Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1891-05-14
A WEDDING INVITATION
SERMON PREACHED BYDR. tai
MAGE.
1t Was Preceded by the Baptism by the
Doctor of Number OF Infants with
Watcr Brought from the River Jordan.

A interesting ceremony was performed
| in the Brooklyn tabernacle before the
| sermon was preached. A number of in
| fants who had been brought there by
| their parents were baptized. The water
used was some of that which was brought
| by Dr. Talmage from the river Jordan.
The subject of DR.. Talmage's sermon
was ''lnvitatiOn to a Wedding" and the
| text Luke xiv, II, 'Come, for all things
| are now ready"
Holy festivities to-day We gather
| other sheavcs into the spiritual garner.
Our JOY is like the JOY of heaven. Spread
! the banqnet, fill all the chalices, We
are not to-day at the funeral of dead
| Christ, we are celebrating the marriage
| of the kings son.
1t was an exciting time in English
| history when Queen Elizabeth visited
| Lord Leicester at Kenilworth castle.
| The clocks in all the towers and
throughout the castle were stopped at
the moment of her arrival, so continuing
| to point 30 that moment as the one sur
passing all others in interest.
The doors of the great banQueting hall
were opened The queen marched in to
| the sound of the trumpctS. Four hun
drcd servants waited upon the guests. 1t
was a scene that astOnished all nations
when they heard of it. Five thou
sand dollars day did the banquet cost
as it went on day after day. She was
| greeted to the palace gates with floating
islands and torches and the thundelS of
| cannon and fireworks that set the night
| ablaZc, and burst of music that lifted
the whole scene into cnchantment. Be
ginning in that way, it went on from JOY
| to joy and from excitement to excite
mcnt and from rapture to
rapture. That was the great banquet
| that Lord Leicester spread in Kcnil-
| worth castle
Cardinal Wolsey entertained the
| French ambassadors in Hampton Court.
| The best cooks Of all the land provided
| for the table. The guests were kept
| hunting in the parks all the day, so that
their appctitcs might be keen, and then
in the evening hour they were shown into
| the banqueting hall, with table aglitter
with imperial plate and ablush with the
very costlicst wines, and the second
! course of the feast was made of food in
| all shapes, of men and birds ana beasts,
and dancing groups, and jonsting par
| ties riding upon each other with uplifted
| lances. Lords and princes and ambaS-
| sailors, their cups cleaning to the brim;
drank first to the health of the King of
! England, and then to the health Of the
Emperor of France. That was the ban
quet that Cardinal Wolsey spread in
Hampton Court.
But to-day, my brothers and sisters, |
INVITE you to Il grander entertainment.
My Lord, the King, is the banqueter.
Angels of God are the eupbearers, all the
redeemed are the guests; the halls of
eternal love frcscocd with light and paved
with Joy and curtaincd with unfading
beauty are the banqucting place, the
harmonies of eternity are the music, the
chaliceS of God are the plate, and | am
one of the servants come out with invita-
tions to all the people, and oh that you
might break the seal of the invitation
and read in ink of blood, and with the
tremulous hand of dying Christ, Come,
come, for all things are now ready"
Sometimes there have been great dis
appointments at banquet. The wine
has given out, or the servants have been
rebellious, or the lights have failed, but
| walk all around the banQuctng table
of my Lord to-day, and l find everything
complete, and | swing open the
door of this banqucting house and ! say,
"All things are now ready"
Illustrating my text l 90 on, and in
the first place say that the Lord Jesus
Christ is ready. Cardinal WolSev did
not come into the banqueting hall until
the second course of the feast, and when
he entered, booted and spurled, all the
guests arose and checred him. bait l have
to tell you that our banquctcr, the Lord
Jesus Christ, comes in at the beginning
of the feast Ay, He has been waiting
for His guests, waiting for some of them
1891 years, waiting with manglcd feet
waiting with hand on the pWnctured side
waiting with hand OIL the lacerated
temples, waiting, waitng-
Wonder it is that the banQuetcr did
not get weary and say ''Shnt the door,
and let the laggardS stay out No, He
has been waiting. How much He IS in
earnest! Shall l show you2 | gather
up all the tears that flooded His cheek i'm
sympathy, all the blood that channeIed
His brow and back and hand and foot to
purchase our redemption. ! gather up
all the groans coming from midnight
chill. and mountain hunger and desert
loneliness, and put them into one bitter
cry. l gather up all the pangs that shot
from cross and spike and spear into one
groan. | take one drop of sweat ON III
brow, and put it under the glass of the
Gospel, and it enlargeS to lakes of sorrow,
to oceans of agony That Christ to-day,
emaciated and worn and weary, comes
here, and with u pathos in which every
word is hcartbrcak and every sentence
q martyrdom, He says to you. and He
says to me, Come, come, for all things
are now ready"
AhasueruS made feast that lasted $50
DAYS. This lasts forever. Lords and
princes were invited to that. You and
/ are invited to this. Yes, He has been
waiting-Hc is waiting now Other kings
wrap themselves in robes of beauty and
power before they come into banquet.
| So does Christ. Oh, He is the farest of