Connecticut western news., 1891-08-13
CHEATED BY THE WORLD
DR. TALMAGE BREACHES A POWER
 fUL SERMON AT TOPEKA

"Ye Have Sold Yourselves for Naught;
 and Ye Shall Re Redeemed Without
 Money"-A Bad Bargain Which Christ's
 Blood Alone Will Right.
 TOPEKA, Kan, Aug g. Dr, Tal mage reached this city yesterday in the course of his western trip He WAS warmly welcomed by the citizens, who came in large numbers to hea, the fa nous Brooklyn divine The subject of the sermon for this week is, "A Poo, Investment, and the text Isaiah lii, 3 "Ye have sold yourselves for naught and ye shall be redeemed without money"
 The Lords people had gone head long into sin. and us a punishment they had been carried captive to Babylon They found that niqnity did not pay Cyrus seized Babylon. and felt so sorry for these poor captives that, without dollar of compensation, he let them go home So that, literally my text was fulfilled ''Ye have sold yourselves for naught; and ye shall be redeemed without money
 There is 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 be long either 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. "Ye have sold yourselves for naught."
 THR WORLD NEVER PAYS ITS DEBTS.
 When a 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 man, and he believes it. He wants two hundred and fifty thousand dollars That will be horses and houses, and a summer resort, and jolly companion ship To get it he parts with his phys ical health by overwork He parts with his conscience He parts with much domestic enjoyment. He parts with opportunities for literary culture. He parts with his soul And so he makes over his entire nature to the world.
 He does it in four installments. He pays down the first installnent. and one-fourth of his nature is gone. He pays down the second installment, 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 lol his entire nature is gone Then he comes up to the world and says "Good morning. have delivered to you the goods, have passed over to you my body. my mind and my soul two hundred and fifty thousand dol lars" 1.-Two hundred and fifty thou sand dollars2" says the world
 What do you mean9' .'Well," you say, "I come to collect the money you owe me, and expect you to fulfill your part of the contract. "But," says the world, II have failed. 1 am bankrupt I cannot possibly pay that debt have not for long while expected to pay it." We'll" you then say, 'give ne back the goods. "Oh, mo-" says the world, they are all gone. can l not give them back to you" And there you stand on the confines of eternity your spiritual character gone, stagger i ing under the consideration that ''you have sold yourself for naught "
 tell you the world is liar; it does 1 not keep it's promises. It is cheat. l tc hands on. It is bogus world. It is a si1-thousand year-old swindle. Even if it pays the two hundred and fifty thou sand dollars for which you contracted, it pays them in bonds that will not be worth anything in little while. Just as man may pay down ten thousand dollars in hard cash and get for it worth less scrip-so the world passes over to you the two hundred and fifty thou, sand dollars in that shape which will not be worth a 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 brotherl you need not worry about that The world will bury you soon enough from sanitary considerations. | WEALTH WILL NOT PASS THE GRAVE. Post lnortem elnolunents are of no I use to you. The treasures of this world will not pass current in the future world; and if all the wealth of the Bank of England were put in the pocket of your shroud, and you in the midst 1 of the Jordan of death were asked to pay three cents for your ferriage, you could not do it. There comes d moment in your existence beyond which all earthly values fail; and many man has wakened up in such time to find that he has sold out for eternity and has nothing to show for it. l should as soon think of going to Chatham street to buy silk pocket handkerchief with no cotton in them as to go to this world expecting to find any permanent happiness It has deceived and delud ed every man who has ever put his trust in it.
 History tells us of one who resolved that he would have all his senses grati
 fled at one and the same time, and he expended thousands of dollars on eacl
 sense He entered q room, and there
 were the first musicians of the lanC
 pleasing his ear, and there were tint
 pictures fascinating his eye, and there
 were costly aronatics regaling his nos
 trils, and there were the richest meats
 and wines and fruits and confection
 pleasing the appetite, and there was {
 soft couch of sinful indulgence ol
 which he reclined, and the man de
 clared afterward that he would giv
 ten times what he had given if he could
 have one week of such enjoyment. ever