The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1892-05-04
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
kTHE BROOKLYN DIvfNE's SUN.
DAY SERMON.
SupJecr: 'rThe Resurrection"

TEXT: surely the bitterness or deGth
past."-I Samuel xv., 81.
so cried Agag, and the only objection
nave to this text is that bad man uttere'
1T. Nevertheless it is true, and in q highel
and better sense than that iu which 1t wa
originally uttered. Years ago a legent
8something like this was told me: In hu
hved yerv poor woman by the name
MISERY. In front Of her door was pear tree
(which was her only resource for living
Christ, the Lord. in poor garb was walking
through the earth and no one would enter
tain Him. In vain He knocked at ice dool
|of palaces and Of humble dwellings. COLI
: and hungry and insuficiently clad. as HI
5fwas, none received Him. But coming on
day to the hut Of this woman, whose name
was Misery, she received Him. and offered
Him few c-uxts and asked Him to warm
Himself at the handful Of Goals, and she SAT
a pillow to rest on.
In the morning this divine being asked her
las He departed what she would have Him dc
in the way Of reward; and told her that he
owned the universe and would give her what
she asked. All she asked was that her pear
kree might be protected, and that the boys
who stole her fruit once climbing the tree,
might not be able to get down without her
consent. So it was granted, and all who
climbed the tree were compelled to stay
There After awhile Death came -. ag and
told the poor woman she must go him.
But she did not want to 20, for, however
poor ones lot is, no one wants to 60 with
Death. Then she said to Death, II will go
with you if you will first climb up into my
pear tree and bring me down q few pears
before start" This he consented to do.
but having climbed into the tree he could
not again come down.
Then the troubles Of the world began, for
Death did not come. The physicians had no
patients. the undertakers no business law.
yers no wills to make, the people who waited
Tor inheritances could not get them, the OLD
men staid in all the professions and occupa-
lions so that thsre was no room for the
young who were coming on, and the eartn
got ove-crowded. and from all the earth the
cry went up: "Oh, for Death! Where Is
Deathm Then the people came to the poor
woman and begged her 10 let Death descend
from the tree. In sympathy for the world,
she consented to let Death come down on one
condition, and that was that he should never
omolest or take her away, and on that condi-
ton Death was allowed to come down, ana
he kept his WORT and never removed her.
and for that reason we always have Misery
with us.
Is In that allegorY some one has set forth the
truth that mean to present on this Easter
morning, which celebrates the resurrection
!, Of Christ and our coming resurrection-that
one of the grandest and mightiest mercies
bf the earth is our divine permission to quit
1t. Sixty-four persons every minute step
{ off this planet. Thirty million people every
wear board this planet. As steamer must
Unload before it takes another cargo and as
the passengers Of rail train must leave 1t
In order to have another company ofpassen-
gers enter it, so with this world.
N What would happen to an ocean steamer
/! II man, taking stateroom, SHOULD stay IN
Ct forever What would happen to rall
train il one who purchases ticket should
always occupy the seat assigned him? ana
what would happen to this world If all who
came into it never departed from it? The
grave is as much benediction as the cradle.
What sunk that ship in the Black Sea few
days agoe Too many passengers. what
was the matter with that steamer on tne
Thames which, few years ago, went down
with 900 lives. Too many passengers. Now
this world is only ship. which was launcned
some six thousand years ago. IL Is Sahhng
at the rate OF many thousand miles an nour.
It is freighted with mountains and cities.
and has in its staterooms and steerage ABOUT
sixteen hundred million passengers. so
many are coming aboard, 1t Is necessary tnat
a good many disembark.
Suppose that all the people that have
lived since the days Of Adam and Eve were
SILL alive. What cluttered up place this
world would be-no elbow room-no place
TO walk-no privacy-nothing to eat or
wear or if ANYTHING were left the human
race would. like a shipwrecked crew. have
to be out on small rations, each OF US having
perhaps only a biscuit day. And what
chance would there be for the rising genera.
taons. The men and women who started
when the world started would keep the
modern people back and down, saying:
s'We are six thousand years old. BOW
down. History is nothing, for We are older
than history" What mercy for the hu-
man race was death! Within few years
(. you can get from this world all there IS IN
= After you have had fifty or sixty CT sew
enty springtimes, you have seen enough
blossoms. After itty or sixty or seventy
autumns you have seen enough OF gorgeous
/. foliage. After fifty or sixty or seventy
7, winters you have seen enough snowstorms
and felt enough chills and wrapped yourself
in enough blankets. In the ordinary length
of human life you have carried enough Dur.
dens and shed enough tears, and suffered
enough injustices, and felt enough paugs,
and been clouded by enough doubts, and
surrounded by enough mysteries. We TALL
about the shortness Of life, but II we exer'
cised good sense we would realize that life II
quite long enough
1--we are the children Of God we are at a
BANQUET, and this world is only the first
course of the food, and we ought to be glad
that there are other and better and richer
courses of food to be handed on. We are
here in one room Of our Fathers house, but
there are rooms up stairs. They are better
;pictured, better upholstered, better fur
do RI fhe
lanteroom forever, when there are palatial
apartments waiting for our occupancy:
AiWhat mercy that there is limitation to
earthly environments!
~ Death also makes room for improved
physical machinery. Our bodies have won
,dr6us powers, but they are very limited.
There are beasts that can outruu US outllft
us, butcarry US. The birds have both the
earth and air for travel, yet we must stlcs
to the one. In this world, which the human
race takes for its own, there are creature:
of God that can far surpass us In some
things. Death removes this slower and les
{ iairoit machinery and makes room for some
thing better. These eyes that can see hal
a mile will be removed for those that car
Gee from world to world. These ears
! which can hear a sound q few feet oh, vii
be removed for ears that can hear frou
zone to zone. These feet will be removed
far powers Of locomotion swifter than th'
reindeer's hoof or eagles plume OF ightn
ing's fash.
Then we have only five senses. and to thes
we are shutup. Why only five senses! VIII.
not fifty; why not one hundred; why nos
thousand? We can have, and we will have
them, but not until this present physica
machinery is put out Of the way. Do no
! think that this body is the best that Go'
can do for US. God did not half try when
/ he contrived your bodily mechanism. Mind
YOU. believe with all anatomists and With
all Psychologists and with all scientists anG
with the psalmist that I'VE are fearluuy anG
wonderfully made" But believe and