Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1893-05-03
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
The Brooklyn Diyine's
Sunday Sermon.
Subject: "A poll ;!es FOR Not E terirg
the CHRISTIAN Lif.."

AFTER the invitations to a levea 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 foun 'et on prior en- "a semeuts So in
my text great banquet vas spread, the in
NltatonS were circulated aud now the re-
Gret7 come in. The one gives an agi icultu-
raj reason, the other a stock dealers reason,
the other domestic reasOn-ail poor rea-
sons. The agricultural reason being that
the man had bou ght farm ani wanted to
see 1t. Cond he not see it the next dayS
Inc stock dealers reason being that he had
bouSht hVe yoke OF oxen, and he W intei to
go and prove them. he mai no business to
ny them until he knew what they were.
besides that man VINO can own five yoke
OF oxen IN commanf his own time. Be-
siheS that he might I'VE yoked two of the N
together and driven them on the way to
the banquet for loo )motion was not
as rapil then now. The man wno
gave the domestic reason said he
had got married. He ought to have
taken ms wife with bin. The fact was they
did not want to 80. And they all with one
consent began to make excuse" So now
S"d sprea IS great banquet; 1t is the gospel
leaSt, AMI the table reaches across the hem
lsihtreS, and the invitations 90 out an null
tltu les come and sit down ani drink out of
the cEaiceS of Gods love, while other null
titu decline coming-She one giving this
aio'ogy and tue otter giving that apollo ".
Ana they all with one consent began to
make excuse" | propose this morning. so
lar as tod may help me, to examine the
apologies which men make for not entering
the Christian life
Apology the first; am not sure there is
any thlng valuable in ths Christian re-
ngl"n. 1t Is pleaded that there are so many
lmpositious in tins day mxny things
that seem to be real are sham. A gilded
outside may have a hollow inside. There is
80, -.
pohtlcS that men cone to the habit of in
creduiIty, and after awhile they allow that
lncreduhty to collide with our holy re-
hgion.
But, my friends. think religion has male
pretty good record in the world. How
many wounds it has salvei: how many pill
lars o. fire 1t has lifted in the midSight
wilderness: how many simeon struck St-
naras II hatn turned into the gardens of the
Lord; how IL hath stil,e the chopped seal
W nat rosy light 1t hath sent streaming
through the riff of the storm cloui wrack;
What pools of cool water it hath gathered
Tor thirsty Hagsr and Ishmael; what mamma
winter than coriauder seed it hath dropped
All around the camp of hardly beStead pill
grims; what promises il hath sent out like
holy watchers to keep the lamps burning
around death bedsi Through the darkness
% tna' lowers INTO the sepulchre, what hasheS
OIL resurrectiLn morn.
many heroes. 1t brought Summerfieli, the
Methodl>t, across the Atlantic Ocean with
MS slVer trumpet to blow the acc sptable
year OF the Lord, until it SCENE as il all
our american cities would take the king
uom OF heaven by violence. 1t sent Je-
hudi AShman into Africa alone IN a conti-
neht Of ma "a 1 blrharians, to lit the stan
uaIu OF CIVILIZATION AMI Christianity. 1t
hlaur John Milton among poets, Raphael
among painters, Christopher Wren among
arcmtects. IhOrwaldsen among sculptors,
hsniel among musicians, Dupont among
miltary commanders; aud to give new
wings 10 the Imagination. aud better bal
hhce TO the judgment, AMI more det .rmina-
tioh TO the Will, ami greater usefulness
70 the NE, AMI grander nobility to the soul,
tnefe Is nothing in all the earth like our
-hristlan religion.
Nothing in religionl Why, them. all
those Christians were deceived when IN thor
dying moment they thought tnay saw the
castles Of the blessed. ami your child, that
WIN unutterable agony you put away into
Tue graVe-you will never see him again.
nor uear his sweet voice. nor zeal the throb
of his yonng hearth There is nothing in re-
hGionI Sickness will come upon you. Roll
ana turn on your pillow. No relief. Tns
medicine may be bitter the night may he
dark, the pain may be sharp. No relief
Cifist never Comes to the sick room. Let
The pain stab. Let the fever burn. Curse
= am d!e. There ls nothing Ia religion'
Alter awhile death will come. You will
near the paving OF the pale horse on the
threshold. The spirit will he braa ling away
from the body. and 1t will take flight
whittier, whither2 There is no Got no
MN sterlng angels to conduct no Chris, no
heaven no home. Nothing in rehgIoni
"a, you are not willing to adopt
sHch sue dis nal theory And yet
the world is full of skeptics. Aud let me
say there is TO class of people for
Whom have warmer sympathy than for
skepticS- We do not know how to treat
them. We Ceride them, we caricature
them We, instead of taking them 10y the
so. hand of Christian love, clutch them
with the iron pincers of ecceSiasticism. Oh,
IL you knew how those men had fallen away
from Christianity and become skeptics you
would not be SO rough on them. Some
We're brought no in homes where religion
was oYerjone The most wretohed day in
the week was Sunday. Religion was driven
INTO them with a triphanmer. They had a
sur cit OF prayer meetings. They were
stuffed and ChOGed with catechisms. They
were told by their parents that they were
the worst children that ever lived because
they hked 10 ride down hill better than to
read 'PIlgrim's Progress" They never
beard their parents talk OF religion cut with
the corners OF their mouths drawn dowP
an the eyes role iup.
others went into skepticisn throu IN mall
treatment on the part of some who prO-
iessed religion. There Is a man VINO says,
My partner in business was voluble in
prayer meeting, ami he was Officious in all
religious circles, but ne cheated me out of
s"uJj, ami l don't want any of that re
hgion"
There are others who got into skepticism
by natural persistence in asking questions
why or now. How can God be one being
In three PERSONS? they cannot understand
n Neither ( How ,g,l ha m
Plete vereiSn ami yet man a free ageutf
They cannot understand 1T Neither can |.
They cannot understand why a holy Col
lots sin come into the world. Neither can [.
They say Here is a great mystery. Here
is disciple OF fashion, frivolous and 90 l.
less all her days-she ives on to he an ocUo-
genarIan. Here Is "A Christian mother train
ing her children for God AMI for heaven,
selt-sacrihcnE, Chr,sCiSe, Indispensable
seemingly To that h1usehold-she takes the
cancer and dies" The skeptic says, ii can't
explain that" Neither can /
On, can sc how men reason themSaive.
into skeptic.sn. With burning feet | have
uod that biistering way L know wdat it is
TO nave "A huntreI nights poured iuto one
hour. There are men IN tniS au iIencs who
W. uid give their thJus ,nds OF dollars II they
could get DICS to the old religion OF their
fathers. Such men are not to be carica-
turei, hut heiped, ami not through their
these meu really do come into the kingdom
OF Got, they will be- worth far more to the
cause OF Christ than those VINO never eT-
amined the evilences OF Christianity.
Thomas Chalmers once a skeptic; Robert
Hail once a skeDtic; Christmas Evans once
a skepUic. tut when they did lay hold of the
gospel Chariot how they male it speed
aheadi
II therefore | stand this morning befor
men and women VINO have drifted away
into sEept cisn L throw out no scott. ]
rather impiead you by the memory OF thoss
COOL oil times when Won knelt at youf
motheT's knee IN said your evening PRAYER,
and those other davs of sickness when she
watched all night AMI gsvs you the meii-
clnes at Just the right time and turnei the
pillow when it was hot. AMI with hand long
ago turned 10 dust soothed your pains and
with that voice you will never hear again
unless you join her in the better country
told you never mind-you would be better
by and by, and by that dying couch, whsrs