The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1892-06-22
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
he BROOKLYN DIVINES SUN
DAY SERMON.
Subject: "Forsive and Forget"

TExT: "7'heir sins and their iniquitie
u remember no nlore."-Hebrews viii.
The national flower of the Egyptians Is
9 heliotrope. Of the Assyrians is the water
q, OF the Hindoos is the marigold, Of the
hinesa is the chrysanthemum. We have nc
tional flower, but there is hardly any
wer more suggestive to many Of us thar
forgetmenot. Veal like to be remem-
red, and one Of our misfortunes Is that
ere are 90 many things we cannot remem-
r. Mnemonics, or the art Of assisting
To- emory, is an important art. 1t was first
ggested by Simonides of Cos five hundred
bars before Christ.
Persons who had bat little power to recall
ents, or put facts and names and dates in
occasions. have through this art had their
Emory reinforced to an almost incredible
tent. A good memory is an almost in-
luable possession. By all means cultivate
I had an aged friend who detained all
ght at miserable depot in waiting for q
I'll train fast in the snow banks, entertained
group Of some ten to fifteen clergymen,
Eewise detained on their way home from q
eeting of presbytery, first, with piece OF
ak, drawing out on the black and sooty
hlls Of the depot the characters Of Walter
eott's 'tMarmion," and then reciting from
emory the whole % that poem of some
Ehty pages in fine print.
My old friend, through great age, lost his
emory, and when I asked him if this story
the railroad depot was true he said, II do
It remember now. but it was just like me.
BIT me see," said he to me, have ever
j. en- you before?" yes" said, you were
b guest last night and was with you ON
BUR ago." What an awful contrast in that
IAN between the greatest memory ever
bew and no memory at all.
But right along with this art Of recollec.
bn, which I cannot too highly eulogize, is
be quite as important and yet I never
bardi it applaudei. / mean the art Of for
Biting. There is splendid faculty in that
rection that we all need to cultivate. We
light, through that process, be ten times
Appier and more useful than we now are.
Re have been told that forgetfulness Is 9
eakness and ought to be avoided by all
bssible means. So far from weakness, my
1t ascribes it to God. It is the very top OF
impotence that God is able to obliterate
Art OF His own memory. II we repent OF
and rightly seek the divine forgiveness
Re record Of the misbehavior is not only
Tossed off the book, but God actually lets
pass out Of memory.
s.Their sins and their iniquities will re-
iember no more.n To remember no more
j to forget, and you cannot make anything
Sc out of it. Gods power Of forgetting Is
) great that if two men appeal to Him, and
he one man, after life all right gets the
ms Of his heart pardoned, and the other
Ian, after life Of abomination. gets par
bned, God remembers no more against one
han against the other. The entire past OF
lbth the moralist with his imperfections,
nd the profigate, with his debaucher1es, Is
much obliterated in the one case IS In tne
kher. Forgotten, forever and forever.
Their sins and their lnlquitles WILL re-
hember no more"
This sublime attribute of forgetfulness on
be part Of God you and need III our finite
Fay to initiate. You will do well to cast out
your recollection all wrongs done you.
buring the course of ones life he Is sure to
|e mirepresented, to be lied about to be in.
I1red. There are those who keep these
hings fresh by frequent rehearsal. II things
lave appeared in print they keep them in
heir scrapbook, for they cut these precious
|arapraphs out of newspapers or books and
(t leisure times look them over, or they have
hem tied up in bundles or thrust in pigeon
loles. and they frequently regale themselves
md their friends by an inspection OF these
lings these sarcasms, these falsehoods these
|rpelties.
[ have known gentlemen who carried
hem in their pocketbooks, so that Shey
|ould easily get at these trritations, and they
but their right hand in the inside Of the coat
bocket over the heart and say: Look herel
Lot me show you something" Scientists
latch wasps, and hornets, and poisonous in
ects and transfix them in curiosity bureaus
n,,I hot 10 N
whom Ispeak catch the wasps, and the hor-
aets, and the poisonous insects and play
With them and put them on tn emselves and
In their friends, and see how far the noxious
insects can Jump and show how deep they
AN sting. Have no such scrapbook. Keep
,othing in your possession that Is disagree
lble. Tear up the falsehoods, and the SLAM
lers, and the hypercriticisms.
Initiate the Lori in my text and forget,
[ctually forget. sublimely forget. There Is
10 happiness for you in any other plan OF
procedure. You see ali around you, in the
church and out OF the church, dispositions
lcerb, malign, cynical, pessimistic. Do you
NOW how these men and women got that
disposition? 1t was by the embalmment OF
,hings pantherine and viperous. They have
spent much of their time in calling the roll
,f all the rats that have nibbled at their rep
utation. Their soul is cage Of vultures.
in them is sour or imbittered.
The milk Of human kindness has been
,urdled. They do not believe in anybody or
.nything.
.hink it is about themselves. II they see
;wo people laughing they think it Is about
themselves. Where there is one sweet pip
,in in their orchard there are fifty crab
hou han otI IA
lei. They do not want to forget. They
lever will forget. Their wretchedness Is su-
,reme, for no one can be happy ff he carries
,erpetually in mind the mean things that
nave been done him.
On the other hand. you can find here and
here man or woman (tor there are not
many Of them) whose disposition is genial
md summery. Whys Have they always
oeen treated well? Oh, no. Hard things
nave been said against them. They have
Seen charged with officiousness; and their
,Snerosities have been set down to q desire
Oh display, and they have many q time
,eeh the subject Of tittle-tattle, and they
ave had enough small assaults like gnats
md enough great attacks like lions to have
made them perpetually miserable II they
would have consented to be miserable.
But they have had enough divine philoso-
INV 10 cast off the annoyauces and they
,aye Kept themselves in the sunlight Of
3od's favor, and have realized that these
,ppositions and hindrauces are q part Of
mighty discipline, by which they are to be
for usefulness and heaven. The
secret Of it all is, they have by the help Of
the eternal God learned how to forget.
Another practical thought-when our
faults are repented Of let them go out OF
mind. If God forgets them, we have right
30 forget them. Having once repented OF
bur infelicities and misdemeanors, there Is
no need of our repenting Of them again.
Suppose owe you large sum Of money.
and YOU are persuaded I am incapacitated
10 pay. and you give me acquittal from that
obligation. You say: II cancsl that debt.
AN is right now. Start again." And the
next day come in and say: !'You know
-. 80 81 L haza COM