The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1893-04-19
THE GOSPEL FEAST.
Eloquent Sermon by Rev. T. De-
Witt Talmage, D. D.
Shabby Apologies which Men Mako for
Npt Entering the Christian Life-The
I Record Religion Has Made in
the World-sympathy for
Skeptics.

tSbernacle recently, the text being
from Luke XIV, 1s: "And they al with
one consent began to make excuse"
He said:
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 great banquet was spread,
the invitations were circulated, and
now the regrets come in. The one
gives an agricultural reason, the other
. stock Dealers reason, the other do
mestic reason. All poor reasons, The
agricultural reason being that the man
had bought a farm and wanted to see
1t. Could he not see 1t the next day?
The stock dealers 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,
man who can own five yoke Of oxen
can command his own time. Besides
that he might have yolked 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 CO. "And they all
with one consent began to make ex-
cpse." So now God spreads great
banquet; It 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 excuse" l
propose this morning, so far as God
may help me, to examine the apologies
which men make for not entering the
Christian life.
Aplogy the first: l am not sure
there is anything valuable in the Chris
are 30 many imnositions IN +hi, dov %
many things that seem to be real are
sham. A gilded outside may have
hollow inside; there is SO much quaclS-
cry In physics, in ethics, in politics,
that men come to the habit of incredul-
ity and after awhile they allow that In
oion.
But. nv friends tb;nl- re,i.;or h,s
made nrettv GOOD record n this voo,Id
How many wounds 4 has salved how
many pillars ~ Are n has l,fted n the
midniehtwiIderness how mapv s,,noor.
struck Saharas h hath tprnad into tha
gardens OF the Lord: how Il bath chilled
the chopped sea. what rosv Iight n bath
sent streaming through the rift ~ tbe
storm-cloud. .wraclx: what nools ~ cool
water IL hath patbered Tor tbirstv
HaQar and Ishmael; what mamma vhiter
than coriander seed Il hath dronned ali
aroundDthe camn Of bardlv.hestead nil.
erims: what nromises n hath sent ont
like holy watchers 70 keen the Iamns
burning around deatb-beds. tbrorgh
the darl,pess that loworo IT. a.
sepulcher, what flashes OF resurrection
mornI
Besides that this religion has m.ao
M many boroea Il brougbt Srrwor.
field. the Methodist across the Atlantic
OCEAN with his silver trumnet 10 bIou,
the acceptable wear NJ the Lord unt;l
Il seemed as n all our American cities
would take the kingdom ~ boovo,, hr
violence. II sent Iebudi Ashmon ;n,o
Africa alone. In n continent ~ naLod
barbarians. to lift the .tardard ~ o;,,i.
lization and Cbristianitv To mad Iohn
Milton among noets RanbaeI omonn
painters. Cbristonber Wron amonS
architects Tboryvaldsen anorr sa,,ir
tors. Handel among mus;c,ans Dnnont
among military commanders. ond 20
Give new wings N tbe imog;notion anS
better balance N tbe inda,nout anS I
moro determ;nation 20 the iii 80
Greater nsefulnass 20 ,La ,;ta anS
9rander nobil;tv to tbe sori tho.o ~ =
nothing IN all tIo sarth ill., o,,r vISL. Chv,a =
tian religion
Notbing IN re,ioion, wbv thor n,
tbose Christians were deceived rrhan m
In their diving moment thev tbonnht
thew saw tbe castles n tbe bisssoJ. enS ~
vonr child that with nnmtto,ahis III
agony Won mt awav into ' tba GraUo
von viii never soe h;w a@o,n INC -. $50, SNor
bIs sweet voice nor feel tha M tSroh IS -
his voune bearto Tbere ;s noth;uo T., -
religioni siclness viii come ,ro,, g., -
Roll and tnrn on vonr n;IIon oN ny ~ ~
lief The medicine nav he h;.tsr A..
n;~ht nav he darl, a.. ~ no,. 'Se, ,a. 'no %