The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1892-06-29
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINES SUN.
DAY SERMON.
Subject. Raw Recruits"

ISJOu- -cplSSlhuS W., IL.
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
7 shall address myself to those in this an5
other churches who are putting on the armor
Of God, and who may feel themselves to be
as yet only raw recruits. "MaSterly re-
treat" is term often used in military cir
cles, but in religion there is no such thing.
It is either glorious advance or disgraceful
and ignominious falling back. It would be
q 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
for the plow. and the hoe, and there must
be careful keeping up of the fences, aud
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 bs done
and perhaps many years of anxiety before
there shall bs heard the glorious shout OF
,eHarvest home"
j 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, il
q man shall live so long, In other words, a
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
shining light of the church, or spark OF
grace covered up in barrel OF
ashes. Il will decide whether you are to be
a strong man in Christ Jesus, with gigantic
blows striking the iron mail Of darkness, or
bedwarfed, whining, grumbllng 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 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 ad-
dress myself more especially to those who
have lust now entered the Christian life.
+ NY first word of counsel is, hold before
your soul very high model. Do not say,
III wish 1 could pray like that man, or speak
like this man, or have the conservation OF
this one" Say: "Here is the Lord Jesus
Christ, a perfect pattern. By that mean,
with Gods grace, to shape ali my life." In
other words, you will never be any more
Christian than you strive to be. II you
build 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 large house. T. you re-
solve to be only a middling Christian you
will only be middling Christian. If you
have no high aspiration in q worldly direc.
ton you will never succeed in business. If
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 ouS a path
Of Christian attainment which you may
take, and deliberately say that .Tou may
be a better man than was Paul nr David
or Summerfeld or Doddridge-a better
woman than Hannah More or Charlotte
Elizabeth. Why notS 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? On, no. You
have just the same promises, just the
same CorISL, JuSI tue eoulS hoAy OhoSo,
Just the same offers Of present and ever
lasting love, and il you fall short Of what
they were-aye il you do not come up to
the point which they reached and go beyond
lit 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
q 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 1T will be
shot for shot. gun, for gun, grip for grip,
slaughter for slaughter. Inc apostle
Paul over and over again represents the
Christian life as combat.
, When tho war vessel Of Christs church
comes into glory bringing its crew and It's
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 vessel
coming with heavy cargo from China or
India, the marks Of the wave and the hurrl-
cane upon it-sails rent, rigging splced,
pumps all working to keep her ahoat, bul.
warks knocked away. l see such Vesel
coming and get out my small boat and push
What are you going to do with those shiv
cred timbers? That was q beautiful ship
when you went out, but you have ruined
It." SOh.n saws the captain, "Ihave fine
cargo on board, and by this round trip l
I have made ten fortunes"
So I 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
great stress Of weather. You can see by the
very looks of that soul asi 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, 'lf
ye suffered with Him on earth, ye shall bs
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.
NY second word Of counsel to those who
have recently entered upon Christian life is.
Abstain from all pernicious associations, and
take only those tnat are useful and beneti-
cent. Stay out OF all associations that
would damage your Christian character.
Take only those associations that will help
you. Alearne1 man said. If 1 stay with
that man Fene!on any longer shall get to
be Christian in spite Of myself" In other
words thereis mighty power in Christian
associations. Now what kind of associa-
tions shall We, as young Christians, seek
after! think we ou ght to get into com
pany better than ourselves, never going
into company worse than ourselves.
If we get into company little
better than ourselves and there
are ten people in tnat company, ten chances
to one we will be bsttered. II we get into
company little worse than ourselves, and
there be ten people in that company, ten
chances to one We will be made worse than
we were before.
do not pretend to point out any ev. in
fuencss. but are there no. sons surround
ing influences that are psrnicious to your
growth in grace? Stand back from that fur
mace in which so many young Christians