Connecticut western news., 1892-06-16
RAW RECRUITS.
DN. TALMA0E's SERMON AT THE
 BROOKLYN TABERNACLE.

BROOKLYN TABERNACLE.
 4 AA Cannot Become . Christian With
 soA . ntzussls Nor Conquer Temptation
 Without . StrugEle-The Fortress of
 Dafknsss Must Be Carried by Assault.
 H1oonYE, June 12.-Dr. Talmage prefaoed his sermon this morning with . abatement to the effect that he would aAil on Wednesday next for Europe and might b. able to be present at the dis tzdhntion in the famine stricken districts of Russia of The Christian Herald relief cargo, consisting of three million pounds & flour and other supplies, which goes out this week on the steamship Leo, chartered for the purpose. He congratu- lated the American people on the gener- ous spirit evinced by this magnificent rift to the starving people. His sermon was from the text, Ephesians vi, II, "Put on tho whole armor of God"
 There Is in this text great rattle of shields and helmets and swords. Sol 6isrs are getting ready for battle. We hays had recently in this church new en- hstments, 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. "Masterly retreat" is 8 term often used in military circles, but h religion there is no such thing. It is either glorious advance or disgraceful and ignominious falling back. It would b . 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 held" No. There is work for the blow and the hoe, and there must be careful keeping upof the fences, and there must b frightening away of the birds that would pillage the field. And I say the entrance upon Christian life is only the i1nplantation of grace in the heart. There h earnest, hard work yet to be done and perhaps many years of anxiety before there shall be heard the glorious shout ol sHarvest home"
 The beginning to be Christian is only y9tting down the foundation; but after fhat there are years of hammering, pol ishing, carving, lifting, before the struc- ture is completed. It takes five years to make Christian character; it takes twenty years, it takes forty years, it takes seventy years, if 8 man shall live O long. In other words, a man dying altar half century of Christian experi- snce feels that he has only learned the "A B Cs" of 8 glorious alphabet. The next year will decide a great deal in your history, young Christian man. It will decide whether you are to be burn ing and shining light of the church, or 8 spark of grace covered up in barrel of AGhss. It will decide whether you are to be . strong man in Christ Jesus, with gigantic blows striking the iron mail of darknees, or 8 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 he'll 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 angels, you shall como into the right harbor. May God help me this morning to give you three or four words of Chris tian counsel, as address myself more especially to those who have just now entered the Christian life.
 HOLD CHRIST AS A PATTERN.
 My first word of counsel is, hold be- fors your soul very high model. Do not Say, 'T wish could pray like that man, or speak like this man, or have the consecration of this one." Say: "Here Is the Lord Jesus Christ, a perfect pat tern. By that mean, with God grace, to shape all my hfe." In other words, you will never be any more Christian than you strive to be. If you build a foundation twenty by thirty feet you win only have . small house. If you build foundation one hundred by one hundred feet you will have large house. If you resolve to be only middling Christian you will only be middling Christian. If you have no high aspira- tion in worldly direction you will never succeed in business. If you have no high aspiration in religious 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 . better man than was Paul or David or Hummerield or Doddridge-a better woman than Hannah More or Charlotte Elizabeth. Why not? Did they have g monopoly of Christian grace? Did they hayN private key to the storehouse oi Cody mercy? Does God shut you out from the gladness and goodness to which they wore introducedf Oh, no. You have just the same promises, just the same Christ, just the same Holy Ghost just tho same offers of present and ever lasting love, and if you fall short of what they were-aye, if you do not come uI to tho point which they reached and gt beyond it-it is not because Christ ha, shut you out from any point of mora and spiritual elevation, but because yor deliberately refused to take it. admi that man cannot become a Christian Nke that without struggle; but wha do you get without fighting for it? Int foetresses of darkness are to be taken by storm. You may by acute strateg, flank the hosts of temptation, but ther' ars temptations, there are evils in th' way that you will have to meet face t. face, and 1t will be shot for shot, gun fo gun, grip for grip, slaughter for slaugh tw. The apostle Paul over and ove sGnin represents the Christian life as combat.
 When the war vessel of Christ's churcl comes into glory bringing it's crew an' its passsngers 1t will not come in like North river yacht, beautifully painted and adorned, swinging into the boat house after pleasure excursion Oh no; it will be like vessel coming witf
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