The Brookhaven leader., 1891-02-12
ONE THING LACKING.
pov. r. Dewitt Talmage Talks to
the Moralists.
Morality without the Love OF God
"''' in the Heart will Not Insure
Happiness in the Life ..
to Come.

hath the tcNJ DClhS'
ono thing thou lackest.-Mark x.,N.
Tho vounr man of the text was
--Iandid nature. We fall in love with
I'm at the first glance. He was amia-
hIo and frank, and earnest, and edu-
.ated and refined, and respectable, and
moral, and yet he was not Christian.
And so Christ addressed him in the
,rnrds lord that | have addressed to you:
"oro thing thou lackest." l suppose
.bot that text was no more appro-
rriate to the young man of whom l
have spokcn than it is appropriate to
rrcot multitude of people in this audi
sncc There are many things in which
you are not lacking. For instance, you
are not lacking in good home. 1t is,
Dorbans. no more than an hour ago that
,,or closed the door, returning to see
yrbather il was well fastened, of one OF
,be hest homes in this city. The young
or children of the house already asleep,
the older ones, hearing your returning
footsteps, will rush to the door to meet
Won. And in these winter evenings, the
children at the stand with their lessons,
the wife plying the needle, and you
reading the book or the paper, you feel
that YOU have n good home. Neither
are Won lacking in the refnements and
the courtesies of life. You understand
the polite phraseology of invitation, re-
gard and apology. You have an appro-
nriate apparel. | shall wear no bet
ter dress at the wedding than when
come to the marriage of the Kings
son. If | am well clothed on the other
occasions | will be in religious audi
ence However reckless may be about
my personal appearance at other times,
when | come into consecrated assem-
blage ! shall have on the best dress |
have. We all understand the proprie
ties of everyday life and the proprieties
of Sabbath life.
Neither are you lacking in worldly
success You have not made as much
money as you would like to make, but
you have an income. While others are
false when they say they have no
income or are making no money, you
have never told that falsehood. You
have had livelihood or you have fallen
upon old resources, which is just the
same thing, for God is just as good to
us when lie takes care of us by sur
plus of the past as by present success.
While there are thousands of men with
hunger tearing at the throat with the
strength of a tigers paw, not one of you
is hungry Neither are you lacking in
pleasant friendship. You have real good
friends. If the scarlet fever should
come tonight to your house, you know
very well who would come in and sit up
with the sick one; or, if death should
come, you know who would come in and
take your hand tight in theirs with that
peculiar grip which means, "I'll stand
by you," and after the life has fled from
the loved one take you by the arm and
lead you into the next room, and while
you are gone to Greenwood they would
stay in the house and put aside the gar
ments and the playthings that might
BRING to your mind too severely your
great loss Friends? You all have
friends.
Neither are you lacking in your aG
mratlon of the Christion religion. There
is nothing that makes you so angry as
10 have man malign Christ. You get
red IN the face, and you say: "Sir,
want you to understand that though /
am not myself a Christian, l don't like
such things said as that in my store"
ana the man goes off, giving you part
,lg salutation, but you hardly answer
aim' You are provoked beyond all
bounds. Many OF you have been sup
porterS OF religion and have given more
10 the cause of Christ than some who
profess His faith. There is nothing
'hat would please you more than to see
your son or daughter standing at the
SI'ar OF Christ, taking the vows of the
'hriStlan. 1t might be little hard on
you and might make you nervous and
astated for a little while; but you
WouIu be man enough to say: my
ohuo' that is right. Go on. am glad
you haven't been kept back by my ex-
%nple' l hope some day to join you"
iou oeheyc all the doctrines of relig-
On man out yonder says: ''I am
SINNER. You respond: $50 am L."
ooine one says: IL believe that Christ
SaIn aile 10 save the world" You say: 80
~ l. Looking at your character, at
~. yUur surroundings, find a thousand
Nnings about which to congratulate YOU;
Gnu YET | must tell you in the love and
iOaI OaI Oh dod, and with reference to my
90. asV +, account; "One thing thou lack
lou need, my friends, in the first
d. 'he element of happiness. Some
yon feel wretched. You do not
no"h what is the matter with you.
,b;u, u say i did not sleep last night. I
rn..nN mat must be the reason of my
b;'tessness;" or Il have eaten some
tb;ns .nat did not agree with me, and
20, 'hat must be the reason" And
nino Hu are unhappy. o, my friends, hap
ss conJ;s. uoes not depend upon physical
InI.ion' Some of the happiest peo-
pte nave ever known have been those
or ~ nav. nave been wrapped in consumption
v;.L L'ung with neuralgia, or burning
r.r. lne Slow fire of some fever.
No., snail forget one man in my first
crios lsh' who, in .evcruciation of body
'u out; Mr.. Talmage, J forget all
CSrie pam IN the love and Joy of Jesus
wbaS ! can't think of my sufferings
was eH ~ think of Christi Why his face
this tnIumined. There are young men in
sbo,r mouse o who would give testimony to
sids I'M slat there is no happiness out
in NJ Ohrlst, while there is great ioy
nj s service. There are yoing men
tbao no nave not been Christians more
to.n;cha saa months, who would stand up
IN a. eht' II | should ask them. and saw