Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1891-02-20
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN ~DIYIGE'S SUN
DAY SERMON.
Subject: some Thing Lacking"

The young man or the Ue2I was spIenuiu
nature We fall in love with him at the
first glance He was amiable and frank and
earnest and educated and refined and re-
spectable and moral, and yet he was not a
Christian. And so Christ addresses him in
the words that / have read to you, Zone
thing thou lackest." | suppose that that text
was no more applicable to the young man OF
whom l have spoken than it is appropriate
to large multitude of people in this audi
ence. There are many things in which you
are lacking. For instance, you are not lack
ing in good home It is perhaps no more
than an hour ago that you closed TIE door,
returning to see whether it was well fastened.
of one of the best homes OF this city. The
younger children of the house already asleep,
the older ones hearing your returning FOOT
steps, will rush to the door to meet you. And
in these long evenings the children at the
stand with their games, the wife plying the
needle and you reading the book or the
paper, you feel that you have good home.
Neither are you lacking in the retinements
and courtesies of life. You understand the
polite phraseology of invitation, regard and
apology. You have an appropriate apparel
/ shall wear no better dress at the wedding
than when | come to the marriage of the
kings son. If [ am well clothed on other
occasions I vii be SO III q religious audience.
However reckless / NAV be about my per-
sOnal appearance at other times, when L
come into consecrated assemblage | shall
stand the properties of everyday life and
the properties of Sabbath life.
Neither are you lacking III worldly sue
cess. You have not made as much money
as you would like to make, but you have an
income. While others are false when they
say they have no income, or are making no
money, you have never told that falsehood.
You have had a livelihood, or 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 youis hungry. Neither are they
lacking in pleasant friendship. You have
real good friends. If the scarlet fever
should come tonight to 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 Pc
culiar grip which means ''Ill stand by you"
and, after the life is fed from the loved one,
take you by the arm and lead yoa into the
nextrOom, and while you are gone to Green
wood they would stay in the house and put
aside the garments and the playthings that
might bring to your mind too severely your
great loss. Friends? You all have friends.
Neither ore you lacking in your admira-
ton of tine Christian religion. There is
nothing that makes you SO angry as to have
face, and you say, ''Sir, I want you to under
stand though [ am not myself Christian I
don't like such things said as that in my
store" and the man goes off, giving you a
parting salutatiOn, but you hardly answer
him. You are provoked beyond all bounds.
Many of you have been supporters Of religion
and have e ven 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 at the
alter of Christ, taking the VOWS Of the Chris
tan.
1t might be a little hard on you and might
make you nervous and agitated for little
while, but you would be man enough to say:
My child, that is right. Go on. I am glad
you haven't been kept back by my example.
[ hope some day to join you" You believe
all the doctrines of religion. A man out
yOnder says, Il am sinner" You respond,
$50 am l." Some one says, 81 believe that
Christ came to save the world" You say,
80 dol" Lookin-s at your character, at
your surroundings, [ find a thousand things
about which to congratulate you, and yet [
must tell you in the love and fear Of God,
md with reference to my last account, Zone
thing thou laclest."
You need, my friends, in the first place.
the element of happiness. Some day you
feel wretched. You do not know what is the
matter with you. You say, 81 did not sleep
last night. ] 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 be the reason" And you
are unhappy. Oh, my friends, happiness
does not depend upon physical condition
Some of the happiest people [ have ever
known have been those who have been
wrapped in consumption, or stung with neu-
ralgla, or burning with the slow fire of some
fever
| shall never forget one man in my first
parish, who in eXcruciation of body cried
out: Mr.. Talmage, | forget all my pain in
the love and Joy of Jesus Christ. I can't
think Of my sufferings when l think of
Christ" Why his lace was illumined.
There are young men in this house who would
give testimony to show that there is no hap
piness outside of Christ, while there is great
JOY in His service There are young men
who have not been Christians more than six
months who would stand up tonight, if l
should ask them, and say in those six months
they have had more joy and satisfaction than
in all the years OF their trivOiity and dissipa-
ton. 30 70 the door or JnaU gin sno3 Co
night, and when the gang of young men
come out ask them whether they are happy.
They laugh along the street. and they jeer
~ad they shout, but nobody has any idea
they are happy.
| could call upon the aged men in this
house to give testimony. There are aged
men here who tried the world. and they tried
religion, AMI they are willing to testify on
cur side. 1t was not long ago that an aged
man arose in a praying circle and said:
''8rethren,l lOsJ nay son just us h graduated
from college, and it broke nv heart; but [
am glad now he is gone. He is at rest, es-
caLet from all sorrow AMI from all trouble
AND then, i'll 1857, lost all my property, and
You see l am getting old, AMI it is rather
hard upon me. but | am sure God Will not
let me suffer. He has not taken care of me
for seventy-tive years now to let me drop out
of His hands"
l went into the room of an aged man-his
eyesight nearly gone, his hearing nearly gone