Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1891-05-16
'SERMON5DY DR.. TALMAGE.
SUBJECT or THE DISCOURSE, "lNvl-
.TATioN TO A WEDDING"

Il SUEJECslsOF I t4Ea DlSCOUHSei iNVi-
sTATloN TO A WEDDlNG.n
Fan Things Arc l,eady-wnI You Gomez
Jesus Asks You, tho Holy Spirit Asks
You.sstho Churcl, Asks You--Arc You
T. Rendye-Then Come.
BROOKLYN May 10. IAN interesting
ceremony was performed this morning
| in the Brooklyn tabernacle before the
sermon WIS preached. A number OF
infantsswllo had been brought there by
|stlieir parents were baptized. The water
used was some of that which w;ls
brought by DR.. Talnlagesfrom the river
IsJordan. The main auditorium,o Of the
tabernacle and the adjoining rooms
were crowded by an audience of seven
thousand persons. Tie subject of DIR.
Talnage's sermon was. ''Invitation to
a Wedding, and the textI.uke xiv. II,
t..Colne, for all things are now ready.
&c. HOLY. FESTIVITIES. So .s.
Holy festivities today We gather
other sheaves into the spiritual garner.
Our JOY is like the joy of heaven.
Spread the banquet, I'LL all the chalices.
We are not today at the funeral of q
deal Christ; we are celebrating the
marriage of the Kings son.
1t was an exciting time in English
history when Queen Elizabeth visited
Lord Leicester at Kenilworth castle.
! The clocks in all the towers and through
out the castle were stopped at the mo-
lnent of her arrival, so continuing to
point to that moment rs the one sur
passing all Others in interest.
The doors of the great banqueting
hall was opened. The queen marched
in to the sound of the trulnpets. Four
hundred servants waited upon the
guests. 1t was Il scene that astonished
all nations when they heard of it. Five
thousand dollars a day did the banquet
cost as it went OIL day after day. She
was greeted to the palace gates with
| floating islands, and torches and tile
thunders of cannon, and fireworks that
set the night ablaze, and burst of
music that lifted the whole scene into
encllantlnent. Beginning in that way
it went Oh from joy to Joy. and from
excitement to excitement, and from
rapture to rapture. That was the great
banquet that Lord Leicester spread in
Kenilworth castle.
Cardinal Wolsey entertained the
French ambassadors in Hampton court.
The best cooks of all the land provided
for the table The guests were kept
hunting in the parks all the day. SO that
their appetites might be keen, and then
in the evening hour they were shown
into the banqueting hall, with table
a-glitter with imperial plate, and
a-blusll with the very costliest wines, and
the second course of the feast was made
OF food in all shapes. of men and birds
and beasts, and dancing groups, and
jousting parties riding upon cacll other
with u;,lifted lances Lords and princes
and ambassadors. their cups cleaning
to the bri,n. drank first to the health of
!: tHgskfag:s EEangi al ms ttllen TO the
health Of the emperor Of Trance That
was the banquet that Cardinal Wolsey
spread in Hampton court.
A GRAND ENTERTAINMENT.
But today. my brothers and sisters, l
invite you to grander entertainment.
My Lord the King is the banqueter,
angels of God are the cupbearers, all
the redeemed are the guests; the halls
of eternal love frescoed with light and
paved with joy and curtained with un-
fading beauty are the banqueting place,
the harlnonies of eternity are the music,
the chalices of God are the plate, and /
am one of the servants come out with
invitations to all the people, and oh,
that you might break the seal of the
invitation and read in ink of blood and
with the tremulous hand of q dying
Christ, Come. come, for all things are
now ready"
Sometimes there have been great dis
appointments at banquet. The wine
has given out, or the servants have been
rebellious, or the lights have failed,
but walk all around the banQuetinS
table of my Lord today, and l find
everything complete, and l swing open
the door Of this banqueting house and
say, "All things are now ready"
Illustrating my text go on, and in
the first place say that the Lord Jesus
Christ is ready. Cardinal Wolsey did
not come into the banqueting hall I'M
til the second course of the feast, and
when he entered booted and spurred,
all the guests arose and cheered him,
but have to tell you that our ban
oueter, the Lord Jesus Christ, comes in
at the beginning of the feast Ay, he
has been waiting for his guests, waiting
for some of them 1891 years, waiting
with rnangled feet, waiting with hand
on the puncturcd side, waiting with
hand on the lacerated temples, waiting,
waitingi
+ Wonder it is that the banqucter did
not get weary and say, Shut the door
and let the laggards stay out" No, he
! has been waiting. How much he is in
earnest! Shall show your gather
I'D all the tears that flooded his cheek
in sympathy. all the blood that chan
nolad his brow and back and hand and
foot, to purchase our redemption. I
gather up all the groans coming from
midnight chill and mountain hunger and
desert loneliness. and 1put them ntoone
hitter cry gather up;JI the panss that
shot FROM cross and pike and spear into
one groau-I take one drop of sweat on
luis brow, and put it under the glass
of the gospel, and it enlarges to lakes
of sorrow, to oceans of agony. That
Christ today. emaciated and worn and
weary. comes here, and with a pathos