The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-08-10
AVERYPOORINVESTMENT
HS~ TALMAGE BREACHES FROM
ISAIAH LII, 3.


Money"-The World Does Not Keep
Its Promises-Heaven Trying to Bid
in Your SouI-Accept the Price of
Your Liberation and be Saved.
Topeka. KAN. Aug .9-Dr. Talmage
reached shis city yesterday in the course Of
his westera trip. He was warmly well
coined by the cit zsns, who came in large
plumbers to hear the famous Brooklyn
divine The subject OF the sermon for this
week is, "A Poor Investment" and the text
Isaiah lii, s: aye have sold yourselves for
nought, and ye shall be redeemed without
money"
The Lords people had gone headlong
into sin, and as punishment they had
been carried captive TO Babylon. They
found that iniquity did not pay. Cyrus
seized Babylon and felt so sorry for THESE
poor captives that, without dollar of oOm-
pensation, he let them 20 home; 80 thab5s
literally my text was fulfilled: "Ye have
sold yourselves for nought, and ye shall be
redeemed without money"
There ia enough gospel In this text for
fifty sermons. There are persons here who
have, like the people Of the text, sold out.
You do not seem TO belong either to your
selves OF to God. The titledeeds have been
passed over 10 "the world, the flesh aud toe
DEVIL" but the purchaser never paid up.
~ o have sold yourselves for nought."
When q man passes himself over to the
world he expects to get some adequate conn
pensAtion. He has heard the great things
that the world does for a man, and he be-
lieves 1t. He wants $3.50, 900. That will ba
horses and houses, and a summer resort, and
jolly companionship. To got it he parts
with his physical health by over
work. lie parts with his conscience He
80 .wgH1 a
ment. he parts with opportunities for lit.
orary culture. He parts with his soul. And
so he makes over his entire nature to the
world. He does 1t In four installnents. He
pays down the first installment, aud one
fourth OF his nature IL gone. He pays down
the second installmens, ana one-half of his
nature is gone. He pays down the third
ins allmenE and three-quarters Of his nature
are gone; and after many years have gone
by he pays down .1he fourth installment,
and lol his entireShature Ia gone. Theu he
comes up to the world and says:
GOOD morning. L have delivered TO you
the goods. / have passed over 10 you
my body. my mind and my soul, aud I
havo come now to COLLECT the two hundred
and fifty thousand dollars" 1.-TWO hum
| dred and fifty thousand dollarsP' WELL"
you say, 81 come TO collect the money you
owe nae, and / expect you to fulfill your
part of the contract." But" says the
| Il
cannot possibly pay that dsbt. have not
for a long while expected to pay it."
| "Well,p you then say, "give me back the
| goods" 10, no, says the world, "they are
all gone. / cannot give them back TO you"
And there you stand on the confines Of eter-
nifty, your spiritual character gone, stag
| gerinR under the consideration thai you
have sold yourself for nought."
| tell you the world is a liar; il does no5
keep its promises. IL is cheat, and ID
fieeces everything IL can put its hands on.
It is a bogus world. 1t 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 little while.
Just as a man msy pay down ten thousand
dollars In hard cash and get for 1t worthless
! scrip-so the world passes over to you the
two hundred and fifty thousand dollars in
that shape, which will not be worth a
farthing to you a thousandth part of
second after you are dead. "O," you say.
''it will help to bury me, anyhow" 0, my
| brotherl you need not worry about that.
| The world will bury you soon enough, from
sanitary considerations.
Post-mortem emoluments are OF no use
| to you The treasures OF this world will
not pass current in the future world; and il
oil the wealth of the Bank of England
were put in the pocket of your shroud, and
you In the midst Of the Jordan of death
were asked TO pay three cents for your fer
riage, you could not do 1t. There comes q
moment in your existence beyond which all
earthly values fail; and many man has
wakened up in such a time to find that he
has sold out for eternity, and has nothing to
show for it. l should as soon think CT going
to Chatham street to buy silk pocket-hand-
kerchiefs with no cotton in them as to go to
this world expecting to find any permanent
happiness. 1t has deceived and deluded evs
mi Vgh N haa r,ttt 1af
History tells us of one who resolved that
he would have all his senses gratiasd at one
and the same time, and be expended thous
sands OF dollars on each sense. He entered
room, and there were the first musicians
OF the land pleasing his ear, and there were
fine pictures fascinating his eye, and there
were costly aromatics regaling his nostril,
and there were the richest meats and wines
and fruits, and confections, pleasing the ap~
petite, and there was soft couch of sinful
| indulgence on which he reclined; and the
man declared afterward that he would give
ten times what he had given If he could
nave one week OF such enjoyment, even
| though he lost his soul by itl Ahl that was
the rubl He did lose his soul by It'll Cyrus
| the conqueror thought for little while that
he.was making a fine thing out Of this
world, and yet before he came to his grave
he wrote out this pitiful epitaph for his
monument: 81 am Cyrus; occupied the
Persian Empire; l was king over Asia,
Begrudge me not this monument" But the
world in after years plowed up his sepulohre.
The world clapped its hands and stamped
its feet in honor Of Charles Lamb; but what
does he sayl 81 walk I'D and down. think
ing l am happy, but feeling l am not" Call
the roll and be quick about it. Samuel
johnson. the leaFnedl Happyl "No. | am
afraid shall some day get crazy" William
Hazlitt, the greatest essayistl Happyi
| mo. l have been for two hours and half
| going up and down Paternoster row with a
volcano in my breast Smallet. the witty
author Happyl mo. l am sick OF
praise and blame, and l wish to God that
had such circumstances around me that 1
could throw my pen into oblivion" Buch.
anan the world renowned writer, exiled
from his own country, appealing to Henry
! VIII for protectionl Happyl mo. Over
mountains covered with snow, and through
! va!leys flooded with rain, come fugi-
/ tive.n Moliere, the popular dramatic
| author! Happy! "No That wretch of
| an actor lust now recited four of my lines
without the proper accent and gesture To
| have the children OF my brain so hung.
| drawn and quartered, tortures me like q
condemned spirit"
l went to se wording die. As went
| into the hall l saw its floor was tessellated.
aud its wall was picture gallery. found
his death chamber adorned with tapestry
until it seemed as if the clouds of tue setting
, sun had settled in the room. The man had
given forty years to the world-his wit, his
Il Ls, al. =