Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1892-07-29
REV. DR.. TALNAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINES SUN
DAY SERMON.
Subject: Raw Recruits"

TEXT: Put on the whole arn1or of
God."-Ephesians vi, II.
There is in this text a great rattle of
shields and helmets and swords. Soldiers
are getting ready for battle. We have had
recently in this church new enlistments 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 re-
treat" is term often use1 in military cir
Giles, but in religion there is no such thing.
l. Is either glorious advance or disgraceful
= and ignominious falling back. It would be
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. I have no more
anxiety for the field" No. There is work
for the pillow and the hoe, and there must
be careful keeping up of the fences, and
there must be a 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
''sHarvest home"
The beginning to be a Christian is only
putting down the foundation; but after that
there are years Of hammering polishing,
carving, lifting before the structure is COM
pleted. 1t takes five years to make Chris
tian 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
. experience feels that he has only learned the
"a B Cs' of the glorious alphabet. The
next year will decide a great deal in your
history, young Christian man. 1t will de.
eide whether you are to be burning and
l;r~l% - ahY IL @
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 striking the iron mail of darkness, or
a bedwarfed, whining, grumbling soldier.
that ought to be drummed out of the Lords
camp with the ''Rogues' 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
well you will weather the temptest and
whether at last amid the shouting of angels,
you shall come into the rig'4t harbor. May
God help me this morning to give you three
or four words Of Christian counsel as l ad-
dress myself more especially to those who
have just now entered the Christian life
My first word of counsel is, hold before
your soul very high model. Do not say,
~ wish could pray like that man, or speak
like this man, or have the conservation Of
this one." Say: "aere is the Lord Jesus
Christ, perfect pattern. By that mean,
with Gods grace, to shape all my life" In
other words, you will never be any more a
Christian than you strive to be. If you
build a foundation twenty by thirty feet you
will only have small house If you build
a foundation one hundred by one hundred
feet you will have a large house. If you re-
solve to be only middling Christian you
will only be a middling Christian. If you
have no high aspiration in a worldly direc-
ton you will never succeed in business If
haUa hiCh in 1-o1icpi0eIS
things you will never succeed in religion.
You have a right to aspire to the very
highest style of Christian character.
From your feet there reaches out a path
of Christian attainment which you may
take, and I deliberately say that you may
be better man than was Paul or David
or Summerfeld or Doddridge-a better
woman than Hannah More or Charlotte
Elizabeth. Why not? Did they have
monopoly of Christian grace? Did they
have private key to the storehouse of
Gods mercy? Does God shut you out
from the gladness and goodness 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 ever
lasting love- and if you fall short of what
they were-aye if you do not come up to
the point which they reached and go beyond
tit is not because Christ has shut you out
from any point Of moral and spiritual eleva-
ton, but because you deliberately refused to
take it. l admit that man cannot become
a Christian like that without struggle; but
what do you get without fighting for it?
The fOrtreSSes of darkness are to be taken by
storm. You may by acute strategy flank
the Hosts of temptation, but there are temp
tations there are evils in the way that you
will have to meet face to face, and it will be
shot for shot. gun for gun, grip for grip,
, slaughter for slaughter. The apostle
Paul over and over again represents the
Christian life as a combat.
When the war vessel of Christ's church
comes into glory bringing its crew and its
passengers it will not come in like North
River yacht, beautifully painted and adorned,
swinging into the boathouse after pleasure
excursion. Oh, no; it will be like a vessel
coming with heavy cargo from China or
In LA, the marks of the wave and the hurrl-
cane upon it-sails rent, rigging spllced,
pumps all working to keep her afoat, bull
warks knocked away. l see such vessel
% coming and get out my small boat and push
toward her, and shout: 'Ahoy, captain
What are you going to do with those shlv'
cred timbers? THAT was a beautiful ship
when you went out but you have ruined
it." ''Oh." says the captain, "Ihave fine
cargo on board, and by this round trip l
have made ten fortunes"
So believe it will be when the Christian
soul at last comes into the harbor of heaven.
1t will come bearing upon it the marks of
i&TedU SIreSS OIL WedGneT. L GU can SEQ ny Guo
very looks of that soul as it comes into glory
that it was driven by a storm and dashed
in the hurricane, but by so much as the voy-
age is rough, will the harbor be blessed. IF
We suffered with Him on earth, ye shall be
glorified with Him in heaven" Aim high.
Do not be satisfied to be like the Christians
all around you. Be more than they have ever
been for Christ
My second word of counsel to those who
have recently entered upon Christian life is,
Abstain from all pernicious associations, and
take only those that are useful and benef-