Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1893-08-17
DIR. TALMAGE'S SERMON.
A REVIEW OF PAST ADVANTAGES
AND ADVERSITIES.

| ENCOURAGEMENT Derived From Occn-
| siInnl Rc;MiniScencc-POin in Life
History Which 1t Is Well to Re-
acknowledgements Troubles.
Brooklyn, Spccial.-Rev. DR.. Talmagc
chose as The topic FOR Sunday, p.;ncr-
anna of "reminiscences appropriate to
the season. tho text selected bclsss!
Psalm XXXiN., 3: while l was :nusins
the fire burn,d"
Here is David, tie pSalmSt. With the
for finger of his right hand against his
temple, the door shut against the world,
engaged in contemplation. And it would
be we'll for lis to take the same posture
often, While we sit down in sweet soil
tudc to contemplate.
In small island Off the coast / once
passed Il Sabbath in delightful solitude,
for | had resolved that l would have
one day OF entire quiet before / ell
tered upon autumnal work. l thought
| to have spent the day in laying out
| plans for Christian work; but instead
of that it became IL day IF tender REM
| lnlsccnce. l reviewed my pastoratc; l
shook hands with an Old departed
friend, WON l shall greet again when
the curtains Of life are lifted. The days
OF my boyhood came back, and l was
~ years Of age. and | was s. and L was
.. There was but one house on the
island, and yet from Sabbath daybrcak,
when the bird-chant woke me. until
the evening melted into the bay, from
shore to shore there were ten thousand
memories, and the groves were album
with voices that had long ago ceased.
Youth is apt too much to spend all
its time in looking forward. Old aye
is apt too much to spend all its time
II: looking backward. People in mil
lie and on the apex look both ways.
1t would ~c Well for us, think, how
ever, to spend more time in rcnlihiS-
cencc. BY the constitution Of our I.a-
ture we spend most Of the tine looking
forward And the vast majority OF
people live not SO much in the present
us i'll the future. find that you mean
TO make reputation, you mean to es-
tablish yourself. and the advantages
that you expect to achieve absorb a
great deal of your time. But l see
no harm in this. if it does not make you
disconnected with the present, or dis
qualify YOU for existing duties.
1t is useful thing sometimes to lock
back. and to see the dangers we have
escaped. and to see the sorrOWs we have
suffered. and the trials and wandcringS
Of our earthly pilgrimage. and to sum
up our rnjOymcntS. J. mean to-day,
so far as Cod may help me. to stir UP
Your memory Of the past, 50 that IN the
review sou may be encouraged and
.lumblrd. and urged to pray.
..erc is Il chapel in Florence With IL
frcsco by Guido. 1t was covered up
With two inches of StuccO until our
American and European artists went
there, and after long toll "emovcd tho
covering and rctraccd the frcSco. And
[ am aware that the memory Of the
past. with many of you, is all covered
up with ten thousand OblitcratiOnS
and I propose this morning, so far as
the Lord will help me, to take away
the covering. that the old picture may
shine out again.
l want to bind in one sheaf all your
past advantages. and l want to bind
in another sheaf all your past adver-
sites. 1t is Il precious harvest, and
must be cautious how l swing the
scythe.
Among the greatest advantages Of
your past life was an early home and
its surroundings The bad men of the
day, for the most part, dip their heat
ed passions out Of the boiling spring
OF All unhappy home. We are not sur
prisod that ByrOn's heart WIS a concen-
tratit Of sin, when we hear his neither
was abandoned, and that she made
sport of his intirmity and often called
him the lame brat" Tie who has
vicious parents has to fight every inch
of his way if he would maintain his
integrity, AMI at last reach the home
Of the good in heaven.
Perhaps your early homo was in the
city. 1t may have been in The days
Wien Canal street. New York, was far
uptown. That old house in the lily niy
have been demolished or changed into
stores. and it seemed like sacrilege to
yOu-fOr there was more meaning i'll
that plain house, in that small house.
than there is in 4 granite mansion or
Il turrctCd cathedral Looking back
this morning, you see it as though it
We're yeStpruay-the Sitting-rOOm. where
the loved ones sat by the plain lamp
light. the mother at the evening stand,
the brothers and sisters, perhaps long
ago gathered into the skies, then plot
ting mischief on the floor or mdcr the
table, your father with firm Voice
commanding silence, that lasted half
minute.
Oh, those were good days! If you
had your foot hurt, your mother al
ways had Il soothing Salve to heal it.
If you We're WrOnged in the street,
your father was always ready to pro-
tect you. The year was one round
of frolic and mirtll. Your greatest trou-
bic was an April shower. more sunshine
than shower. The heart had not been
ransackcd by troubles. nor had sickness
broken it, and no lamb had Il warmer
sheepfold than the home in which your
childhood nestled.
Perhaps you were brought up in the
country. You stand now to-day in
memory under the old tree. You club
bed it for fruit that was not quite ripe
because you could not wait any longer.
You hear the brook rumbliny along over
the pebbles. You step again into the