Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1891-08-13


DR.. Talmage preached at Topeka.
Kan. The subject OF the sermon for
Ghis week is, "a Poor Investment, and
she text, Isaiah Iii, 3, "Ye have sold
yourselves for naught; and We shall be
redeemed without money"
Che Lords people had gone headlong
unto sin, and as punishment they had
been carried captive to Babylon. They
found that iniquity did not pay Cyrus
seized Babylon, and felt so sorry for
these poor captives that, without a dol
&ar of compensation, he let them go
home. So that, literally, my text was
{ulfIled. eye have sold yourselves for
1aught; and we shall be redeemed with
cut money"
There is enough Gospel in this text for
fifty sermons. There are persons here
who haze, like the people Of the text,
sold OFT. You do not seem to belong
either to yourselves or to God. The title
deeds have been passed over to ''the
world, the flesh, and the devil" but the
purchaser never paid up. eye have sold
yourself for naught"
When man passes himself over to the
world he expects to get some adequate
compensation. He has heard the great
4hingS that the world does for a man, and
hc believes it. He wants $3.50, COO That
will be horses and houses, and summer
resort, and jolly ompanionship. To get
Is he parts with his physical health by
-OVcrWOrk. He parts with his conscience.
3ic parts with much domestic endowment.
lie parts with opportunities for literary
culture. He parts with his soul. And
SO he makes over his entire nature to the
world.
He does it in four installments. He
pays down the first installment, and one
&Qurth Of his nature is gone. He pays
down the second inStalment, and one
&iaif Of his nature is gone. He pays
down the third installmcnt, and three
quarters Of his nature are gone; and after
anany years have gone by he pays down
lOi}c fourth inStallmCnt, and 10! his entire
mature is gone. Then he comes up to
She world ana says: Good morning.
0aVe delivered to you the goods. l have
passed over TO you my body, my mind,
and my soul, and | have come now to
ec0]ioot the $3.50, 900" ''TWo hundred and
Elty thousand dollars?" says the world.
'EWhat do you mean?' "Well," you
say, EI come to collect the money you
owe me, and l expect you to fulfill your
part Of the contract" ''But," says the
4 cannot possibly pay that debt. | have
mot for a long while expected to pay it,"
~fWell," you then say, give me back
%hc goods" ''Oh, no. says the world,
''tthcy are all gone. I cannot give the IN
back toyou." And there you stand on
She confines Of eternity, your spiritual
character gone, staggering under the
consideration that you have sold your
self for naught."
I tell you the world is a liar; it does
yot keep its promises. 1t is a cheat, and
Sd ticcces everything it can put its
bands on. 1t is bogus world. 1t is a
Thousand year ld-sWindle. Even if
at pays the $3.50. 900 for which, you con-
aGractcd, it pays them in bonds that will
mot be worth anything in a little while.
lust rs q man may put down $4,000 in
hard cash and get for it worthless scrip
SO Che world passes over to you the
$3.50, 00a in that shape which will not be
Worth @ farthing to you thousandth
part Of a second after you are dead.
ooh" you say, cit will help to bury me
anyhow" Oh my brother! you need
mot worry about that The world will
EDUry you sCon enough from sanitary
considerations,
EHost norton emOluments are of no
,use to you. The treasures Of this world
will not pass current in the future
Svord; and if all the wealth of the Bank
ct England were put tin the nocket of
Yaurs shroud, and you in the midst of the
a'Grdan Of death were asked to pay
cents for your ferriage, you could not
t1o it, There comes moment in your
tCsNtsBo@ce beyond which all earthly
values fail; and many a man has
Weakened up in such q time to find that
t1c has sold out for eternity and has
Nlothing to show for it. / should as
sooa think of going to Chatham street to
!5Ng silk pocket handkerchiefs with no
COTTON in them as to go to this world ex-
Jeeting to find any permanent happi-
BlcSs. 1t has deceived and deluded every
rnan who has ever put his trust in it.
History tells us of one who resolved
fJtat he would have all his senses graft
4iet, q: one and the same time, and he
axpesedcd thousands of dollars on each
sense. He entered q room, and there
we're tke first musicians of the LAND
PLEASING his ear, and there were fine
pictures fascinating his eye, and there
were costly aromatics RECALLING his nos
GiIls, and there were the richest meats
aud wines and fruits and confections
pleasing the appetite, and there was
soft couch of sinful indulgence on which
sle reclined, and the man declared after
ward that he would give ten times what
he had given if he could have one week
OF such enjoyment, even though he lost
fhis soul by it! All! that was the rub. He
did AoSe his soul by it! Cyrus the Con-
r3N,egvV thought for a little while that he
was making a fine thing out OF this
world, and yet before he came to his
grave he wrote out this pitiful epitaph
sfor his monument: II am Cyrus. oc-
Supied the Persian empire. I was king
over Asia. Begrudge me not this monu-
ment" But the world in after years
Dlowed up his sepulcher.
7.he world clapped its hands and
stamped its feet in honor of Charles
R.amb, but what does he say? 81 walk
s,p and down, thinking am happy, but
secling am not" Call the roll, and be
quick about 1t, Samuel Johnson, the
kearned Happy? No. / am afraid
shall some day get crazy" William
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