The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1892-08-11
PRE-EMINENT JESUS.
DR.. TAlMAGE'S SERMON FOR LATE
JULY IN SCOTLAND.


man sorrow---Dying Testimonies OF
Many Eminent Men,
LONDON, July 31.-Sipce his return
from Russia DR.. Talmnge has been lit
orally flooded with invitations to address
congregations and lyceums on tho sub.
ject OF his journey TO the land of the
car, whittier he went with Mr.. Louis
KloDsch TO direct the distribution OF The
Christian Herald relief cargo. While
expressing his high appreciation Of the
cordial welcome and splendid hospital
itY extended by the officials of st. Pet
crsburg and Moscow, of the civic hon
ors heaped upon the American visitors
and of Russia's national gratitude to
America, rs personally expressed by the
czarowltz at Pcterhof, where he enter
tanned them as guests, DIR. Talmage has
been compelled to adhere to his original
programme. During the week he has
been preaching in the leading Scottish
cities. His arrangements for next week
include services at Newcastle and Sun.
derland, and thereafter he goes to tie
Isle OF Man for few days. The SER
mon selected for this week is entitled
'Pre.eminent," the text being John iii,
81, "IIe that cometh from above is
above ALL"
The most conspicuous character of
history steps out upon the platform.
The finger which, diamonded with light,
pointed down to him from tho Bethlc-
hem sky, was only a ratification of the
finger OF prophecy, the finger of geneal-
ogy, the finger Of chronology, the finger
OF events-all five fingers pointing III
one direction. Christ IS the overtopplng
figure OF all time, He is tho voX hu-
mana III all music, the Graceiulest line
in all sculpture, the most exquisite
minGling Of lights and shades in all
painting, the acme of all climaXes, the
dome Of all C2thedralcd grandeur and
the peroration Of all splendid language.
The Greek alphabet is made up OF
twenty-four letters, and when Christ
compared himself to the first letter and
the last letter, the alpha and the omega.
he appropriated to himself ali the splcn-
doris that you can spell out either with
those two letters and al! letters between
them. II am the Alpha and the
Omega, the hcginnln. and tllc end, The
lirst and the last.n Or, il you prefer
the words ot the text, 'abovc all.n
1t means, after you have piled up al
Alpine and llimalayan attitudes, tic
glory Of Christ would have to spread It's
wings and descend thousand leagues
to touch those SUBMITS. pclion. hi2h
mountain o! Thessaly; CASA, Il hugh
mountain, and Olympus, 4 high NOUN
tain; but mythology tells us when the
giants warred against the gods they
piled up these throo mountains and from
the top Of them proposed to scale the
heavens; but The height was not great
enough and there was complete fail
nrc. And alter Gil the ,siants-IsNiah
and Paul, prophetic undapostolic giants;
Raphael and Michael Angelo, artistic
giants; ChCIuhim and serNphim and
archangel, celestial siants--havc failed
to climb TO the top Of Christ's glory,
they might all well unite in the words
OF the text and say, ale that comcth
from above is above all ="
First, Christ must be above all else
iD our preaching. There are 80 many
books on homilotics scattered through
the world that all laymcn, as well as all
clergymen, have made up their minds
what sermons ought to be. That SER
mon is most eileCtual which most polnt.
edly puts forth Christ as the pardon of
all sin and the correction of all evil, i'll
dividual, social, political, national.
There is no reason why we should ring
the endless changes on Il few phrases.
There are those who think that if an eX-
hortatlOn or discourse have frequent
mention Of justification, sanctilication,
covenant of works and covenant OF grace,
that, therefore it must be profoundly
evangelical, while they arc suspicious Of
discourse which presents the same
truth, but under different phraseology.
Now, say there is nothing in all the
opulcnt realm of Angl0-SaXonism or all
the word treasures that were inherited
from the Latin and the Greek and the
lndo- European but we have a right to
marshal 1t in religious discussion. Christ
sets the example. His illustrations
were from the grass, the flowers, the
splttle, the salve, the barnyard fowl,
the crystals Of salt, as we'll as from the
Aeas and the stars, and we do not pro-
pose i'll our Sabbath school teaching and
III our pulpit address TO be put on the
limits.
l know that there is great deal said
Ill our uay against words, rs though they
were nothing. They may be misuscd,
nut they have an imperial power. They
are the bridge between soul and soul,
between Almighty God and tho human
lace. What did God write upon the ta-
hles of stones' Words. What did
Christ utter on Mount Olivet? Words.
Out OF v hat did Christ strike the spark
ior the illumination OF the universe? Out
OF words. Let there be light" and
light was. O! course thought Is the
cargo and words are only the ship, but
how last would your cargo get on With
out the ship?
what you need, my friends, in all
Your work, III your Sabbath school class,
III your retormatory institutions, and
what we all need is to enlarge our vo-
CabularY when We come to speak about
Gcd and Christ and heaven. We ride
n lew old words to death when there is
such illimitablc resource. Shakespeare
employed iiftCon thousand different
words for dramatic purposes; Milton
employed eight thousand different words
'or poetic purposes; Rufus Choatc en-
ploYed oyer eleven thousand different
words tor legal purposes. but thc most