The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1892-06-23
TO RAW RECRUITS.
Rev DR.. Talmage Advises Them
About What to Do and What
to Say.
'Hold Before Your Soul a Very High
Model Is His First Word of
Command.

BROOKLYN, Especial. DR.. Tai
mage prefaced his sermon with astate-
ment to the effect that he would sail
on Wednesday, next for Europe and
might be able to be p resent at thedistri-
button in the famine stricken district
OF Russia of the Christian Herald relief
cargo consisting of 100000 pounds
OF flour and other supplies which goes
out this week on the steamship Leo,
chartered for the purpose. He con.
graduated the American people Oh
the generous spirit evinced by this
magnifcentgift to thestarving people.
His sermon was from text Ephes.
6: IL; 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 a few
new enlistments. and | shall address
myself to those in this and other
churches who are putting on the ar
NOR OF God, and who may feel them
selves to be as yet only raw recruits.
"Masterly retreat" is a term often
used in military circles, but in religion
there is no such thing. 1t is either
glorious advance OR disgraceiul and ig-
nominious falling back. 1t would be
a strange thing if
ALL OUR ANXIETY ABOUT MEN
ceased the moment they were convert
cd. You would almost doubt the san
lty of that farmer who having planted
the corn and seen it just sprout above
ground, should say: MY work is
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 q frightening away of
the birds that would pillage the field.
And as | say the entrance upon Chris
tan life is only the implantation of
grace in the heart. There is earnest,
hard work yet to be done, and per-
haps many years Of anx-
lety before there shall be
heard the glorious shout OF 'Har-
vest home. The beginning to be a
Christian is only putting down the
foundation; but after that there are
years OF hammering, polishing, cary
ing, lifting before the structure is COM
pleted. 1t takes five years to make a
Christian character: it takes 2Oyears;
it takes 40 years; it takes 70 years, if
g. man shall live so long. In other
words, man dying after half a cent
ury OF Christian experience feels that
he has learned the "A B C's" OF glori-
GUS alphabet. The next year will de-
eide a great deal in your history,
Christian man. 1t will decide wheth-
er you are to be burning and
shining light of the church, or a. spark
OF grace covered up in a barrel of
ashes. It will decide whether you are
30 be a strong man in Christ Jesus,
with gigantic blows striking the iron
mail OF darkness, or q
BEDWARFED, WHINING, 'GRUMBL1NG
SOLDIER,
that ought to be drummed out of the
Lords camp with "Rogue's March,"
You have only just been launched:
the voyage IS to be made, Earth and
heaven and hell are watching to see
how fast you will sail, how we'll YOU
will weather the tempest and whether
at last, amid the shouting of the
angels, you shall come into The right
harbor. May God help me this morn
ing to give three or four words OF
Christian counsel, as I address nv
self more especially to those who have
just now entered the Christian life.
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,
a perfect pattern. BY that / mean,
with Gods grace, to shape all INV
life" In other words you wall never
he any more a Christian than YOU
strive to be. II you build a founda-
tion 100 by 200 feet, you will have a
large house. If you resolve to be
only middling Christian,
you will osaly be a middling
Christian. II you have no high as
piration in d worldly direction you
will never succeed in business. If YOU
have no high aspiration in religious
y
ion. You have a right to aspire to
the very highest style OF Christian
character. From your feet there
reaches out 81 path OF Christian at
tainment which you may take, and I
deliberately say that you may be a.
better man than was Paul, or David,
Or Summerfeld, or Doddridge-a bet
ter woman. than Hannah More or
Charlotte Elizabeth. Why not? Did
they havea monopoly of Christian
grace? Did they have a private key
OF the storehouse OF Gods mercy?
Does God shut you out from the good
ness to which they were introduced?
Oh, no. You have
JUST THE SAME PROMISES,
Just the same Christ, just the same
Holy Ghost, just the same offers OF
present and everlasting love, and if
you fail short of what they were-ay
if you do not come up to the point
which they reached and go beyond
lit ia not because Christ