The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1891-08-20
THE WORLD A. LIAR.
If You Sell Yourself to It You.
Will Learn Its De-
ceit.
It Offers Money and Pleasures Tut
Requires Of You Your
Soul.

Talmage preached in this city. He
was warmly welcomed by the citizens
who came in large numbers to hear
the famous Brooklyn divine. The
subject OF the sermon was, "a Poor In
vestment," and the text Isaiah ill.,.
3: ''Yehave sold yourselves for nought;
and ye shall be redeemed without
money"
The Lords people have gone head
long into sin, and as a punishment
they had been carried captive to
Babylon. They found that iniquity
did not pay. Cyrus seized Babylon,
and felt sorry for the poor captives
that, without q dollar OF compensa-
ton, he let them go home. So that,
literally, my text was fulfilled: "Ye
have ldyourselve sfor nought;and We
shall be redeemed without money"
There is enough Gospel in this text
for SO sermons. There arepeoplc who
have, like the people of the text, sold
out. You do not seem to belong eth
er to yourselves, or to God. The title
deeds have been passed over to "the
world, the flesh and the devil" but
the purchaser never paid up. eye have
sold
YOURSELVES FOR NOUGHT"
When man passes himself over to
the world he expects to get some ade-
quate compensation. He has heard
the great things that the world does
for a man, and he believes it. He
wants two hundred and fifty thous-
and dollars. That will be horses and
houses, and a summer resort. and jol-
ly companionship. 10 get it he parts
with his physical health by overwork.
He parts with his conscience. He
parts with much do nestle enjoyment.
He parts with opportunities for liter
airy culture. He parts with his soul.
And SO he makes over his entire ma
ture to the world. He does it in four
installments. He pays down the first
installment, and one-fourth OF his ma
ture is gone. He pays down the Sec
ond lnstallment, and one-half Of his
nature is gone. He pays down the
third installment, and three quarters
OF his nature are gone; and after many
years have gone by he pays down the
fourth installment, and 10! Ris entire
nature is gone. Then he comes up to
the world and says: Woodworking,
l have delivered to you the goods. I
have passed over to you my body,
my mind, and my soul. and have
come now to collect the two hundred
and fifty thousand dollars gsTwo
hundred and fifty thousand dollars?''
says the world,
''wHAT DO YOU MEAN?"
'..Well,' you say, ~ come to collect
the money you owe me, and I expect
you to fulfill your part of the con-.
tract. !" But" says the world, 81
have failed. I am bankrupt. I can
not possibly pay the debt. Ihave
not for a long while expected to paw
it," "Well," you then say, "give me
back the goods" "0h, no" says the
world: '*they are all gone, Icannot
give them back to you" And there
you stand on the confines ofeternity,
your spiritual character gone, stagger-
ing under the consideration that ':You
have sold yourself for nought."
I tell you the world is liar; it does
not keep it's promises. 1t is cheat,
and it feeces everything it can put it's
hands on. It is a bogus world. It is
a six-thousand-year-old swindle.
Even. If it pays the two hundred and
fifty thousand dollars for which you
CONTRACTED, it pays them in bonds
that will not be worth anything in a.
little while. Just as a man may pay
down ten thousand dollars in hard
cash and get for it worthless scrip-so
the world passes over to you the
$3.50, 900 in that shape which will not
be worth farthing to you a thou
sandth part of a second after you are
dead. "Oh," you say, ''it will help to
bury me anyhow" Oh, my brother!
you need not worry about that. The
world will bury you soon enough.
FROM SANITARY CONSIDERATIONS.
But have some good news to tell
you, l want to engage in a litigation
for the recovery OF that soul OF yours,
l want to show that you have been
cheated out of it. I want to prove,
as will that you were crazy on that
subject, and that the world, under
such circumstances, had no right to
take the title-deed from you; and if
you will join me shall get decree
from the High Chancery Court of
Heaven reinstating you into the pos
session OF your soul. "Oh," you say,
II am afraid Of lawsuits; they are so
expensive, and I cannot pay the cost
Then have you forgotten the last half
of my text? eye havesold yourselves
for nought; and We shall be redeemed
without money"
Money is good for great MANY
things, but it can not do anything in
this matter Of the soul. You cannot
buy your way through. Dollars and
pounds sterling mean nothing at the
gate OF mercy. If you could buy your
salvation, heaven would be a great
speculation, an extension OF Wall
street. Bad men would go up and buy
out the place, and leave us to shift
for ourselves. But as money is not a
lawful tender, what is? I will answer:
Blood! Whose? Are we to go through
the slaughter? Oh, no; it wants richer.
h1n06 than - ID