The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1892-06-17
RAW RECRUITS.
DIR. TALMAGE'S SERMON AT THE
BROOKLYN TABERNACLE.

A Man Cannot Become a Christian With
out Struggle Nor Conquer Temptation
without a Struggle-The Fortress of
Darkness Must BE Carried by Assault.
BROOKLYN, June 12.-Dr. Talmage
prefaced his sermon this morning with
statement to the effect that he would
sail on Wednesday next for Europe and
might be able to be present at the dis
tribution in the famine stricken districts
of Russia of The Christian Herald relief
cargo, consisting of three million pounds
of flour and other supplies, which goes
out this week on the steamship Leo,
chartered for the purpose. He congratu-
lated the American people on the gener-
GUS spirit evinced by this magnificent
gift to the starving people. His sermon
was from the text, Ephesians vi, II, "Put
on the whole armor of God"
There is in this text great rattle of
shields and helmets and swords Sol
diers are getting ready for battle. We
have had recently in this church new en-
lstments, and | shall address myself to
those in this and other churches who are
putting on the armor of God, and who
may feel themselves to be as yet only
raw recruits. MASTERY retreat" is a
term often used in military circles, but
in religion there is no such thing 1t is
either glorious advance or disgraceful
and ignominious falling back. 1t would
be a strange thing if all our anxiety
about men ceased the moment they were
converted.
You would almost doubt the sanity of
that farmer who, having planted the
corn and seen it just sprout above
ground, should say: my work is all
done. | have no more anxiety for the
field" No. There is work for the pillow
and the hoe, and there must be a careful
keeping up of the fences, and there must
be frightening away of the birds that
would pillage the field. And say the
entrance upon Christian life is only the
implantation Of grace in the heart. There
is earnest, hard work yet to be done and
perhaps many years of anxiety before
there shall be heard the glorious shout
of Harvest home"
The beginning to be Christian is only
putting down the foundations; but after
that there are years of hammering, pol
ishing, carving, lifting, before the struc-
ture is completed, It takes five years to
make a Christian character it takes
twenty years, it takes forty years, it
takes seventy years, if a man shall live
so long. In other words, man dying
after half century of Christian expert
ence feels that he has only learned the
ga B Cs" Of glorious alphabet. The
next year will decide great deal in
your history, young Christian man. 1t
will decide whether you are to be burn
ing and shining light of the church, or
spark of grace covered up in a barrel of
ashes 1t will decide whether you are
to be a strong man in Christ Jesus, with
gigantic blows strikin TIA iran mail A
darkness, or a bedwarfed, whining, 4
grumbling soldier, that ought to be
drummed out of the Lords camp with
the "Rogues March" You have only
just beer launched; the voyage is to be
made. Earth and heaven and hell are |
watching to see how fast you will sail,
how well you will weather the tempest,
and whether at last, amid the shouting |
OF angels, you shall come into the right |
harbor. May God help me this morning
to give you three or four words of Chris
tian counsel, as | address myself more
especially to those who have just now
entered the Christian life.
HOLD CHRIST AS A PATTERN.
My first word of counsel is, hold be-
fore your soul very high model. Do
not say, II wish l could pray like that
man. or speak like this man, or have the
conservation of this one." Say: Here
is the Lord Jesus Christ, perfect pat
tern. By that l mean, with Gods grace,
to shape all my life" In other words,
you will never be any more Christian
than you strive to be. If you build a
foundation twenty by thirty feet you
will only have small house. If you
build foundation one hundred by one
hundred feet you will have large house.
If you resolve to be only a middling
Christian you will only be mid1lling
Christian. If you have no high aspira-
ton in worldly direction you will never
succeed in business. If you have no
high aspiration in religious things you
will never succeed in religion.
You have a right to aspire to the very
highest style of Christian character. j
From your feet there reaches out path
of Christian attainment which you may [
take, and deliberately say that you may t
be better man than was Paul or David Y
or Summerfeld or Doddridge-a better
woman than Hannah More or Charlotte c
Elizabeth. Why not? Did they have a S
of Christian grace? Did they t
have private key to the storehouse of
Gods mercy? Does God shut you out f
from the gladness and goodness to which v
they were introduced? Oh, no. You j
have just the same promises, Just the b
same Christ, just the same Holy Ghost v
just the same sffers of present and ever
lasting love, and if you fall short of what s
they were-aye, if you do not come up t
to the point which they reached and go c
beyond tit is not because Christ has il
shut you out from any point of moral 81
and spiritual elevation, but because you c
refused to take it. | admit "
hat man cannot become a Christian "