Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-07-27
AT A CHAUTAUQUA.
REV, DR. TALKAsH PREluaE At KOSOEA
LAES, Wis,
To Vast Asssmblass Of EOrihwsStsrnss-"W Who
KnOwess Whether Thou Ar. Coma to ths
Kingdom for Such a Tims as This"
An Impressive and Beautiful Sermon.
SpsesaL telegram % tAs Rsqis,er

MADISON, WIS, July 26.-Dr. Tai
mage preached this morning at Chau-
tauqua Assembly on the banks OF
MOnOna Lake, near this city. 1t is a
great gathering Of people from all parts
of the Northwest. His text was Esther
4; IA: "WhO knoWeth whether thou
art come to the kingdom for such a
time as this?"
Esther the Beautiful was the wife OF
Ahasuerus the abominable. The time
had come for her TO present a petition
TO her infamous husband in behalf Of
the Israelish nation, TO which she had
once belonged. She was afraid TO IN
dertake the work, lest she should lose
her own life; but her uncle, MOrdecai,
who had brought her up, encouraged her
with the suggestion that probably she
had been raised up OF God for that Pc
culiar mission. 'Who knoweth wheth-
er thou art come to the kingdom for
such a time as this?" Esther had her
GOd-appOinted work; you and l 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 ia which God has cast our lot. II
you have come expecting to hear alb
stractiOns discussed, or dry technicali-
ties OF religion glorifed, you have come
TO the wrong place; but II you really
would Ike 70 know what this age has q
right to expect OF you as Christian men
and women, then l am ready in the
Lords name to look you Ia the face.
When two armies have rushed into bat
tie the officers Of either army do not
want a philosophical discussion about
the chemical properties of human
blood or the nature OF gunpOw-
der; they want some one To man the
batteries and swab out the guns. And
now, when all the forces of light and
darkness, of heaven and hell, have
plunged into the fight, IL is no time to
give ourselves TO the definitions and
formulas and technicalities and cOnven-
tiOnaltieS of religion. What we want
is practical, earnest, concentrated, en-
thusiaStic aud 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. OF 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 advance
ment am speaking of another kind
Of Christian. All the appliances
for your becoming an earnest
Christian are at your hand, and there is
a straight path for you into the broad
daylight Of Gods forgiveness. You may
have come here to-day the bondsmen Of
the world, and yet before you go out OF
these doors you may become the princes
of the Lord God Almighty. You know
what excitement there Is in this country
when q foreign prince comes to our
shores. Why? Because it is expected
that some day he will sit upon throne.
But what Is all that honor compared
with the honor to which God calls you
TO be sons aud daughters Of the Lord
Almighty; yea, to be queens anu kings
unto God? They shall reign with him
forever and forever"
DON'T HIDE YOUR LIGHT.
But, my friends, you need TO be ag-
rresSiye Christians, and not like those
persons who spend their lives In hug
cling their Christian graces and wonder
ing why they do not make any progress.
Vow much robustness Of health would
A man have II he hid himself in a dark
closet? A great deal Of piety OF the
day is too exclusive. 1t hides itself. 1t
needs more fresh air, more outdoor
exercise. There are many Christians
who are giving their entire life TO self
examination. They are feeling their
pulses to see what Is the condition Of
their spiritual health. How long would
man have robust, physical health II
he kept all the days and weeks ana
months and years Of his life feeling his
pulse instead Of going out into active,
earnest, everyday work?
l was once amid the wonderful, be-
witching cactus growths of North Caro-
lima. I never was more beWildered with
the beauty OF flowers, and yet when l
Vyould take up one Of these cactuses and
oull the leaves apart, the beauty was all
zone. You could hardly tell that 1t
ever had been flower. And there are
a great many Christian people in this
day lust pulling apart their Christian
exoeriences to see what there Is In them,
and there is nothing attractive left
This style of determination Is dam
age instead Of an advantage to their
Christian character. remember when
was a boy l used TO have a small piece
In the garden that called my own, and
planted corn there, and every few
days / would pull Il up to see how fast
II was growing. Now, there are a great
many Christian people In this day whose
determination merely amounts TO the
pulling up Of that which they only yes
terday or the day before planted.
o my friendsl II you want to have a
stalwart Christian character, plant 1t
right out Of doors In the great field Of
Christian usefulness, and though storms
NAV come upon 1t, and though the hot
spn of trial may try to consume 1t, 1t
will thrive until 1t becomes a great tree
IN which the fowls OF heaven may have
their habitation. l have no patience
with these 1ower-pOt Christians. They
keen themselves under shelter, and all
their Christian experience in small,
exclusive circle, when they ought to
plant it in the great garden Of the Lord,
60 that the whole atmosphere could be
aromatic with their Christian useful
ness. What we want in the church OF
God is more Drawn OF piety.
THE ONE BLOSSOM.
The century plant IS wonderfully sug-
pestiye aud wonderfully beautiful, but
never look at it without thinking OF
It's parsimony. 1t lets whole generations
90 by before it puts forth one blossom;
So have really more heartfelt admira-
tiop when see the dewy tears in the
blue eyes Of the violets, for they come
every spring. My Christian friends,
- q gotnv nv so RAPIDLY that we can