The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1891-06-06
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE CEOOKLN DIVINES SUNDAY
SERMON.

earnest anu educated AMI renued ana re-
spectacle and moral, and vet he was not a
Christian. And so Christ addresses him in
the words that l have read to you, ''One
thing thou lackest." l 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 i'll this audi
ence. There are many Things i'll which you
are lacking. For instance, you are not lack
ing in 4 good home. 1t is perhaps no more
than an hour ago that you closed the door.
returning 20 sec 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 loot
steps, will rush to the door to meet you. And
in these long evenings the children at the
stand with their games, tie 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 reinements
ard courtesies of life. You understan the
polite phraseology of invitation, regard and
apology. You have an appropriate apparel.
| shall wear no better dress az the wedding
than when / come to the marriage of the
kings son. II | am well clothed on other
occasions will be so in religious audience.
However reckless / NAV be about my per-
soral appearance at other times when |
come into a consecrater asSemblage | shall
have on tie best dress | have. Veal I'm ier-
stand tho proprieties of everyday lie and
me Prophecies OF caDoain lie.
Neither are you lacSing in worldly Sue
cess. You have not maze as much money
as You would like to make, but you have an
income. While others are false when they
say they have TO income or are making no
money, you have never told that falls mood.
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
mast bV prpSpnt SuprpSs Whils tnprp ara
thousands of men with hunger tearing az the
throat with the strength OF tigers paw,
not one of youis hungry. Neither are they
lacking in pleasant friendship. You have
! real good friends. II the scarlet fever
should como tonight to your house YOU
know very well who would come in and sit
| up with the sick one; or, il de2:h should
come, you know who would cone in and
take your hard tie ht in theirs with that pc
cu!iar grip which means IN stand by you:n
and, after the life is flei from the loved one,
take You by the arm and lead you into the
neStroom, and while you are gone TO Green
wood they would stay in the house an put
| aside The garments and the playthings that
might bring to your mind too severely your
great loss. Friends? You all have frien IS
Neither are You lacking in your adnlira-
ton of the Christian religion. There is
nothing that makes you so angry as TO have
manmalign Christ. You get red in the
stand though am L.. myself Christian,
don't like such things said as that in my
storo;' 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 Teen supporters OF religion
and have given more to the cause of Christ
than some who profess His faith. There is
nothing that would please YOU more tnan to
see your son or daughter standing at the
alter OF Christ, taking the VOWS OF the Chris
tan.
1t might be little hard on You, and might
make Won nervous and acitatei for a lutte
while, Int you would be man enough to say:
MY enid that Is right. 90 on. lam glad
sou haven't been kept bacl, by my example.
[ hope some day to join You" You believe
all the DO 'trineS OF reli sion. A man out
yorlsr says, ~ am sinner" You "SSpond,
80 a;I J." Some ore says, II believe that
Christ came to save the world" You say
40 col Loosin at your character, at
gaur surroundings, find Il thousand things
shouc Y A;ch to colSrctuiate you, ami yet
must tell you il the love and fear OF God,
and with reference to my last account Zone
thing thou lacSest."
Nou reed, my friends. in the first place
tie element of happiness. Some day you
feel wretchei. You 20 not know what is the
matter with you. You say, II dill not sleep
last night. | think that must be the reason
thing that dii NOS agree with me, and 1
think that must he the reason" Aud you
are unhappy. Oh, my frien Is. happiness
ioes not depend upon physical condition.
Some of the happiest pcoDle ] have ever
known have been those who have been
wrapped in consumption, or S:ury with neu-
r&.G'c, .: burning, with tde s!oT fire D. some
.e,tr.
snail never forget on, man in M first
rI:i-h. VINO IL cxcruciatol OF body cried
out: Mr.. Talmage, i forget all my pain in
thc low All JOY OF Jesus Christ i can't
th.nt ot nv sIn 1rings wnen l think of
Christ" Why, his lace was ilumined.
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 |
should ask them, and say in those six months
they have had more joy and satisfaction than
In all the years Of their frivolity and dissias-
ton. Go to the door OF that gin shop to-
night, and when the gang of young men
come out ask them whether they are happy.
They laugh along the street. and they jeer
and they shout, but nobody has any idea
they are happy.
l could call upon the aged men in this
house to give testimony. There are aged
men here who tried the world. and they tried
reilgion, anu tney are Wiling 10 testity Oh
cur side. 1t was not long ago that an aged
man arose in a praying circle and said:
Brethren, lost my son just as he graduated
from college, and it brose my heart; but
am glad now he is gone. He is at rest es-
capei from all sorrow AMI from all trouble.
And then, in 1857. lost all my property and
you see am getting old, and it is rather
hard upon me; but am sure God will not
let nle suffer. He has not taken care of mo
for seventy five years now to let me drop out
of His hands,"
went into the room Of an aged man-his
eyesight nearly gone. his hearing nearly gone
and what do you suppose he was talking