The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1891-02-11
ZONE THING THOU LACKEST."
SCENES AT DR.. TALMAeE's SERVICES.
No Perfection Without Christ-w Wealth,
Home, Friends Respectability Insult
hoent-Ths Elements of Happiness
and NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. In Full.


hosnt-Ths Elements of Happiness
and NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. In Full.
Wonderful scenes are witnessed at the
Christian Herald services in the Academy
of Music at the close of Dr. Talmage's ser
mon. AT the invitation of the preacher
hundreds of persons, moved by his stirring
appeals. rise for prayers. and the orchestra
seats are soon filled by those seeking guild
ance. Among the recent converts was a
son Of prominent minister of the gospel
and personal friend of DIR. Talmage. Pass
ing among them, conversing with one and
another, are workers from the Y. NJ. c. A,
who come in response to an invitation
from the Christian Herald, it having be-
come physical impossibility for DR.. Tai
mage to speak individually with the rap
idly increasing number who desire per-
sonal religious counsel These are indeed
solemn scenes, unprecedented within these
walls. No less than one hundred thou
sand perrons are said to have been led al
ready by these services TO enter on q
Christian life The text of DIR. Talmage's
sermon was "One thing thou lackest."
Mark X, y.
The young man of the text was splen-
did nature We fall in love with him at
the frst glance. He was amiable, and
frank, and earliest, and educated, and re-
fined and respectable. and moral and yet
he was not Christian. And so Christ
addressed him in the words that have
e. IA hOYt -
] suppose that that text was no more ap-
propriate to the young man of whom
have spoken than it Is appropriate 10 a
great multitude of people In this audience.
There are many things in which you are
not lacking. For instance. you are not
lacking in a good home. Ii Is, perhaps,
no more than an hour ago that you closed
the door, returning 10 see whether 1t was
we'll fastened OF one OF the best homes
in this city. The younger children of the
house already asleep, the older ones, hear
ing your returning footsteps, will rush to
the door TO meet you. And IN these winter
evenings, the children at the stand with
their lessons, the wife plying the needle,
and you reading the book or the paper
YOU feel that you have a good home.
Neither are you lacking in the refine
ments and COurtesies OF life. lou under
stand the polite phraseolocy OF invita-
ton, regard and apology. You have an
appropriate apparel. | shall wear no
better dress at the wedding when L
come 10 the marriage of the Kings son.
If am well clothed on other occasions, |
will be in religious audience. However
reckless 1 may be about my personal APP
peaTance at other times, when | come in
TO a consecrated assemblage 1 shall have
on the best dress | have. We all under
stand tho r,ropriafiag Of .avarvd on lifa aTd
the proprietes OF Sabbath life.
Neither are you lacking in 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 max
ing no money, you have never told that
falsehood. You have had 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 YOU is
hungry. Neither are YOU 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 pecul-
lar grip which means, "I'll stand by YOU"
and after the life has fed from the loved
one, take you by the arm and lead you
into the next room, and while you are
gone to Greenwood 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 are YOU lacking in your admira-
ton of the Christian religion. There is
nothing that makes YOU so angry as 10
have man malign Christ. You get red
in the face, and you say: "Sir, / want you
20 understand that though / am not my
self Christian, / 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 pro-
voked beyond all bounds. Many of you
have been supporters of religion and have
given more to the cause OF Christ than
some who profess His faith THERE'S moth
ing that would please YOU more than to
see your son or daughter standing at the
altar of Christ, taking the vows of the
Christian. 1t might be q little hard on
you and might make you nervous and agi-
tated for little while; but you would be
man enough to say my child, that is
right Go on. 1 am glad you haven't
been kept back by my example. l hope
some day TO join you" You believe all the
doctrines OF religion. A man out yonder
SAYS: al am q sinner" You respond: $50
am l." Some one says: II believe that
Christ came TO save the world" You say:
$50 do l." Looking 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, and with reference TO my last
account: zone thing thou lackest"
You need, my friends, in the first place,
the element OF happiness. Some DAYS
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, II have eaten something that did not
agree with me, and think that must be
the reason" And you are unhappy. o,
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 neuralgia, or
burning with the slow fire of some fever.
j never shall forget one man in
my first parish who in pxcrucia-