The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1891-01-28
A POWERFUL SOLICITANT.
INFLUENCE or THE WORD GONE
Tor Good Bad Mighty Persuader-
The Key TO the Christian Religion
Victims of the Word Wrongly
Used-Talmage's Sermon.

Dr.. Talmage preached the following SER
mon TO an overflowing congregation in the
Academy Of Music, Brooklyn, Sunday
morning. At night, when the Christian
Herald service vas held in the New York
Academy of Music, fully 5000 persons
we're massed in the large building. a
marked solemnity pervaded the assembly,
and AT its close many persons in various
parts of the house rose at the invitation of
the preacher TO ask for prayers for their
salvation. DIR. Talmage chose the follow
ing texts for his sermon: "Come"-Gen-
esis, vi, Is. "Come"-Revelation, xxi, Il.
Imperial, tender and all-persuasive is
this word Come" Six hundred and
seventy-eight times is il found in the
scriptures. 1t stands at the front gate OF
the bible as in my first text, inviting an
tedeluvians into Noahs ark, and it stands
at the other gate of the bible in my second
text, inviting the post-diluvians into
the ark of the Sayior's mercy. Come" is
only word of four letters, but it is the
queen OF words and nearly the entire
nation OF English vocabulary bows TO its
scepteT. II is an ocean into which empty
10000 rivers OF meaning. Other words
drive, but this beckons. All moods OF
feeling hath that word "come" Some
times it weeps and sometimes it laughs.
Sometimes it prays, sometimes 1t tempts
aud sometimes it destroys. IL sounds
from the door OF the church and from the
seragliOs of sin, from the gates OF heaven
and the gates of hell 1t is continent and
oil . 49,
of most OF the past and the almOner OF
most of the future. Gomez You may
pronounce il so that all the heayens will
be heard in its cadences, or pronounce it
so that all the woes of time and eternity
shall reveTberate in its one syllable. 1t is
on the lip of saint and profigate. 1t is
the mightiest OF all sOlicitants either for
good or bad.
Today / weigh anchor, and haul in the
planks, and set sail on that great word. al
though | am sure l will not be able TO
reach the further shore. / will let down
the fathoming line into this sea and try to
measure its depths, and, though l tie to-
gether all the cables and cordage | have
on board, | will not be able to touch bot.
tom. All the power of the christian re-
llgion is in that wOrd-"Come." The
dicIatOrial and commandatorv in religion
are OF no avail. The imperative mood is
not the appropriate mood when we would
have people sav!ngly impressed. They
may be cOsxed, but they can not be driven.
Our hearts are like our homes at a friend
" 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 office how 10
say with right emphasis and 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, Dereavements, prosecutions and the
trials OF twenty or thirty years before they
could make il a triumph of grace every
time they uttered the word Come"
"YOu must remember that in MANY
cases our Come has a mightier Come
TO conquer before 1t has any effect at all
Just give me the accurate census, the sta
tistics of how many are down in fraud
in drunkenness, in gambling, in impurity
or IN vice OF any sort, and / will give YOU
the accurate census or statistics of how
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 specu-
latlon" Come with me and read
those infdel tracts on christianity"
"COme with me to a place of bad amuse-
ment. Come with me in a gay bout
through underground New York" If in
this city there are 10000 who are Gown in
moral character, the 10000 fell under the
power OF the word Come" | was read
Ing of a wife whose husband had been
overthrow by strong drink, and she went
20 the saloon where he was ruined, and
she said: Give me back my husband"
And the bartender, pointing 10 a maudlin
and battered man browsing in the corner
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 that
my husband? What have you been doing
with HIM? Is that the manly brow? Is
that the clear eve? lis that the noble
heart that / married? What vile drug
have you given him that has turned him
into a tiend? Take your tiger claws off OF
him. UncOil those serpent folds OF evil
habit that are crushing him. Give me
back my husband, the one with whom |
stood at the altar ten years ago. Give
him back 10 me" Victim was he, as
millions OF others have been, of the word
'Come."
Now, we want all the world over to har-
ness this word for good as Others have har-
messed il for evil, and it will draw the tive
continents and the seas between them,
yea, it will draw the whole earth back TO
the God from whom it has wandered 1t
j. that wooing and persuasive word that
will lead men to give up their sins. Was
skepticism ever brought into love Of the
truth by an ebulition Of hot words against
inideliiy? Was ever the blasphemer
stopped in his oaths by Remuneration of
blasDhemy? Was ever a drunkard weaned
from mis- cups by the Temperance lectur-
er's mimicry OF staggering step and hic-
cough? No. 1t was Come with me to
church today and hear our singing
Come and let me Introduce you to a
Christian man whom you will be sure TO
admire" Come with me into associa-
tons that are cheerful and good and in
spiring;" Come with me into Joy, such
as You never before experienced"
With that word which has done so much
for others / approach you today Are you
all right with God? "No," you say. II
think not; L am sometimes alarmed whenI
think of Him; fear will not be ready to
meet Him in the last day my heart is not
right with God" Come, then, and have it
made right. Through the Christ who died