Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1892-06-17
REV. DR.. TALMAGB,
The Eminent Brooklyn Divinss Sun.
day Sermon.
Subject: "Raw Recruits"

l shall address myself 10 those in this an
other churches who are putting on the ar nor
Of God and who may feel themselves to b.
as yet only raw recruits. Mastery re-
treat" is term often ussl in military cir
Giles, but in religion there is no such thing
1t is either glorious advance or disgracefu
and ignominious falling back. II would bc
a strange thing il all our anxiety about men
ceased the moment they were converted.
You would almost doubt the sanity OF thai
farmer who, having planted the corn All |
seen it just sprout above groun l. should say:
my work is all done. | have NJ more
anxiety for tho field" No. Ther9 is work
for the plow and the hoe AMI there mist
be careful keeping up of the fences an1
there must be a frightening away Of tho
birds that would pillage the field. And
say the entrance upon Christian life is only
the implantation OF grace in thu heart.
There is earnest, hard work yet to be done
and perhaps many years of anxiety before
there shall be hearl the glorious shout of
Harvest home"
The beginning to bs 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; 1t takes twenty years, it
takes forty years, 1t takes seventy year,, it
a man shall live so long. In other words a
man dying after half a century Of Christian
experience feels that he has only learned the
"A B Csn of the glorIou, 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 an
shining light of the church, or a spark Of
grace covered up in barrel Of
ashes. 1t will decide whether you are to he
n strong man in Christ Jesus, with gigantic
blows striking the iron mail of darkness, or
a bedwarfed. whining, grumbling soldier
that ought to be drummei out of the Lords
camp with the "Rogues March You have
only lust been launche J; the voyage is to be
made. Earth and heaven on hell are
watching TO see how fast you will SAIL how
well YOU will weather the TEMPEST. and
whether at last, amid the shouting of 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 | al
dress myself more especially 10 those who
have Just now entered the Christian life.
NY first word of counsel is, hold before
your soula very high model. Do not say.
If wish / could pray like that man. or SPEAK
like this man, or have the conservation OF
this one" Say; here 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. IL you
build a foundation twenty by thirty feet you
will only have a small house. IL you build
q foundation one hundred by one hun lrel
feet YOU will have large house. Ii you re-
solve to be only a middliny Christian you
will only he a mddling Christian. II you
have no high aspiration in worldly dIrec.
ton you will never succeed in business. Ii
you have no high aspiration in religious
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 path
of Christian attainment which you may
take and I deliberately say that you may
he better man than was Paul or DAVID
or Summerield OF DOtdridge-a better
woman than Hannah More or Charlotte
Elizabeth. Why not, Did they have
monopoly of Christian graca? Did they
have a private key TO the storchouSe OF
Gods mercy? Does God shut you out
from the gladness AMI goo iness to which
they were introduced; OBJ, 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. AMI it YOU fail short Of what
they were-aye. if you 90 not come up to
the point which they reached and go beyon
tit is not because Chli;t has shut you out
from any point of moral AM spiritual eleya-
ton, but lecause YOU deliberately refused 70
take il. almit that man cannot bee oms
a Christian like that without n struggle; but
what do you get withou, fighting Tor IL;
The fortresses OF darkness areto be taken 10y
storm. You may by acute strategy flank
49,. 1. 80 hpt fhara r. tnmn-
tations. there are evils in the way that you
will have to meet face 10 face, an 1t VIII tie
shot for shot. gun for gun, grip for grip
slaughter for slaughter. The apostle
Paul over ami over again represents the
Christian lie as combat.
When the war vessel OF Christs church
comes into glory bringing its crew ana us
passengers il will not come in like Nortn
River Yacht. beautifully painted and adorned,
swinging into the boathouse after pleasure
excursion. Oh no, it will be like vessel
coming with heavy cirgo from emma OF
India the marks of the wave and the hurri-
cane upon it-sails rent rigging spice
pumps all working to keep her ahoat bul,
warks knocked away. | see such veNsei
COMING and get out my small boat ana pu5o
toward her. AMI | shou': Alloy, captain
Whit are YOU going 20 do with those saw
cred timber.s That was a beautiful sur
when you went ont, but you have RUNE |
it oh says the captain, Il have fine
cargo on board, and by this round trip
l have made ten fortunes
So believe il will be when the Christian
soul at last cones into the harbor OF heaven.
1t will come be lrin. upon it the marks Of
great stress of weather You can see by thu
very looks OF that soul as it comes intoglory
that it was driven by storm and dashed
in the hurricane, but by so much as the voy-
age is rourh. will the harbor be blessed. 1T
We suffer. Il with Him on Garth. ye shall be
glorifie with Him in heaven" Aim high.
DO not be satislle 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, ant
take only those tdat are useful and be1eh-
cent Stay out Of all associations that
woul1 damage your Christian character.
Take only those associations that will help
you. learned man said. III | stay vito
that man Feneion any longer J shall get t.
be Christian in spite Of myself In other
words thereis a mighty power in Christian
associations Now what Kind Of assOc.a-
tons shall W., as young Christians, seek
after, think we on INT to get into com
pany bstter than ourselves, never going
into company worse than ourselves.
If we get into company little
better than ourselves and ther5
are ten people in that company, ten chances
TO one we will be bsttered. II we get int
company a little worse than ours elves, an II
thers be ten people in that company, ten
chances to one we will b. made worss than
we were before.
do not preten | to point ont any evil in
huencas. but are thers no. some surround
ing influences that ara psrnicious to your
growth in grace? Stand back from that fur
mace in which SO many young Christians
have besn destroyed. In this church there
Is large company Of young men and young
women consecrate to Christ. | know Of
no better th1n they are.
Young convert, | invite you into their
friendship Contact with them will elevate
you. All hail, young followers of Jesus
Christ, my joy and my pride My heart
thrills at every step Of your advancement
| talked with you in that hour when you
most tried TO break from sin. AMI now | re
joice as | see you putting on the arnlo~ OF n
conflict in which God will give you present
and everlasting victory. Stan off from all
Evil assoc ;aticnS. A man is no better than
The company he keeps. Go among those
who ara halter than Won are and Won will bo