The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-06-13
RECRUITS OF RELIGION.
TALMAGn BREACHES TO THOSE
JUST CONVERTED.

| SSoA OS4N A14hA 4hASs
The Entrance Upon Christian Life Only
the lmplantation of Grace in the
| Heart-The Lord Jesus Christ a Per-
feet Pattern by Which to shape q
Christian Life.
! BROOKLYN, N. Y, June 12.-Dr. Tall
mage prefaced his sermon this morning
with a statement to the effect that he would
sail on Wednesday next for Europe, aud
might be able to be present at the distribu-
tion in the famine-strlcken districts of Russ
sia of the Christian Herald relief cargo.
consisting Of three million pounds OF -four
and other supplies. which goes out this
week on the steamship Leo, chartered for
the purpose. he congratulated the Ameri-
can people on the generous spirit evinced
by this magnificent gift to the starving
people. His sermon was from the text.
Ephes. vi, @; Put on the whole armor OF
God"
There is In this text a great rattle OF
shields, and helmets and swords. SOL
diers are getting ready for the battle. We
have had recently ia this church new ems
listments and shall address myself to those
In this and other churches who are putting
themselves to be as yet only raw recruits.
Mastery retreat is term often used in
military circles, but I'm religion there is no
such thing. 1t Is either glorious advance or
disgraoeful and ignominious falling back.
Is would be strange thing If all our aux-
iety about men ceased the moment they
were converted. You would almost doubt
the sanity OF that farmer who having
planted the corn and seen IL sprout Just
above ground, should say: "My
work Is all done. have no
more anxiety for the field" No. There
is work for the plow and the hoe, and
there must be careful keeping up of the
fences, and there must be Frightening
away of the birds that would pillage the
field. And say the entrance upon Christian
life is only the implantatlon of grace in the
heart There is earnest, hard work YET to
be done, and perhaps many years OF anxiety
before there shall be heard the glorious shout
OF Harvest home." The beginning to be a
Christian IL only putting down the founda-
tion; but after that there are years of hams
meriuR, polishing, carving, lifting, before
the structure is completed. IL takes Ave
years to make a Christian character; it
takes twenty years; it takes forty years,
it takes seventy years, If man shall live so
long. In other words, man dying after
half a century Of Christian experience feels
that he has only learned the "a b C'sn of
a glorious alphabet. The next year will
decide great deal in your history, young
Christian man. Ii will decide whether you
are to be burning and shining light Of the
church, or spark OF grace covered up In q
barrel OF ashes. It 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, Rrumb
ling soldier. that ought 10 be drummed out
OF the Lords camp with the "Rogues'
March" You have only Just been launched;
the voyage 10 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
shooting 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 en-
tered the Christian life,
My first word OF counsel is, hold before
your soul very high model. Do not say.
~ wish / could pray like that man, or
speak like this man or have the consecra-
ton 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 foundation twenty by thirty
feet you will only have small house. If
you build a foundation one hundred by one
hundred feot you will have large house.
IL you resolve to be only a middling
Christian, you will only be middling
Christian. II you have no high aspiration
in worldly direction you will never
succeed In business. l 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 Chris
tiau attainment which you may take, and
deliberately say that you may be a better
man than was Paul. or David, or Summer
field, or Doddridge-a better woman than
Hannah More or Charlotte Elizabeth. Why
not Did they have a monopoly Of Chris
tian grace Did they have a private key of
the store house Of Gods mercy 2 Does God
shut you out from the gladness and goodness
TO which they were introduced o, 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. and IL you fall short of what
they were-aye, II you do not come up to
the point which they reached and go beyond
it-it Is not because Christ has shut you out
from any point of moral and spiritual ele-
vation. but because you deliberately refused
to take It. l admit that man cannot become
Christian like that without a struggle;
but what do you get without fighting for itf
The fortresses OF darkness are to be taken
by storm. You may, by acute strategy,
flank the hosts Of temptation, but there are
temptations, bneIo are evils, IN Une way tnaE
you will have to meet face to face, and 10
will be shot for shot, gun for gun, grip for
grip, slaughter for slaughter. The Apostle
Paul, over and over again. represents the
Christian life as a combat.
When the war vessel Of Christ's church
comes into glory bringing its crew and
its passengers, it will not come in
hike MOI th river yacht, beautifully painted
and adorned, swinging into the boat house
after a pleasure excursion. o, no. 1t will
be like vessel coming with heavy cargo
from China or India. the marks Of the wave
and the hurricane upon it-sails rent, rig
gings sphced, pumps all working to keep
her afloas, bulwarks knocked away | see
such vessel coming and get out my small
boat and push toward her, and 1 shout:
"Ahoy, captain What are you going to
do with those shivered timbersl That was
a beautiful ship when you went out, but
you have ruined it." "O." says the
captain, 81 have a fine cargo on board, and
by this round trip l have made ten FORT
unes." So l believe it will be when the
Christian soul at last comes into the harbor
of heaven. II will come, bearing upon it
the marks Of great stress Of weather. You
can see by the very looks of that soul as it
poruaa into glory that IL was drfvan NV