The Bossier banner., 1892-09-01
"THE IMMENSE COST"
Sermon by Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage
in the London City Temple.
The Price Paid for Mans Salvation Con
sidered-Its Payment Began at the
Nativity and Ended with
the Crucifixion.

The following sermon was preached
by Rev. 7. Dewitt Talmage from the
pulpit Of Rev. Joseph Parker in the City
congregation. The text was:
Ye are bought with price-I Cor, vi, 90
Your friend takes you through his val
liable house. You examine the arches,
the frescoes, the grass-plots, the fish
ponds, the conservatories, the parks OF
deer, and you say within yourself or
you say aloud: What did all this cost?'
You see a costly diamond flashing in an
earring, or you hear costly dress
rustling across the drawing-room, or
you see highly-mettled span of horses
harnessed with silver and gold, and you
begin to make an estimate of the value.
The man who owns large estate can
not instantly tell you what it is worth.
He says: 81 will estimate so much
for the house, so much for the furniture,
80 much for laying out the grounds, SO
much for the stock, SO much for the
barn, so much for the equipage- adding
up in all making this aggregate.
Well, my friends, l hear so much
about our mansion in Heaven, about it's
furniture and the grand surroundings,
that want to know how much it is all
worth and what has actually been paid
for it. | can not complete in a month
nor year the magnificent calculation,
but before get through to-day hope
to give you the figures. ''Ye are
bought with price"
With some friends 1 went to your
tower to look at the crown jewels. We
walked around, caught a glimpse OF
them, and, being in the procession,
were compelled to pass out. l wish
that l could take this audience into the
tower of Gods mercy and strength,
that you might walk around just once,
at least, and see the crown jewels OF
eternity, behold their brilliance and
estimate their value. ''Ye arc bought
with price" .&
Now, if you have large amount OF
money to pay, you do not pay it all at
once, but you pay it by installments-
30 much the 1st of January, SO much
the 1st of April, so much the 1stof July
SO much the 1st of October, until the
entire amount is paid, and l have to
tell this audience that ''you have been
bought with a price, and that that
price was paid in diffesent installments.
The first installment paid for the
clearance of souls was the signominious
birth of Christ in Bethlehem. Though
we may never be carefully looked after
afterward, our advent into the world is
carefully guarded. We come into the
world amid kindly attentions Privacy
and silence are afforded when God
launches an immortal soul into the
world. Even the toughest Of
men know enough to stand
back. But 1 have to tell you
that in the village on the side of the
hill there was very bedlam of uproal
when Jesus was born. In a village
capable of accommodating only few
hundred people, many thousand people
were crowded; and amid hostlers an6
muleteers and camel-drivers yelling al
stupid beasts of burden the Messiah
appeared. No silence. No privacy. A
better adapted place hath the eaglet ir
the eyrie-hath the whelp in the lion.
lair. The exile of Heaven lieth dowr
upon straw. The first night out from
the palace of Heaven spent in an out
house! One hour after laying aside tn,
robes of Heaven, dressed in wrapper
of coarse linen. One would have sup
posed that Christ would have made {
more gradual descent, coming from
Heaven first to halfway world O
great magnitude, then to a Casar
palace, then to a merchants castle il
Galilee, then to fisherman's hut, ant
last OF all to a stable. No! It was on,
leap from the top to the bottom.
Let us open the door of the caravan
| sary in Bethlehem and drive awav tn,
1 camels. Press on through the grou,
OF idlers and loungers. What, 0 Mary
no light? No light" she saws. sssay,
that which comes through the door.
What, Mary! no food? None sh,
says, only that which was brought il
the sack on the journey" Let tn,
Bethlehem woman who has come i,
here with kindly attentions put. bacl
the covering from the babe that WI
may look upon it. Look! Look! Un
cover your head. Let us kneel. LIE
all voices be hushed. Son of Mary
Son of God! Child of day-Monarcf
of eternity In the eye the glance of a
god. Omnipotence sheathed in that
babes arm. That voice to be changed
from the feeble plaint to the tone thai
shall wake the dead. Hosanna! Hosan
ma! Glory be to God that Jesus came
from the throne to manger, that we
might rise from manger to throne, an6
that all the gates are open, and that
the door of Heaven that once swung
this way to let Jesus out, now swings
the other way to let us in. Let all the
bellmen of Heaven lay hold the rope
and ring out the news: Behold.
bring you glad tidings of great ioy
which shall be to all people; for to-day
is born in the city of David Saviour
which is Christ the Lordr'
The second installment paid for our
souls clearance was the scene in Quar-
antania, mountainous region, full of
caverns, where there are to this dav
panthers and wild beasts of all sorts, SC
that you must now go there armed
with knife or gun or pistol. 1t was
there that Jesus went to think and tt
pray, and it was there that this mons
ter of hell-more Sly more terrific thar