Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1893-04-28
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
The Eminent Brooklyn Divine'S Sun,
day Sermon.
Subject: "Apologies for not Entering IL.
Christian Life"

AAAi' ana Uteu dit Ctth one c07lSeng
oegdn to make ercWSe. Luke xiv, Is
After the invitations to a levee are sent out
the regrets come in. Ole man apologies
Tor nonattendancs on one ground, another
On another ground. The most of the regrets
are Ioua led ON prior engagements. So in
my text great banquet was spread, the in.
Tltatons were circulated, and now the re-.
grets come in. The one gives an aglicultu-
raj reason. the other a sto&k dealers reason.
the other domestic reason-all poor rea-
sons. The agricultural reason being that
the man had bought farm and wanted to
see IT. Conid be not see it 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 mad no business to
BUY them until he knew what they were.
Besides that man VINO can own five yoke
OF oxen can command his own time. Be-
SIDES that he might ave yoked two Of them
together and driven them on the way 10
the banquet, for Ice ,notion was not
as rapi then as now. The man VINO
gave the domestic reason said he
had got married. He ought TO have
taken his wife with bin. The fact was they
aid not want to go. ''And they all With one
consent began to make excuse" So now
God spreads great banquet; 1t is the gospel
feast, and the table reaches across the hem
lspheres, aud toe invitations 90 out an 1 null
ntu les come and sit down aud drink out of
The chal ces of Gods love, while other mul-
titudes decline conng--she ona giving this
apology and the otter giving that apology.
"And they all with one consent began to
make excuse" | propose this morning. so
lar as-God may help me, to examine the
apologies which men make for not entering
the Christian life.
Apology the first; am not sure there Is
anything valuable in the Christian re.
ilgion. 1t is pleaded that there are so many
,mpositions in tins day so many things
that seem to be real are sham. A gilded
outside may have hollow inside. There is
so much quackery in physics, in ethics, in
politics, that men come to the habit OF in-
credulity, and after awhile they allow chat
1ncredullty to collide with our holy re-
Igion.
But, my friends. think religion has made
pretty good record in the world. How
many wounds it has salved how many pill
lars OF fire 1T has lifted in the midnight
wilderness: how many simeon struck Sa-
naras 1t hath turned into the gardens of the
Lord; how it hath stilei the chopped seal
nat rosy light 1t hath SEM streaming
through the rift of the storm cloud wrack
Wnat pools of cool water it hath gathered
1or thirsty Hagar and Ishmael; what mama
winter than coriander seed it hath dropped
all around the camp of hardly bestead pill
grlms; what promises it hath sent out like
molly watchers to keep the lamps burning
around death beds Through the darkness
tnat lowers into the sepulchre, what flashes
OF resurrection morn.
Besides that, this religion has made so
many heroes. 1t brought Summarized, the
Methodist, across the Atlantic Ocean with
MS silver trumpet to blow the acceptable
year OF the Lord, until it seemed as if all
our American cities would take the king
dom OF heaven by violence. 1t sent Je.
hudl Ashman into Africa alone. IN a CONT
nent OF ma le barbarians, to lift the stan
dard of civilization and Christianity. 1t
MADE John Milton among poets, Raphael
among painters, Christopher Wren among
archltects. ThorwaldseE among sculptors,
handeI among musicians, Dupont among
mlheary commanders; and to give new
wings 70 the Imagination. and better bal
ance to the Judgment, and more determine.
uon to the will, ami greater usefulness
10 the life, and grander nobility to the soul,
tnere is nothing in all the earth like our
Christian religion.
Nothing in religionI Why. them, all
those Christians were deceived when in their
dying moment they thought they saw the
castles OF the blessed; and your child, that
WIN unutteraole agony you put away into
Ine graVe-you will never see him again,
nor hear his sweet voice, nor feel the throb
d his Joung heart? There is nothing in re-
l2lonl Sickness will come upon you. Roll
ana turn on your pillow. No relief. The
medicine may be bitter. the night may be
11arE, the pain may be sharp. No relief
Cnrlst never comes to the sick room, Let
The pain stan. Let the fever burn. Curse
: an die. There is nothing in religion
After awhile death will come. You will
near the paving OF the pale horse on the
threshold. The spirit will be brea sing away
rom the body, and it will take flight
"nltner, whither9 There is no God, no
MN STEERING angelst to conduct, no Chrisr, no
heaven no home Nothing in religloni
20, you are not willing to adopt
Ssn wor a {, dis sra rial , theory. And yet
ay tnere is no class of people for
nom have warmer sympathy than for
kePtlcS. We DO not know now to treat
nen. We ceride them, we caricature
nem: We, instead of taking them Dy the
OF hand of Christian love, clutch them
sth the iron pincers of ecciesiastlclsm. Oh,
you knew how those men mad fallen away
rom Christianity and become skeptics you
.ouio not oe so rough on them. Some
we're brought up in homes where religion
vas overcome. The most wretcned day in
ne week was Sunday. Religion was, driven I
INTO them with a triphammar. Tney had
ur, cit OF prayer meetings They were
tuHed and chOGed with catechis ms. They
we're told oy toeir parents tnat they were
ne worst children that ever lived because
ney hEed 10 ride down hill better than to
cad "Pngrim'S Progress They never
ieaFd tnelr parents tala Of religion tut with
ne corners OF their mouths drawn down
MI the eyes role up,
Otners went into Skepticisn through NAL.
leaImsnt on tee part of some who pro.
essed religion. There is a man woo saws
NY partner in business was voIuDle in
Tayer meeting, and he was off1cious in all
sHelouS circles. but he cheated me cut of
800, and I don't want any of that re.
igion."
There are Others who got into skept'cism
y natural persistence in asking questions
-Wny or how. How can God be one being
Q tnree personsg They cannot understand
!. Neither can |. How can God be a CON.
iete sovereign and yet man free agent!
I9ey cannot understand it, Neither can l.
ney cannot understand why holy Col
aus SIN come into the world. Neither eau |.
hey say; Here is great mystery. Here
disciple OF fashion, frivolous and go1-
sss all her days--she lives on to be an octo-
enarlan. Here is Christian mother tram.
og her children for God ana for heaven,
sI -sacrlhcing, Christlike, Indispensable
eemlngly to that household.-she takes the
ANGER and dies" The sxeptic says. III can't
xplaln that" Neither can 1.
Oh, can see how men reason themselves
ito skepticism. With burning feet l have
rod that blisteriug way. | know wnat it is
have hundred nights poured into one
our. There are men in this au1ience who
ould give their thousands OF dollars if they
'uld get back to the old religion of their
Ithers. Such men are not to be carica- -.
lred, but helped, and not through their
sads. but Through their hearts. When I