The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1893-06-10
OUT OF THE FOLD.
Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage and the
No-Relieionists.
a Talk ON the Apologies Men Make for
Their F~usre to Embrace the
Religion Of Jesus-Many Very
Lame Excuses.


Lame Excuses.
The following discourse was deliv-
cred by Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage IN the
Brooklyn tabernacle from the text:
And they all with one consent began to make
excuse.-Luke XIV, 49,
After the invitations to levee are
sent out, the regrets come in. One
man apologies for non-attendance on
one ground. another on another
ground The most of the regrets are
founded on prior engagements. So in
my text a great banquet was spread,
the invitations were circulated, and
now the regrets come In. The one
gives an agricultural reason, the other
q stock-dealer's reason. the other do
mestic reason. All poor reasons The
agricultural reason being that the man
had bought farm and wanted 10 see
it. Could he not see It the next day?
The stockholders reason being that he
had bought five yoke of oxen and he
wanted to go and prove them. He
had no business to buy them
until he knew what they were.
Besides that, q man who can own
i've yoke of oxen can command his own
time. Besides that, he might have
yolsed two of them together and driven
them on the way to the banquet, for
locomotion was not as rapid then as
now. The man who gave the domestic
reason said he had got married. He
ought to have taken his wife with him.
The fact was they did not want to go.
''And they all with one consent began
to make excuse" So now God spreads
banquet; 1t Is the Gospel feast, and the
table reaches across the hemispheres;
and the invitations go out and multi
tudes come and sit down and drink out
of the chalices of Gods love, while
other multitudes decline coming-the
one giving this apology and the other
giving that apology; and they all
with one consent begin to make ex-
cuse." Ipropose this morning, so far
as God will help me, to examine the
apologies which men make for not en-
tering the Christian life.
Apology the first: am not sure there
is anything valuable in the Christian
religion. 1t is pleaded that there ARE
80 many impositions in this day-so
many things that seem to be real are
sham. A gilded outside may have q
hollow inside; there is so much quack-
cry in physics, in ethics, In politics,
that men come to the habit of incredu-
lily, and after awhile they. allow that
incredulity to collide with our holy re-
ligion.
But, my friends, think religion has
made q pretty good record in the
world. How many wounds it has
salved, how many pillars of fire 1t has
lifted in the midnight wilderness, how
many simoon-struck Saharas 1t hath
turned into the gardens of the Lord;
how it hath stilled the chopped sea;
what rosy light it hath sent streaming
through the rift of the storm-cloud
wrack: what pools of cool water it
hath gathered for thirsty Hagar and
Ishmael; what mama whittier than
coriander seed it hath dropped all
around the camp of hardly.bestead pill
griins; what promises It hath sent out
]. like holy watchers to keep the lamps
burning around death-beds; through
the darkness that lowers into the sepul.
cher, what flashes Of resurrection morn
Besides that, this religion has made
80 many heroes. 1t brought Summer.
field, the Methodist, across the Atlantic
ocean with his silver trumpet to blow
the acceptable year of the Lord, until
It seemed as if all our American cities
would take the kingdom of Heaven by
violence. It sent Jehudi Ashman into
Africa alone, in continent Of nakct
barbarians, TO lift the standard OF civ
ilization and Christianity. 1t made
John Milton among poets, Raphae
among painters, Christopher Wrer
among architects. Thorwaldsen among
sculptors, Handel among musicians
Dupont among military commanders
and to give new wings to the imagina
ton. and better balance to the judg
ment, and more determination to thu
win. and greater usefulness to the life
and grander nobility to the soul, there
Is nothing In all the earth like GU
Christian religion.
Nothing in religioni Why, then, al
those Christians were deceived when II
their dying moments they though
they saw the castles of the blessed
and your child, that with unutterabl
agony you put away into the grave
YOU will never see him again, nor hea
his sweet voice, nor feel the thyob o
his young heart? There is noth2g j
religion! Sickness will come upon YOU
Roll and turn on your pillow. No RI
| lief, The rsedicine may be bitter, tn
night may be dark, the pain may b
sharp. No relief. Christ never come
to the sick room. Let the. pain stall
Let the fever burn. Curse it and di'
There is nothing in religionl Ate
awhile death will come. You will hes
the paving of the pale horse on tn
threshold. The spirit viii be brcakin
away from the body. and 1t will TAX
fiight--whither9 whittier? There ism
God. no ministering angels to conduc
no Christ, no Heaven, no home. Nothin
ia religion! Oh, you are not willing
adopt such dismal theory. And "
the world is full of skeptics. And l.
me say there is no class OF people Il
whom have . warmer sympathy tina
for skeptics. We do not knoxe how
treat them. We derider them. "
esricature them. We. instead OF tai
IND them by the soft hand Of christis