The Red Cloud chief., 1891-02-13
ONB Thing LACKING.
~ 1almAoe Appsals 20 those Not
Yet 0hx1Otiana

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In . late sermon At Brooklyn Rev. +.
n Witt Talmsge took his text from
AK <. p: 'One thing thou lackest"
%The young man Of the text was .
splendid nature. We fall in love with
him 1t tie first glance. He was amiable,
frank, earnest, educated, refined, re
spectacle and moral, md yet he was not
. Christian. And SO Christ addressed
him in the words that I have read to
you: Zone thing thou lackest." / sup
pose that the text was no o appro-
pirate to the young man Of whom I
have just spoken than it is appropriate
.oa great multitude of people in this
audience. There are many things in
which you are not lacking. For instance,
you are not lacking in q good home.
Neither ire you lacking In the
refinements and courtesies Of life.
You understand the polite p~hraseology
of invitation, regard and apology. You
have on appropriate apparel. II / am
well clothed on other occasions. /
will be in a religious audience.
However reckless / may be about
my personal appearance at other
times, when I come into . con-
secrated assemblage shall have on the
best dress I have. We all understand
the proprieties of every day life and the
proprieties of Sabbath life.
Neither are you lacking in worldly
success. You have not made rs much
money as you would like to make, but
you have an income. While others are
false when they say they have no in
come or are making no money, you
have never told that falsehood You
have had q livelihood OF you have fallen
upon old resources, which is just the
same thing. for God is just as good TO us
when He takes care Of us by a surplus
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. II the scarlet fever
should come tonight 10 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 III stand by you"
Friends? You all have friends.
Neither are you lacking in your admir-
alton of the Christian religion. There
is nothing that makes you 80 angry rs
TO have a man malign Christ YOu get
red in the face and you say: "Sir, I
want you to understand that though ]
am not myself a Christian, I don't like
such things said as that in my store"
and the man goes of, giving you a part
ing salutation, but you hardly answer
him. You are provoked beyond all
bounds.
Many of you have been supporters of
religion and have given more to the
cause of Christ than some who profess
His faith. There is nothing that would
please you more than to see your son or
daughter standing ut the altar Of Christ,
taking the vows Of the Christian. 1t
might be a little hard o you. and might
make you nervous and agitatsd for a
little while, but you would be man
enough TO say: my child, that is
right Go on. l am glad you haven't
been kept back by my example. hope
some day to join you" You believe all
? che doctrines Of religion. A man out
yopder say Il am a sinner" YOu re-
spoud: $50 am l." Some one says: II
believe that Christ came to save the
world" You say: $50 do l." Look
ing at your character, at your surround
ings, 1 find a thousand things about
which to congratulate you. and yet I
must tell you, in the love and fear Of
God. and with reference tony last &C
count: lone thing thou lackest."
You need. my friends. in the first
place, the element of happiness. Some
day you feel wrctched- You do not
know what is the matter with you
You saw: Il did not sleep last night
l think that must be the reason of my
restlessness:" or Il have eaten some
thing that did not agree with me, and
] think that must he the reason" And
You are unhappy. O, my friends, hap
piness does not depend upon physical
condition. Some of the happiest people
/ have wei known have been those who
have been wrapped in consumption or
stung with neuralgia, or burning with
the slow fire of some fever. ! never
shall forget one man in my first parish,
who. in excruciation Of body, cried out:
'Mr. Talmage, ] forgot all my pain in
the love and Joy of Jesus Christ. l
can't think Of my sufferings when /
think of Christ"
There are young men who have not
been Christians more than six months
who would stand mp tonight, if should
ask them. and say in those six months
they have had more joy and satisfaction
than in all the years Of their frivolity |
end dissipation. Go 70 the door of that
gin shop tonight, and when the gang
of young men come out ask them If they
are happy. They laugh along the street.
and they jecr, and they shout; but mo-
body has any idea that they are happy.
l could call upon the aged men in
this house 20 give testimony. There
are aged men herr who tried the world,
and they tried religion, and they are
willing to testify on our side. II was
not long ago that an aged man arose in
q PRAYER circle and said: 'Brcthren. I
lost my son just as he was graduated
from college. and it broke my heart,
hut / am glad now he has gone. He is
at rest, escaped from all SORROW and all
trouble. And then, in 1885,, / lost all
my property. and you see I nm getting
old, and it is rather hard upon me; but I
I'M sure God viii not let me suffer. He
has not taken care of me for seventy
five years now to let me drop cut Of His
hands" I went into the room Of an
aged man-his eyesight nearly gone,
his hearing nearly gone-and what do
you suppose he was talking about?
The goodness Of God and the joys Of re-
ligion. What is it that gave that aged
man SO much satisfaction and peace?
Il is the grace Of God that is brighter