The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-03-22
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
kHE BROOKLYN DIvlNES SUN.
DAY SERMON.
Eubject: "From Twenty to Seventy.

Eubject: "From Twenty to Seventy
+ Text: "Ihe days of our years are three.
score and ten, Psalm 1c., 10.
b The SEVENTEEN milestone OF life ls here
nlanted as at the end Of the journey. A few
20 beyond it; multitudes never reach it. The
oldest person Of modern times expired at
h69 years. A Greek Of the name OF Strava-
ride lived to 1872 years. An Englshman OF
the name Of Thomas Parr lived l52 years;
Before the time of Moses people lived 1oD
wears, and if you 60 far enough back they
Hved 500 years. Well. that was necessary,
because the story Of" the world must come
down by tradition, and it needed long hfe
safely to transmit the news Of the past. Ii
the generations had been short lived, the
STORY would so often have changed lips that
ht might have got all astray.
/. But after Moses began to write IL down
land par rchment told it from century to CEN
tury it was not necessary that people i've SO
long in order to authenticate the events OF
1.-The past. If in our time people lived only
hwentv five wears, that would not ahect MS
tory, since it is put in print and IS no longer
6ependent upon tradition. Whatever your
ACE will today directly address you. and
Ii shall speak to those who are in Che twen-
ties. the thirties, the forties, the htties, the
lsixties and to those who are IN tue seven
ties ami beyond.
| First, then. accost those OF you VINO
are in tue twenties. You are tull OF e4pec-
tation. You are amoitious-tnae Is E you
amount to auything-for some KIND OF sue
cess. commercial or mechanical or protes-
sional or literary or agricultural or social or
moral. II find some one in the twent!eS
without any sort Of ambition, l feel ike
saving. My friend, you have got on tne
wrong planet. This is not the world for you.
You are going to be in the way. have you
made your choice Of poorhouses' You VIII
never be able to pay for your cradle. VINO
lis going to settle for your board? Inere Is
mistake about the fact that you were porn
lat ALL"
/ But supposing you have ambition, let me
sssy to ali the twenties: Expsct everything
through divine manipulation, and then you
will get all you want or something better.
fare You looking for wealth. Well, remem-
lber that God controls the money markets,
fine haryests. the droughts, the caterpillars,
the locusts. the sunshine, the storm, the
hand, the sea, and you will get wealth. Fer
)haps not that which is stored up In Danks, In
safe deposits, in United States securities, ln
houses and lands, but your clothing and
lhosrd and shelter. and that is about all; you
can appropriate anyhow. You cost the
Lord q GREAT deal. To feed and clothe and
!shelUer for lifetime requires big sum or
money. and if you get nothing more than
the absolute necessities you get an enormous
amount OF supply.
Expect ss much as you will OF any kind OF
success; il you expect it from the Lord, you
are safe Depend on any other resource anu
YOU may be badly chagrined, but depend on
God and all will be we'll. 1t IS good thing
In the crisis of life to have a man OF large
ne fhlnU
have a moneyed institution stand behind
YOU in your undertaking. But it is might,
lar thing to have tae God Of heaven and
earth your coadjutor, and you may nave
Him. lam so glad that meet you while
Won are in the twenties. YOU are laying oue
ivonr plans. and all your life in this world
and the next for 500, 900, 600 years OF your
Iexistence VIII be affected by those plans. IL
lis about o'clock in the morning OF your
life, and you are just starting OUT. nich
way are you going to star' on' 'ne '"eu'
ties. ,.,
1rwenty' is a great word in the Bible.
Joseph was sold for 20 pieces OF silver. Sam
son Judged Israel 20 years. Solomon gave
Hiram 20 cities. The flying roll that
tZechariah saw was 20 cuoits. When the
t,ailors OF the ship on which Paul sailed
sounded the Mediterranean Sea, 1t was ~
Kathoms. What mighty things have been
done in the twsnties! Romulus FOUNDED
Rome when he was 90. Keats finished life
at Of T,afayette was a world renowned
soldier at 2S. Oberlin accomplished his
Chief work by 27 Bonaparte was victor
over Italy at 26. Pitt was prime minister
Iof England at %. Calvin had completed
his immortal institutes" by the time he
WAS 26. Grotius was attorney general at "a:
( Some of the migttiess things for God and
eternity have been done in the twenties. AS
long as you can put the figure '2' before tne
jother figure that helps describe your agel
have high hopes about you. LOOK OUT Ior
that figure s2." Watch its continuance
with as mucn earnestness as you ever
watched anything that promised your saliva
zion or threatened you demolition. what
criticai time, the twenties! While they con-
kinue YOU decide your occupation and tue
principles by which you will be guided. You
make your most abiding friendships. You
|arranSe your home life. You fix your
habits. Lord God Almighty, for Jesus
Christ's SAFE, have mercy on all tne men
and women in the twentiesl
r Next 1 accost those in the thirtles. You
are at an age when you find what tough
thing it is to get recognized and established
lin your occupation or profession. Ten years
|ago you thought all that was nee sssary Tor
Bnccsss was to put on your shutter the sign
lof physician or dentist, or attorney or broSer
Eor agent, and you would have plenty OK busi.
mess. How many hours you sat and waite1
kor business and waited in vain three per.
sons only know-Goi, your wife AM
yourself. In commercial life you haVe NOT
had the promotion and the increase in salary
TO occupy in the firm has not been vacated.
The produce Of the farm, with which you
jexpected to support yourself and those de-
bending on you, and to pay the interest on
The mortgage, has been far less than you
anticipated, or the prices we're down, or sps-
cial expenses for sickness made drafts on
your resources that you could not nave e2-
pected.
! In some respects the hardest decade OF
life is the thirties, because thu results are
,Renerally so far behind the anticipstions 1t
k very rare indeed that young man does
Jas did the young man last Sunday night,
When he came TO me and said: ''f havs bsen
so maryelously prospsred since came to
this country that I feel, as matter OF
pratitude, that ought to dedicate myself
Ito God" Nine-tenths OF the poetry OF life
has been knocked out Of you since you came
Into the thirties. Men in the different pro.
kessions and occupations saw that you were
riz,ng and they must put an estoppel on you
:oi YOU might somehow stand in the way.
They think you must bs suppressed.
J. From 80 to 4j it is an especially hard time
ifor young doctors, young lawyers. youns
merchants. young farmsrs. young mecaan-
dcs, young ministers. The struggle OF the
thirties is for honest aud helpful and re-
Imunerative recognition. But few Old peo-
{ple know how to treat young people without
Datronizing them on the one han1 or Snuo-
bling them on the other. O1, the thirties !!
Joseph stood before Pharaoh at 81. David
was 80 years old when he bssan to reign.
The height of Solomon's temple was 30 GU
tbits. Christ entered upon His active ministry
at 80 years OF age. Judas sold himself for
,;oo,e of oiluar