The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1891-01-21
GOMEZ
The Word Which Stands at the
Front Door of the Bible.
10 IL the Mightiest OF All soiIcitsnts, Either
for Good or Bsd--God's Invitation
to n Sinful World Rev. DIR.
TalmaBe's Sermon.

For his sermon last Sunday DR.. Tai
mage chose the following texts: Come"
Genesis vi, IS; ''Come," Revelations
xii, H. The eloquent divine spoke as
follows.
Imperial, tender, and all-persuasive is
this word Come" Six hundred and
seventy-eight times is it found in. the
Scriptures. 1t stands at the front gate
Of the Bible as in my first text, inviting
antedeluvians into Noahs ark. and 1t
stands at the other gate of the Bible, as
in my second text, inviting the postdilu-
vians into the ark Of a Saviour's mercy.
"Come" is only q word of four letters,
but it is the queen Of words, and nearly
the entire natio Of English vocabulary
bows to its scepter. 1t is an ocean into
which emptiNs ten thousand rivers Of
meaning. Other words drive, but this
bechons. All moods of feeling hath
that word Come" Sometimes it weeps
and sometimes it laughs. Sometimes II
prays, sometimes 1t tempts, and some
times it destroys. it sounds from the
door Of the church and from the serag-
Los Of sin, from the gates Of Heaven
and the gates of hell. 1t is continent
and accrcsccnt Of all power. 1t is the
heiress of most Of the past and the
almoner OF most of the future. Gomez
You may pronounce 1t so that all the
heavens will be heard in its cadences,
or pronounce it so that all the woes of
time and eternity shall reverberate in
its one syllable. II is on the lip OF saint
and profigate. 1t is the mightiest of
all solicitants either for good or bad.
To-day weigh anchor and haul in
the planks, and set sail on that great
word, although am sure will not be
able to reach the further shore. will
let down the fathoming line into this
sea and try TO measure its depths, and,
though tie together all the cables and
cordage have on board, I will not be
able to touch bottom. All the power of
the Christian religion is in that word
"Come." The dictatorial and command
atory in religion is of no avail. The i'm
perative mood is not the appropriate
mood when we would have people saw
ingly impressed. They may be coaxed,
but they can not be driven. Our hearts
are like our homes, at n friendly knock
the door will be opened, but an attempt
to force open our door would land the
assailant in prison. Our theological
seminaries which keep young men three
years in their curriculum before launch
ing them into the ministry, will do well
II in so short time they can teach the
candidates for the holy Office how TO say
with right emphasis and intonation and
power that one word-'Come!" That
man who has such efficiency in Chris
tian work, and that woman who has
such power to persuade people to quit
the wrong and begin the right, went
through a series of losses, bereave-
ments, prosecutions, and the trials OF
twenty or thirty years before they could
make H. triumph of grace every time
they altered the word Come"
You must remember that in many
case our "Come" has mightier Come
to conquer before II has any effect at
f. all just give me the accurate census,
the statistics, Of how many are down in
fraud, in drunkenness, in gambling. in
impurity, or in vice of any sort, and
will give you the accurate census or sta.
tistics OF how many have been slain by
the word Come" "Come and click
wineglasses with me at this ivory bar. y
'Come and see what we can win at this
gambling table" "Come, enter with me
this doubtful speculation. "Come with
me and read those infdel tracts on
Christianity" Come with me to place
of bad amusement" "Come with me In
a gay bout through underground New
York" II in thiscity there are twenty
thousand who are down in moral char
acter, then twenty thousand fell under
the power Of the word Come was
reading of wife whose husband haC
been overthrown by strong drink, ant
she went 10 the saloon where he wa,
ruined, and she said: "Give me back my
husband" And the bartender pointing
to a maudlin and battered man drows
ing in the corner of the barroom
''There he Is: Jim, wake up; here's you
wife come for you" And the woman
said: "Do you call that my husband
What have you been doing with him? Il
that the manly brow? Is that the cleal
eye? Is that the noble heart that mar
ried? What vile drug have you giveI
him that has turned him into fiend
Take your tiger claws off Of him. Un
coil those serpent folds of evil habit
that are crushing him. Give me bacl
my husband, the one with whom stoot
ut the altar ten years ago. Give hin
back to me-" Victim was he, as mill
ions Of others have been, OF the wor,
s'Comel''
n Now we want oil the world over I,
harness this word for good as other
have harnessed II for evil, and II vii
draw the five continents and the sea
between them, yea, 1t will draw tn,
whole earth back TO the God from whom
II has wandered. II is that wooing an,
persuasive word that will lead men :.
give up their sins. Was sltepticism eve
brought into love Of the truth by al
ebullition Of hot words against inildel
ity? Was ever the blasphemer stoppe,
n In his oaths by denunciation Of bias
phemy? Was ever drunkard wenne,
from his cups by the temperance lcctur
er's mimicry of staggering step and hic
cough? No. II was; "Come with m
TO church to-day and hear our singing;
"Come and let me introduce You to
Christinn man whom you will be sur
10 ADMIRE Come with me into assocl
ations that are cheerful, and good, an
inspiring;'' Come with me into Joy sucl
MS you never before experienced"
With that word which has done s