Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1891-08-15
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
The Eminent Brooklyn Divine's Sun
day Sermon.
Subject. "a Poor Investment" Preach-
ed at Topeka, Kan.D

ed at Topeka. KanJ
TEXT: "Ye hare sold yourselves for
,tought, and ye shall be redeemed WITHOUT
noneH."-lsaiah ill.,, 8.
The Lords people had gone headlong into
sin, and as punishment they had been car
ried captive to Babylon. They found that
iniquity did not pay. Cyrus seized Babylon
and felt SO sorry for these poor captiyes that,
without dollar of compensation, he let
them go home. So that, literally, my text
was fulfilled ''Ye have sold yourselves for
naught; and ye shall be redeemed without
money!
There is enough Gospel in this text for
fifty sermons There are persons here who
have, like the PEOPLE of the text, sold out.
on do not seem to beloag either to YOUR
selves or TO God. This title deeds have been
passed over to 1.-THE world, the flesh and tae
deyh, but the pure laser never pail up.
" e have sold yourse. yes for naught."
When man passes himself over to the
world he expects to get some adequate COM
pensation. He has heard the great til nys
that the world does for man, and be be-
lleves II. lie wants TWO hundred and fifty
thousand dollars. That will be horses an
houses, ami a summer resort and Jolly COM
partnership. To get it he parts with his
phys zeal health by overxorS. He parts
domestic enjoyment He parts with oppor
tunitleS for literary culture. lie parts with
his soul. And so he makes over his entire
nature 10 the world
be does il in four installments He paws
down the first installment, and one-fourth OF
lis nature is gone. He pays down the second
lnstailment and one-halt of his nature is
gone. He pays down the third installment,
and three-quarters of his nature are gone.
and after many years have gone by he pays
down the fourth installment, and 10 his en-
tire nature is gone. Then he comes u to the
world and says; Good morning. l. have
delivered to you the goods. l have passed
over to you my bo95, my mind and my soul,
and nave come now to collect the two hun
dred and fifty thous nd dollars" Two
hundred and fifty thousand dollarsf says
the world. "N nat do you mean? "Well"
you say, Il come TO collect the money you
owe me and | expect you to fulfil your part
OF the contract" But says the world II
have failed. | am bankrupt. | cannot pos
slbly pay that debt. [ have not for a long
time expected TO pay it." well" you then
say, give ME back the gools." "Oh, no."
says the world, they are all gone | cannot
give them back to you" And there you
stand onthe confines OF eternity. your spirit
ual character gone, staggering under tho
consideration that You have sold yourself
for naught"
tell you the world is liar. 1t does not
keep its promises II is cheat, and it
1eeces everything it can put its hands on
1t Is bogus world 1t is a six-thousand-
year-old swindle. Even if it pays the two
hundred and fifty thousand dollars for
which you contracted, it pays them in bonds
that VIII not be worth anything in a little
while. Just as man may pay down ten
thousand collars in hard cash and get for it
worthless sciip-so the world passes over to
you the two hundred and fifty thousand
dollars in that shape which will not be worth
Iarthing to you thousan1th part of sec
ond after you are dead. Oh" you say, ''it
will help to bury me, anyhow" Oh, my
rother you need not worry about that.
he world will bury you soon enough from
sanitary considerations
Post mortem emoiuments are of use to
you. The treasures of this world will not
pass current in the future world and if all
the wealth of the Bank of England were put
in the pocket of your shroud and you in the
midst of the Jordan of death were asked to
pay three cents for your ferriage, you could
not do 1t. There comes a moment in your
existence beyond which all earthly values
fail, and many 9 man has Weakened IN in
SUCH time TO find that he has sold out for
eternity and has nothing to show for it, |
should as soon think OF going to Chatham
street TO buy silk pocket handkerchisfs with
no cotton in them, as to so to this world ex-
pecting to find any permanent happiness. 1t
has deceived and de uded every man who
has every put his trust i'll 1t.
History tells us Of one who resolved that
he would have all his senses gratifed at ons
and the same time, and he expended thou
sands of dollars on each sense He entered a
room, and there were the first musicians OF
the land pleasing his ear, and there were fine
pictures fascinating his eye, and there were
costly aromatics RECALLING his nostrils, and
there were the richest meats and wines AMI
fruits and CONNECTIONS pleasing the appetite,
and there was soft couch of sinful indul-
gence on which he recinei and this maa de-
clared afterward that he would give ten
times what he had given If he could have one
week of such enjoyment, even though he lost
his soul by i'll All! that was the rub He
did lose his soul by il! Cyrus the coGqueroc
thought for little while that he max
ing fine thing out of this world, and yet
before he came to his grave be wrote ont
this pitifUl epitaph for his monument II
am Cyrus. 1 occupied the Persian empire.
| was king over Asia. BegTudge me not
this monument" But the world in alter
years plowed up his sepulcher
The world clapped its hands and stamped
its feet III honor of Charles Lamb; but what
does he say? 81 walk up and down, think
ing l am happy, but feeling am not Call
the roll, and be quick a5outit. Samuel
johnson, the learned HaD7y2 NO. am
afraid | shall some day get crazy" VIII
lam HaZlitt, the great eSsayis5 Hap2v?
No. ] have been for two hours and half
gong up and dOwa Patcrnos5er row VITA a
volcano in my breast" SnOll It, tne witty
author Happy No an SICK OF Or ilss
and blame, and | wish to Col that / hal
such circumstances arouni me that | could
throw my peu into oblivion" Buchanan,
toe world renowned writer, exiled fro IL his
own country. appealing to Henry VIII tor
protection! Happy? NO. Over NOM
wit
lsYs foo led with rain cone fugitive"
MoIere, the popular dramatic author! Hap
py2 No That wretch of an actor lust
now recitea four Of my lines without the
proper accent AMI gesture To have the
children OF my brain SO hung, drawn anI
spirit"
went to see a wording die. As went
INTO the hall | saw its floor was tesselate /.
and It's wall was picture gallery. | founl
his death chamber adorned with tapestry
until 1t SCENE as If the clouds of the ssttiry
sun hal settled in the room. The man had
given forty years to the worl1-his wit. his
time, his genius his talent, his soul. Did the
world come in TO stand By his deathbed AMI
clearing of the walls of bitter medicine Put
down any compensation? Oh. no. The world
does not like sick AMI dying pao3!e and
leaves them IN the lurch. 1t ruined this
man and then left him. He had a marnid-
cent funeral. All the ministers wore sc4rfs
and t1ere were forty-three carriages in a
row; but the departed man appreciated not
the obsequies.
want to persuade my au liance that this
world Is poor lnvestm emf; that it does not
pay ninety per cent. OF satisfaction, nor
eighty per cent, nor twenty per cent. nor
Two per cent, nor one; that it gives no solace
When a dead babe lies on your lap; that it
gives no peace when conscience rings its
alarm; mat 1t gives no exclamation in the
Jay OF dire trouble; and at the time of your
decease IT takes hold of the pillow case AMI
shaSes out tae feathers, AMI then i)lts down
III the place thereof signs AMI Srolns ant
eAecratonS am then mtkes you put your
bead on it,
oh, we who have tried this world. is it A
satisfactory portion Would You lvise
your friends to make the investments No.
"fe have sold yourselves for naught.o Your
conscience went. Your hops Went. Your
Bible went. Your heaven went Your Col
went. When sheriff under a writ from
the courts sells man out the officer gener-
ally leaves few chairs and bel, and few
cups and knives: but in this awful vendus in
which you have been engaged the auction
GERS mallet has come down u1ou BODY. mind
rnt soul-Soing gonel "Ye have sold
yourselves for naught"
How could you do SOP Did YOU think that
your soul wasa mere trinilet which for few
pennies you could bay in toy shopp DID
you think that your s0ul, il oncs lost.
might be found again if yol went out with
torches and lanterns? Did you think that
your soul was short lived, ami that painting,
you would soon lie down for extinction? Or