Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1891-07-31
REV. DR.. YALMAGE.
The Eminent Brooklyn Divine's Sun
day Sermon.
Subject: Opportunities for Christians"
Preached ut Madison, Wis.,

come TO the kingdom for such a time as this"
Esther iv., IA.
Esther the Beautiful was tis wife OF
Ahasuerus the Accountable The time had
come for her to present petition to her in
famous husband in behalf OF ths Israelitish
nation, to which she had once belonged. She
wasAlraid 10 undertake the work lest she
should lose her own life; but her uncle, Nor
decai, who had brought her up, encouraged
her with the suggestion that probably she
had been raised up of God for that peculiar
mission. "Who knoweth whether thou art
como to the kingdom for such a time as
thisE Esther had her God-appointed work;
you and have ours. 1t is my business to
tell You what style o; people we ought to be
in order that we NAV meet the demand Of
the age in which God has cast our lot II you
have come expecting to hear distractions
discussed or dry technicalities Of religion
glorified, you have CONE to the wrong place;
but if you really would like to know what
this age has a right to expect of you as
Christian men AMI women, then am ready
in the Lords name to look you in the face
When two armies have rushed into battle
the officers of either army do not want phil
osophical discussions about the chemical
properties or human blood OF the nature of
gunpowder. They want some one to man
the batteries and swab out the guns. And
now, when all the forces of light aud dark.
ness of heaven and hell, have plunged into
the fight, it is no time to give ourselves to
the definitions AMI formulas and TECHNICAL
ties and conven'ionalities of religion. What
we want is prar zeal, earnest, concentrated,
enthusiastic and 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 aye, 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 churchs ad-
yancement ! am speaking of another kind
of Christian. All the appliances for your
becoming an earnest Christian are at your
baud, and there is a straight path for you in
to the broad daylight of Gods forgiveness.
You may have come here to-day the bonds
men Of world, an 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 a
foreign prince comes to our shores. Why;
Because it is expected that some day he will
sit upon a throne. But what is all that
honor compared with the honor to which
God calls you--to be sons and daughters of
the lord. Almighty; yea to be queens and
klnBS uIllO bcus lucy Sudli ItlIu Will
Him forever aud forever"
But, my friends. you need not be aggres-
sive Christians and not like those persons
who spend their lives in hugging their Chris
tian gracss and wondering WHY they do not
make any progress How much robustness
Of health would a man have if he hid him
self in dark closet; A great deal of piety
of the day is too exclusive. 1t hides itself.
1t needs more fresh air, more outdoor exer-
else. There are many Christians who arc
giving their entire life to self examination.
They are feeling their pu ses to see what is
the condition OF their spiritual health How
long would man have robust physical health
If he kept all the daysand weeks aud months
and years OF his life feeling his pulse insteai
of going out into active, earnest, everyday
work?
was once amid the wonderful, bewitch.
ing cactus growths Of North Carolina. /
never was more bewldered with the beauty
OF iower;, and yet when | would take up
one OF these cactuses AMI pull the leaves
apart, the beauty was all gone You could
hardly tell that 1t ha ever been n flower
And there are a great many Christian p3D.
pie in this day just pulling apart their
Christian experiences 10 see what there Is
in them, ami there is nothing attractive
left. This sty.c OF ssif examination is Il
damage instead of an a ivantags 70 their
Christian character. ] remember when I
was boy ! used to have small piece in
the garden that | called my own, ana |
planted corn there, aud every few days
would pull it up to see how fast it was
growing Now, there ara a great InauJ
Christian people in this day who's, self ex
animation merely amounts u the pulling
up OF that which they only yesterday or
the day befors planted
Oh, my friendsl if you want to have
stalwart Christian character. plant it right
out OF doors in the great field OF Christian
usefulness, and though storms may como
upon it, and though the hot sun OF trial may
try to consume it, it will thrive until 1t be-
comes a great tree, in which the fowls o.
heaven may have their habitation. | hav5
no patience with these howerpot Christians
They keep themselves under shelter, and all
the Christian experience in a small, exc.u-
sive rcle. when they ought to plant it in
the great garden of tao Lord, 50 that the
whole atmosphere could be aromatic WITH
their Christian usefulness. What we want
in the church Of God is more Drawn OF piety.
The century plant is wonderfully suggeS-
tive and wonderfully beautiful. bat | never
look at it without thinking OF its parsimony.
1t lets whole generations go by before 1t puts
forth one blossom; 50 l have really
more heartfelt admiration when SEQ
the dewy tears in the blue eyes OF
the violets, for they come every spring. Ny
Christian frien Is. time is going by 50 raD'
idly that we cannot afford to be idle.
A recent statistician says that human life
now has an average Of only thirty-two years
From these thirty-two years you must sub
tract all the time you take for sleep and tbs
taking of food aud recreation; that will leays
YOU about sixteen years. From those sixteen
years you must subtract all the time you are
necessarily engaged in the earning OF livel.-
hood; that will leave you about eight years.
From those eight years you must take all the
days and weeks and months-lll the length
OF time that is passed in childhood and sick
ness. leaving you about one year IN which to
work for God. Oh, my soul wake upl How
darest thou sleep in harvest time and with 50
few hours in which TO reap9 So that state
it as simple fact that all the time that the
vast majority of you will have for the ex'
elusive service of God will be less than ons
year
But" says some man, II literally support
the Gospel. and the church is open and tbs
Gospel preached all the spiritual advan-
tages are spread before men, AMI il they
want to be savel let them coma ant bJ
saved; have discharged all my response
biity." All is that the Masters spirit? Is
there not an old Book somewhere that com.
mands us to go out into the highways and
hedges and compel the people to come IN!
What would have become Of you aud me II
Christ had not cone down Oft the hills OF
heaven, and II He had not come through ths
door OF tbs Bethlehem caravanslry, aud IL
He had not with the crushed hand OF ths
crucifixion knocked at this iron gate OF tho
sepucher OF our spiritual death, crying
Lazarus CDme forthT
Oh. my Christian friends, this is no time
for inertia when all the forces Of darkness
seem to be in full blast; when steam printing
presses are pub ishing infidel tracts; when
express railroad trains are carrying mes
sangers of sin, whea fast clippers are laden
with o1ium and rum; when the night air of
our cities is polluted with the lau yhter that
breaks up from the ten thousand saloons OF
dissipation and anionment; when the fires
OF tbs second death already are kndlei in
the cheeks Of some who only little while
ago were incorrupt. Never since the curse
fell upon the earth has there been time
when il was such an uuwise, such cruel,
such an awful thing for the church to sleepl
The great audiences are not gathered in the
Christian churches: the great au iiens.s are
gathered in temples OF sin-tears OF unutter-
- III ND an