The Globe-republican., 1893-04-21
THE GOSPEL FEAST.
Dr.. Talmage on Mems Excuses For
Not Becoming Christians.
What There Is in Religion Inconsisten
cies of Professed Christians
Who Lack Time-The Pro-
crastinators.

Dewitt Talmage discoursed upon the
beauty and attractiveness of the gospel
feast, the text chosen being from Luke
xiv. is: And they all with one con-
sent began to make excuse" The
preacher said:
After the invitations to a 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 invita-
tions We're circulated. and now the re-
grets come in The one gives an agri-
cultural reason. the other a stock deal
er's reason, the other domestic reason.
All poor reasons. The agricultural
reason being that the man had bought
a farm and wanted to see it. Could he
not see it the next day? The stock
dealers reason being that he had
bought five yoke of oxen. and he wanted
togoand 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
yolzed 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
N m. "a t -
a banquet: it is the gospel feast. and
the table reaches across the hemi-
spheres: and the invitations go out and
multitudes 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-
ouse." l propose 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 valuabl in the Christian
religion. 1t is pleaded that there are
so many impositions in this day-so
many things that seem to be real are
sham. A gilded outside may have a
hollow inside: there is SO much quack-
cry in physics. in ethics, in politics, that
men come to the ha bit of incredulity.
and after awhile they allow that in
credulity to collide with our holy re-
Ggion-
But. my friends. / think religion 0as
made pretty good record in the world.
How many wounds it has salved: how
many pillars of fire it has lifted in the
midnight wilderness: how many simeon
struck Saharas it hath turned in
to 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
wracfl: what pools of cool water ii sath
gathered for thirsty Hagar and Ish-
mael: what mamma whittier than corian-
der seed it hath dropped all around the
camp of hardly-bestead pilgrims: what
promises i hath sent out like holy
watchers to keep the lamps burning
around death-beds: through the dark
ness that lowers into the sepulcher,
what flashes of resurrection morn,
Besides that. this religion has made
so 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. Ii sent Jehudi Ashman into
Africa alone. in continent of naked
barbarians. TO lift the standard of civil
ization and Christianity. 1t made John
Milton among poets. Raphael among
painters. Christopher Wren among
architects. Thorwaldsen among scalp
tors. Handel among musicians. Dupont
among military commanders. and to
give new wings to the imagination.
and better balance to the Judgment.
and more determination TO the will.
and greater usefulness to the life. and
grander nobility TO the soul. there is
nothing in all the earth like our Chris
tian religion.
Nothing in religion. Why. then. all
those Christians We're deceived when in
their dying moments they thought they
saw the castles of the blessed: and your
child. with unutterable agony YOU pu,
away in the grave. you will never see
him again. nor hear his sweet voice. mol
feel the throb of his young heart:
There is nothing in religion, Sickues:
will come upon you. Roll and turn or
your pillow. No relief The medicine
may be bitter. the night may be dark
the pain may be sharp No relief
Christ never comes to the sick room
Let the pain stab. Let the fever burn
Curse it and die. There is nothing in
religion, After awhile death will come
You will hear the paving of the pale
horse on the threshold. The spirit vii
be breaking away from the body. and
it viii take fiight-whither? whittier.
There is no God, no ministering angel:
to conduct. no Christ, no Heaven
no home. Nothing in religion. Oh
you are not willing to adopt such a dis
NAL theory. And Yet the world is full
of Skeptics. And let me say there is n,
class of people for whom I have ;
warmer sympathy than for skeptics
We DO not know how to treat them
We deride them. We caricature them
We. instead of taking them by the sof
hand of Christian love- clutch then