The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1891-01-29
COME, COME, COME.
That Is the Invitation That Jesus
Christ Holds Out to Every
body:
Dr.. Talmage Speaks of the Necessity for
a Reliance Upon a Higher
Power.

mage chose the following texts for his
sermon: "Come." Gen. vi: xviii.
|Come." Revelation, xxi: xvii.
Imperial, tender and all-persuasive
is this word Come" Six hundred
and seventy-eight times it is found in
the Scriptures. It stands at the front
gate of the Bible as in my first text,
inviting antediluvians into Noah's
ark, and it stands at the other gate of
the Bible as in my second text, invit-
ing the post diluvians 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
nation of English vocabulary bows
to its sceptre. 1t is an ocean into
which empties ten thousand rivers of
meaning Other words drive, but this
beckons. All moods OF feeling hath
that word "Come." Sometimes it
weeps and sometimesitl laughs. Some
times it prays, sometimes it tempts
and sometimes it destroys. Itsounds
from the door OF the church and from
the seragios OF sin, from the gates of
heaven and from the gates of hell. It
is continent and accressant of all pow
er. 1t is the heiress Of most of the
past and the almoner OF most of the
future "Come!" You may pronounce
it so that all the heavens will be heard
in it's cadences, and pronounce it so
that all the woes of time and eternity
shall reverberate in it's one syllable.
1t is on the lip of saint and prohigate.
1t is the mightiest OF all solicitants
either for good.or bad.
To-day I weigh anchor, and haul in
the planks, aud set sail on that great
word, although I am sure I will not
reach the further shore. I will let
down the fathoming line into the sea-
and try to measure it's depths, and,
though I tie together all the cables
and cordage I have on boord I will
not be able to touch bottom. All the
power of the Christian religion is in
that word-"Come." The dictator
and commandatory in religion is Of
no avail. The imperative mood is
not the appropriate mood when we
would have people savingly impressed.
They may be coaxed, but they cannot
be driven. Our hearts our like our
homes; at a 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
Launching them into the ministry, will
do we'll if in SO short time they can
teach the candidates for the holy Of
flee how to say with right emphasis
and in information and power that one
Word-"Come!' That man who has
such efficiency in Christian 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, berlevenents, persecution and
the trials of 20 or 3Oyears before thew
could make it a triumph of grace
every time they uttered the word
"Come"
You must remember that in many
cases our "Come" has mightier
"Come" to conquer before it has any
effect at all. Just give me the accu-
rate census, the statistics, of how
many are down in fraud, in drunken
ness, in gambling, in I'm purity, or in
T
the accurate census or statistics of
now many have been slain by the
word come" "Come and click wine
glasses with me at this ivory bar"
"Come and see what we can win at
this gaming table," "Come, enter
with me this doubtful speculation. "
"tCome with me and read those infidel
tracts on Christianity" "Come with
me to place of bad amusement"
"Come with me in gay bout THROUGH
underground New York" If in this
city there are 20, 900 who are down in
moral character, then 10000 fell un-
der the power of the word "come." I
was reading of a wife whose husband
had been overthrown by strong
drink, and she went to the saloon
where he was ruined, and she said
".Glve me back my husband" And
the bartender, pointing to maudlin
and battered man browsing in the cor
ner OF the bar room, said: "There he
is; Jim, wake up; here's your, wife
come for you" And the woman said
'''Do you call thatmy husband? What
have you been doing with him? Is
that the manly brow? Is that the
clear eye? Is that the noble heart
that I married? What vile drug have
you given him that has turned him in
to fiend? Take your tiger claws off
him. Uncon those serpent folds OF
evil habits that are crushing him,
Give me back my husband; the one
with whom I stood at the altar 10
years ago. Give him back to me-
Victim was he, as millions of others
have been, of the word "come."
: With that word which has done SO
much for others approach you to.
day. Are you all right with God!
"Ne," you say, II think not; I am
sometimes alarmed when I think o.
him; fear I will not be ready to meet
him in the last day; my heart is not
right with God" Come. then anc