The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1892-06-23
A FAREWELL SERMON.
PUT ON THE WHOLE ARMOR OF
GOD"

''". Talmske Speaks of His Approaching
Departure for ,Europe--Hs Adviscs His
UonEre CATION to Hold a Worry High
nodol-Taho Jesus Christ for n Pattern.
BROOKLYN, June l2.-Dr. Talmage
retaced his sermon this morning with
statement to the effect that he would
Ill on Wednesday, next for Europe, and
light be able to be present at the dis
button in the famine districts of Rus
a ofThe Christian Herald relief cargo,
insisting of three million pounds oi
our and other supplies which goes out
Ils week OH the steamship Leo, char
"red for the purpose. He congratulated
re American people on the generous
pirlt evinced by this magnificent gift to
le starving people. His sermon was
rom the text, Ephesians vi, IL, "Put
n the whole armor Of God"
There Is i'll this text great rattle of
'hields and helmets and swords. Sol
ilers are getting ready for battle. We
AVE had recently in this church new
nlistments and shall address myself
% those in this and other churches who
're putting On the armor Of God, and
who may feel themselves TO be as Vet
DULY raw recruits. "Masterly retrcat'
IS term often used in military circles,
but In religion there is no such thing.
1t is either glorious advance or disgrace
lul and ignomlnlous falling back. 1t
would be strange thing if all our ankle.
ty about men ceased the moment they
were converted.
The beginning to be Christian is
only putting down a foundation; but al.
Ter that there are years of hammeriny,
polishing, carving, lifting, before the
structure is completed. 1t takes five
years 10 make Christian character, il
takes twenty years, 1T takes forty years,
1t takes seventy years ifa man shall live
so long. In other words, a man dying
after halfa century of Christian eXperl.
ence feels that he has only learned the
"A Is C's" ola glorious alphabet. The
next year will decide great deal in your
history, young Christian man; it will de-
eide whether you are to be burning
and shining light Of the church, or Il
spark of grace covered up in q 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 bedwalied, whining, grumbling sol
der that ought to be drummed out of the
Lords camp with the "Rogucs' March,"
y Nou have only lust been launched. The
voyage Is to be made. Earth and heaven
and hell are watching to see how fast
You will sail, how wei. yOu will weather
the tempest and whether at last, amld
the shouting OF the angels, you shall
come into the right harbor. May God
help me this morning to give you three
or four words of Christian counsel, as |
address myself more especially to those
who have Just now entered the Christian
lic.
My first word OF counsel is, Hold be-
fore your soul a very nigh model. DO
not say, 81 wish l could pray like that
man, or speak like this man or have the
COnsecration Of this One.n Say: HIIcrc
is the Lord Jesus Christ, IL perfect pat
tern. BY that l mean, with Gods
grace, TO shape all my lle." In other
words you will never be any more Il
Christian than you strive to be. If you
build foundation twenty by thirty feet
you Will only have Il small house. If
you build foundation one hundred by
one hundred feet, you will have Il large
house. If you resolve to be only a
mddling Christian, YOU Will only be II
mlddllng Christian. If you have no high
aspiration IN q worldly direction you will
never succeed in business.
If you have no high aspiration IN rcli-
Elous things YOU will never succeed In
religion. You have right to aspire to
the very highest style of Christian
character. From your feet there reaches
out path OF Christian attainment which
you may take, and / deliberately say
that you may be a better man than was
Paul or David or Summcriield or DOd-
dridgc-a better woman than Hannah
More or Charlotte Elizabeth. why
not! Did they have a monopoly OF
Christian grace? Did they have Il priv
ate key Of the storcho lsc of Gods mcr-
cl? Does God shut you out from the
eladness 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
everlasting love, and if you fall short Of
what they wcrc-ayc, II you do not
come ur to the point which they reached
and go beyond lit is not because
NuliSI Has SullI you out from any point
OF moral and spiritual elevation, but be-
cause you deliberately refused to take
ii.
| admit that man cannot become a |
Christian Ike that without struggle,
but what do YOU get without fighting for
1t? The iortrcsscs OF darkness are to be- |
taken by storm. You may by acute |
strategy flank the hosts Of icmpta ion,
but there are temptations, there are
evils, in the way that you will have
10 meet lace TO face, and it will be shot
lor shot, gun for gun grip for
grip, slaughter tor slaughter. The
Apostle Paul over and over again rep.
lesents the Christian lie as a combat.
When the war vessel of Chrisls
church comes into glory, bringing its
crew and Its passengers, it Will not come
IN ike a North river yacht, beautifully
painted and adorned, swinging INTO the
boathousc after pleasure excursion.
Oh, no. 1t VIII be like vessel coming
with a heavy cargo from China or India,
the marks of the wave and the hurri. |