The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-02-25
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINES SUN.
DAY SERMON,
Subject: "One Thing Lacking"


<, 81.
The young man of the text was splendid
nature We fall in love with him at the
first glance. He was amiable and frank and
earnest and educated and refined andsre-
spectacle and moral, and yet he was not a
Christian. And so Christ addresses him in
the words that have read to you, 'One
thing thou lackest" suppose that that text
was no more applicable to the young man of
whom I have spoken than it is appropriate
to large multitude of people in this audi
ence. There are many things in which you
are lacking. For instance, you are not lack
ing in good home. 1t is perhaps no more
than an hour ago that you closed the door,
returning to see whether it was we'll fastened.
of one Of the best homes of this city. The
younger children Of the house already as2eep,
the older ones hearing your returning foot.
steps, will rush to the door to meet you. And
in these long evenings the children at the
stand with their games, the 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 refinements
and courtesies Of life. You understand the
nolite I phraseology of invitation, regard and
apology. You have an appropriate apparel
I shall wear no better dress at the wedding
than when I come to the marriage Of the
kings son. If / am we'll clothed on other
occasions will be 80 in q religious audience.
However reckless 1 may be about my per-
sonal appearance at other times, when l
come into consecrated assemblage 1 shall
have on the best dress have. Weall under
stand the proprieties Of everyday life and
the properties Of Sabbath life.
Neither are you lacking in worldly sue
cess. You have not made as much money
hs you would like to make but you have an
l. 10 okh fol rr-hn fhnyy
say they have no income, or are making no
money, you have never told that falsehood.
You have had livelihood, or you have
fallen upon old resources, which is just tho
same thing, for God is just as good to us
when He takes care Of us by 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 youi Is hungry. Neither are they
lacking in pleasant friendship. You have
real good friends. If the scarlet fever
should come tonight to your house you
know very we'll 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 pc
culiar grip which means "pll stand by you;"
and, after the life is fled from the loved one,
take you by the arm and lead you into the
nextroom, and while you are gone to Green
wood 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. Friends9 You all have friends
Neither are you lacking in your admira-
tion Of the Christian religion. There is
nothing that makes you SO angry as to have
q man malign Christ: You get red in the
stand though am not myself Christian, l.
don't like such things said as that in my
store;;" and the man goes off, giving you
parting salutation, but you hardly answer
him. You are provoked beyond all bounds.
Many of you have been supporters Of religion
and haze given more to the cause Of Christ
thar some who profess His faith. There is
nothing that would please you more than to
see your son or daughter standing at the
fi'er of Christ, taking the VOWS OF the Chris
It might be little hard on you, and might
make you nervous and agitated for little
while, but you would be man enough to say:
'.My child, that is right. Go on. lam glad
you haven't been kept back by my example.
I hope some day to join you" You believe
yonder says, II am sinner" You respond,
$50 am l." Some one says, 81 believe that
Christ came to save the world" You say,
so Go l." Lookins at your character, at
YOUR surroundings, I find thousand things
about which to congratulate you, and Yeti
must tel 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 day You
feel wretched. You 20 not know what IS the
matter with you. You say, II did not sleep
last night. think that must be the reason
IT oofo
thing that dill not agree with me, and |
think that must be tie reason" And you
urs unhappy. Oh, my friends, happiness
toes not depend upon physical condition.
Some of tho happiest people I have ever
known have been those who have been
wrapped in consumption, or stung with neu-
ralG!a, o. burning with the SLOW fire Of some
fever.
shall never forget ons man in my first
parish, who in eIcruciation Of body cried
out: MI. Talnaye, forget all my pain in
the love and JOY of Jesus Christ. can't
think OF my suffer!ngs When l think OF
Christ" Why, his 1acs was illumined:
There are young men in this house who would
give testimony to sIow that thers is no hap
p:uess outside OF Christ, while there is great
10Y in His service. There are young men
Who have not been Christians mora than six
months who would stand uo 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 frivolitv and dissipa.
ton. Go to t,c door of that gin shop to-
night, and VIXEN the gang Of young men
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
Louise to give testimony. There are aged
men here who tried the world, and they tried
religion, and they are willing to testify on
cur side 1t was not long ago that an aged
man arcse in q praying circle and said:
Brethren i lost my son just as he graduated
from college, and it broke my heart; but
am glad now he is gone. He is at rest, es-
capel from all sorrow and from all trouble.
And then, in 1857, 1 lost all my property, and
you see am getting old, and it is rather
hard upon me; but AM sure God will not
let me suffer. He has not taken care Of me
for seventy-fve years now to let me drop out
Of His hands"
l went into the room of an aged man-his
cyesight nearly gone, his hearing nearly gone
amt what do you suppose he was talking
about? The goodness Of God and the joys OF
religion. He said: II would like to 60 over
and Join my wife on the other side of the
foad, and am waiting until the Lori calls
mo. am happy now. l shall be happy
there" What is it that gave that aged IN IN
SO much satisfaction and peace? Physical
exuberance? No, it has all gone. Sunshines
He cannot see it. The voices of friends? He
cannot hear them. 1t is tho grace of God,
that's brighter than sunshine and that is
sweeter than music. Ii harpist takes
harp and find that all the strings are broken
but one string, he does not try to play upon
it. Yet here will show you an aged man
the strings of whose joy are all broken save
one, and yet he thrums it with such satlsfac,
ton, such melody that the angels OF God
stop the swift stroke Of their wings and hover
about the place until the music ceases. On