The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-05-17
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIvINE'S SUM-
DAY SERMON.
Subject: cover All Forever"

I TEXT "Christ came, uho is ouer ALL
Romans X, 5.
For 1000 years the world had been waiting
for a deIrerer-waiting while empires ross
and fell. ConQuerors came and made the
world worse instead Of making 1t better
Istin the centuries watched and waited They
Hooked for Him on thrones, looked for Him ID
[palaees, looked for Him in imperial robes,
Hooked for Him at the head Of armies. AT
laast they found Him In barn. The cattle
stood nearer to Him than the angels. for the
former were in the adjoining stall, while the
batter were in. the clouds. A parentage OF
peasantry! No room for Him in the inn be-
cause there was no one to pay the hotel eS-
tpense. Yet the pointing star and the angelic
cantsts showed that heaven made up in ap-
preciation of His worth what the world
Hacked. "Christ came, who Is over all, God
blessed forever. Amen"
J But who is this Christ who came? AS to
khe difference between different denomina-
Hons of evangelical Christians have no con-
lcern. II I could by the turning over OF my
hand decide whether all the world shall at
Hast be Baptist or Methodistor Congregational
lor Episcopalian or Presbyterian, would not
turn my hand. But there are doctrines which
ARE vital to the soul II Christ be not God,
I'VE are idolators. To this Christological
|question devote myself this morning and
Alright in regard to question in which mis-
take Is infinite.
suppose that the majority OF those here
to-day assembled believe the Bible. It re-
,Quires as much faith to be an infldel as to be
"a Christian. It is faith in q different direc-
tion. The Christian has faith in the teach
Eings OF Matthew, Luke, John, Paul, Isaiah,
Moses. The infdel has faith in the free
thinkers. We have faith in one class OF men,
They have faith in another class of men. But
as the majority Of those, perhaps all Of those
here assembled, are willing to take the Bible
for standard in morals and In faith, make
this book my starting point.
suppose you are aware that the two gen.
erals who have marshaled the great armies
against the deity of Jesus Christ are Strauss
and Renen. The number Of their slain will
not be counted until the trumpet Of the arch
angel sounds the roll call of the resurrection.
Those men and their sympathizers saw that
df they could destroy the fortress Of miracles
they could destroy Christianity, and they
were right. Surrender the miracles and you
surrender Christianity. The great Ger
man exegete says that. all the miracles
were myths. The great French e1egete says
that all the miracles were legends. They
propose to take everything supernatural from
the Life Of Christ and everything supernatural
rom the Bible. They prefer the miracles OF
human nonsense to the glorious miracles OF
Jesus Christ.
: They say there was no miraculous birth In
Bethlehem, but that 1t is all fancifuf story,
Just like the story OF Romulus said to have
been born Of Rhea Silvia and the god Mars.
They say no star pointed to the manger; 1t
ATas only the fash OF q passing lantern. They
say there was no miraculous making Of bread,
but that It is a corruption Of the story that
Elisha gave 20 loaves OF bread to hundred
men. They say the water was never turned
Into wfce, but that 1t Is q corruption Of the
story that the Egyptian plague turned the
water into blood. They say It is no wonder
that Christ sweat great drops OF blood; he
had been out In the night air and was taken
suddenly i'll. They say that there were no
tongues Of fire on the heads Of the disciples
at the Pentecost that there was only a great
thunder storm, and the air was full Of cleo
tricity, which snapped and few all around
about the heads Of the disciples.
They say that Mary and Martha and Christ
felt it important to get up an excitement for
the forwarding Of their religion, and so they
dramatized funeral and Lazarus played the
corpse, and Mary and Martha played the
weepers, and Christ was the rtragedisn.
put it In my own words, but this is the exact
meaning Of their statements. They say the
Bible Is spurious book written by super
died for that which they did not believe.
| Now, take back the limited statement
which made few moments ago, when I
said 1t requires as much faith to be an In
tAdel as tc be Christian. It requires q
thousandfold more faith to be an infldel than
to be Christian, for II Christianity demand
that the whale swallowed Jonah, then
skepticism demands that Jonah swallowed
the whale! I can prove to you that Christ
was God, not only by supernatural appear
ances on that Christmas night, but by what
inspired men said Of Him, by what He says Of
himself and by His wonderful achievements.
HChrist came, who is over ALL" All, does
mot that prove too much? Not over the
Casars, not over Frederick, not over Alex
ander the Great not over the Henrys, not
lover the Louises2 Yes. Pile all the thrones
OF all the ages together, and my text over
spans them as easily rs rainbow oveEspans
mountain, "Chrst came, who is over all. !"
Then He must be God.
The Bible says that all things were made by
Him. Does not that prove too much? Could
it Ee that He made the Mediterranean, that
He made the Black SEQ, that He MADE the
Atlantic, the Pacific, that He made Mount
Lebanon, that He made the Alps, the Sierra
Nevadas, that He made the Hemisperes, that
He made the universe? Yes. The Bible says
so, and lest we be too stupid to understand
John winds up with magnificent reiteration
and says, "MII IInour HIM was not anything
made that was made" Then He was q God.
The Bible says at the name Of Jesus every
knee shall bow. All heaven must come down
on its knees. Martyrs on their knees, apos-
ties on their knees, confessors on their knees,
the archangel on his knees. Before whom? A
man? No, he Is God. The Bible says every
tongue shall confess-Bornesian, Malsyan,
Mexican, Italian, Spanish, Persian, English.
Every tongue shall confess. To whom? God.
The Bible says Christ the same yesterday, to-
day and forever. Is that characteristic Of
humanity2 Do We not change? Does not
Does not the mind change? Does not the
heart change? Christ the same yesterday,
to-day and forever. He must be God.
Philosophers say that the law of gravita-
tion decides everything and that the centrip-
etal and centrifugal forces keep the world
from clashing and from demolition. But
Paul says that Christs arm is the axle on
which everything turns, and that Christ S
hand Is the socket in which everything is set.
Mark the words, "Upholding-upholding ail
things by the word Of His power Then He
must be a God.
Then look at what Christ says Of Himself.
Now, certainly, every one must understand
himself better than any one else can under
stand him. If ask you where you were
born and you tell me, "I was born in Ches-
ter, England" or 81 was born in Glasgow.
Scotland" or ~ was born In Dublin. Ire
land" or 81 was born in Now Orleans, the
United States" you being man Of integrity,
should believe you. II asked you how
many pounds you could lift and you should
say you could lift 100 pounds or 200 pounds
or 300 pounds, should believe you. It is
matter personal to yourself You know bet
ter than any one else can tell you.
II ask how much estate you are worth,
and you say SIC, 900 or $l00, 900 or $500, 900,