The Brookhaven leader., 1891-01-29
TALMAGE'S iSERMON.
An Interesting Discourse Based
Upon q Single Word.
The Invitation 'sCome" and It's Mighty
Power for Good or Evil-It is the
Voice OF God and Is Used
Also By the Tempter.

MUSIC IN brooklyn and also IN New
York City, taking for his text:
Come.-Genesis, vi, is and Revelations.
xxii.. IL.
Imperial. tender and all-persuasive is
this word Come" Six hundred and
seventy-eight times is il found in the
Scriptures. 1t stands at the front gate
of the Bible as in my first text, inviting
antediluvians into Noah's ark, and it
stands at the other gate of the Bible as
in my second text, inviting the post
diluvians into the ark of a Saviour's
mercy. Come" is only a word of four
letters, but it is the queen of words, and
nearly the entire nation of English
vocabulary bows to its scepter. 1t is
an ocean into which empty ten thou
sand rivers of meaning. Other words
drive, but this beckons. All moods of
feeling hath that word Come" Some
times it weeps and sometimes it laughs.
Sometimes it prays, sometimes it tempts
and sometimes it destroys. 1t sounds
from the door of the church and from
the seraglios of sin, from the gates of
Heaven and the gates of hell. It is con-
fluent and accrescent of all power. 1t
is the heiress of most of the past and
the almoner of most of the future.
Gomez You may pronounce it so
that all the heavens will be heard in its
cadences, or pronounce it so that all the
woes of time and eternity shall rever-
berate in its one syllable. 1t is on the
lip of saint and profigate. 1t is the
,,,irphtinSt Of oil caliaitantc aithar
good or bad.
To-day weigh anchor, and haul in
the planks, and set sail on that great
world although am sure l will not be
able to reach the further shore. will
let down the fathoming line into this
sea and try to measure its depths, and,
though tie together all the cables and
cordage have on board, will not be
able to touch bottom. All the power
of the Christian religion is in that word
Come" The dictatorial and COM
mandatory in religion is of no avail
The imperative mood is not the appro-
priative mood when we would have peo-
pie savingly impressed. They may be
coaxed, but they can not be driven. Our
hearts are like our homes; at friendly
knock the door will be opened; but an
attempt to force open our door would
land the assailant in prison. Our theo-
logical seminaries, which keep young
men three years in their curriculum
before launching them into the min
istry, will do well if in so short time
they can teach the candidates for the
Holy Office how to say with right en-
phasis and intonation and power that
one word-''ComeI' That man who
has such efficiency in Christian work,
and that woman who has such power
to persuade people to quit the wrong
and begin the right, went through Sc
ries of losses, bereavements, persecu-
tions and the trials of twenty or thirty
years before they could make it tri-
umph of grace every time they uttered
the word, Come"
You must remember that in many
cases our Come has a mightier
Come" to conquer before it has any
effect at all. Just give me the accurate
census, the statistics, of how many are
down in fraud, in drunkenness, in
gambling, in impurity, or in vice of any
sort, and l will give You the accurate
census or statistics of how many have
been slain by the word Come. 5"
Come and click wine-glasses with me
at this ivory bar Come and see
what we can win at this gaming table. !"
Come, enter with me this doubtful
speculation Come with me and read
those infidel tracts on Christianity"
''Come with me to a place of bad
amusement. Come with me in a gay
bout through underground New York. "
If in this city there are twenty thou
sand who are down in moral character,
then twenty thousand fell under the
power of the word Come" ] was
reading of a wife whose husband had
been overthrown by strong drink, and
she went to the saloon where he was
ruined, and she said: ''Give me back
my husband" And the bartender,
pointing to maudlin and battered
man browsing in the corner of the bar
room, said: There he is; Jim, wake
up; here's your wife come for you"
And the woman said: do you call
that my husband? What have you
been doing with him? Is that the man.
ly brow? Is that the clear eye? Is
that the noble heart that | married?
What vile drug have you given him
that has turned him into a fiend? Take
your tiger claws off of him. Uncoil
those serpent folds of evil habit that
are crushing him. Give me back my
husband, the one with whom l stood at
the altar ten years ago. Give him back
to me-" Victim was he, as millions OF
others have been, of the word Gomez
Now, we want all the world over to
harness this word for good as others
have harnessed it for evil, and it will
draw the five continents and the seas
between them, yea, it will draw the
whole earth back to the God from
whom it has wandered. 1t is that WOO
ing and persuasive word that will lead
men to give up their sins. Was skepti-
cism ever brought into love of the truth
by an ebulition of hot words against
infdelity? Was ever the blasphemer
stopped in his oaths by denunciation of
blasphemy? Was ever a drunkard
weaned from his cups by the temper
ance lecturers mimicry of staggering
step and hiccough? No. 1t was Come
with me to church to-day and hear our
singing;;" Come and let me introduce
you to Christian man whom you will
be sure to ADMIRE ''Come with me
into uScociafi fiopS that ara cheerful and