-
slve Christians, and not like those persons
VINO spend their lives in hugging their Chris
tan Grac2s and wondering why they do not
make any progress. How much robustness
OF health would man have il he hid him
self III dark closet? A great deal of pietv
OF the day is too exclusive It hides itself.
1t needs more fresh air, more outdoor exer-
else. There are many Christians who are
giving their entire life to self examination
They are feeling their pu sas to see what is
the condition or their spiritual health How
long would a man have robust physical health
II me Kept all the days ana weeks and months
and years Of his life feeling his pulse instead
OF going out into active, earnest. everyday
work?
was once amid the wonderful, bewitch-
ing cactus growths of North Carolina |
never was more bewildered with the beauty
OF flowers, and yet when I would take up
one of these cactuses and pull the leaves
no on 1fTTTS
hardly tell that it had ever been flower.
And there are great many Christian peo-
pie In this day just pulling apart their
Christian experiences to see what there is
In them, and there is nothing attractive
left. This style OF SELF examination is a
damage instead of an advantage to their
Christian character. | remember when
was boy used to have a small piece in
the garden that I called my own, and
planted corn there, and every few daysI
would pull it up to see how fast it was
growing. Now, there are a great many
Christian people in this day whose self ex-
animation merely amounts to the pulling
up OF that which they only yesterday or
the day before planted.
Oh, my friends! if you want to have
staiwart Christian character, plant it right
out OF doors in the great field of Christian
usefulness, and though storms may come
upon 1t, and though the hot sun of trial may
try to consume it, IL will thrive until it be-
comes a great tree. in which the fowls o.
heaven may have their ha5itation. [ have
no patience with tneSe f1oWerpo6 Christians.
They keep themselves under shelter and all
their Christian experience III a small, eXc.u-
Slve circle, when they ought TO plant it in
the great garden o. the Lord, so tnaJ the
whole atmosphere could be aromatic with
their Christian usefulness What we want
in the church of God is more Drawn o. pietv.
The century plant is wonderfully Sugges-
tive and wonderfully beautiful but / never
look at 1t without thlnnln- OF its parSinOuV
IL lets Whole generations go by before it puts
forth one blossom; 50 l have really
more heartfelt admiration when l see
the aewy tears in the blue eyes OF
the yIoIets, for they come every spring. My
Christian friends time is going by so rap
idly that cannot afford to be idle.
A recent StatiStlclan says that human life
now has an average of only thlrty-two years
From these thirtv-two years you must sub
tract all the time you take for sleep and the
taking of food and recreation; that will leave
you about sixteen years. From those 81 xteen
years you must subtract all the time YOU are
necessarily engaged in tue earning of liveiI-
hood; that will leave you about eight yearS.
From those eight years you must take all the
days and weeks anG months-all the length
OF time that is passed in childhood and sick
ness, leaving you about one year in when to
work for God. On, my soul, wake up! How
darest thou sleep in harvest time and with
few hours in which to reap? So that i state
it as simple fact that all the time shat the
vast m iority of you will have for the
elusive service of God viii be less than one
year!
But" says some man, II literally support
the Gospel, ana the church is open and the
Gospel preached; all the spiritual advau-
tages are spread before men, aud if they
want TO be saved let them come AMI ba
saved: have discharged all my response
biity." All! is that the Masters spirit? Is
there not an old Book somewhere that COM
,lS 70 inf ha Iph