Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1894-06-29
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
The Eminent Brooklyn Divine'S Sun
day Sermon.
Subject: "Another Chance"

Z TEXT: "If the tree fall toward the south OF
toward the north. in the place whore the
Tree falleth there it shall be. "-Ecclesiastes
XII, s.
There is n lowering hope in tho minds OF
vast multitude that there will be IN on
portunity in the next world to correct the
mistakes OF this that If we 90 make COM
plete shipwreck Of our earthly life it will hn
on shore, up which we may walk 10 4 pal
ace that. as a defendant NAV lose his case
in the circuit court and carry it NJ 10 the SILL
preme court or court Of chancery anil Get a
reversal OF judgment in his behalf. all the
costs being thrown over on the other party,
so, ii we fail in the earthly trial. we may in
the higher jurisdiction Of eternity have the
Judgment OF the lower court set aeile. all
the costs RENTED. AMI we NAV be victorious
defendants forever. Ny object in this ser
mon is 10 show that common sense as we'll
rs my text declares that such IN expectation
is chimerical. You say that the impPnltent
man. having got into the next world and
seeing the disaster. WILL as n result Of that
disaster. turn. the pain the cause % his
reformation. But YOU can fnl 10000 in
stances in this world OF men who have done
wrong, and distress overlook them sul-
denly. Did the distress heal them? No
they went right on.
That man was flung OF designations "You
must stop drinking" said the doctor. "and
quit the fast life you are leading. or it will
destroy you" The patient suffers paroxvsm
after paroxysm. hut under sIillful medical
treatment he begins to sit up. begins to walk
about the room, begins to 60 to business.
And. 10, he goes back to the same Prog-shop
for his morning dram. and his evening dram.
and the drains between. Flat down again?
Same doctor Same physical anguish Same
medical warning! Now the illness is mora
protracted, the liver is mole stubborn. the
stomach more irritable. and the digestive or
gans are more rebelliOus. But after while
he is out again. goes back TO the dramshops
and goes the same round o'sacrileSe against
his physical health.
He sees that his downward course is ruin
ing his household that his life is a rerpet-
ual perjury against his marriage VOW; that
that broken hearted woman is SO unlike the
hopeful young wife whom he married that
her old schOOlmates co not recognize her;
that his sons are to be tainted for 4 lifetime
by the fathers drunkenness that the daugh-
ters are to pass into life under tho solriflca-
ton OF a disreputable ancestor. He is
drinking up their happiness. their prospects
for this life, and perhaps fOrthe life TO cone.
Sometimes an appreciation OF what be is DO
ing comes upon him. His nervous system is
all a-tangle. From crown Of head 10 sole OF
foot he is Ona aching, raspinr, cruclty!nr,
damning torture Where IS he? In he'll on
earth. Does it reform him?
After awhile he has delirium tremens. VITA
whole jungle Of Kissing reptiles let out on
his pillow, and his screams horriy the
neighbors as he dashes out OF his bed, cry
Ing, "Take these things OF mew As he sits
pale AMI conYaescpnt tho doctor says
"Now, want to have plain talk with You,
my dear fellow. The uext attack of this
kind you have you will be beyond all medi-
cal skill, an l you will die" lie gets better
aud goes forth into thu same fight again.
This time medicine takes no effect. Consul
tation Of physicians agree in saying there is
no hope. Death ends the scene.
That process Of ine6riation, warning and
dissolution is going on within stones throw
OF you. going on in all the neighbOrhOods OF
Chrstendom. Pain does not correct. Sui
fering does not reform. What is true in one
sense is true in all senses and will forever be
so, and yet men are expecting iii the next
world puryatorial reiuvenation. Take up
the printed reports OF the prisons or the
United States, AMI you will ind that tho
vast majority ofthe mcarcerated have been
there before. some OF them four. five, SIX
times. With 1000. 600 illustrations all work
ing the other way in this world, people are
expecting that distress in the next state wilt
be salvatOry. You cannot imagine any wors9
lOItuIS III duA OluSI WOItl lhtu ti'tt NhtOAA
some men have suffered here, and without
any s9utary consequence.
furthermore, the prospect Of reforma-
ton in the next world IS more improbable
than a reformation here. IN this world the
life started with innocence OF infancy. In
the case supposed the other life will open
with all the accumulated bad habits Of many
years upon him. Surely it Is easier to build
a strong ship out of new timber than out OF
LII > 81. n0
breakers. Ii with innOcencs 10 begin with
In this life man does not becoms godly,
what prospect is there that in the next world,
starting with sin, there would be serapl
evoluted? Surely the sculptor has mora
prospect OF making a fine statue out o. II
block of pure white Parian marble than out
OF an old black rock scanned AMI cracked
with the storms OF half century. Surely
upon a clean white sheet OF paper it is easier
to write q deed or Il will than upon 81 set
OF paper all scrubbed AMI blOtted AMI torn
from top TO bottom. Yet men seem to think
that. though the life that began here COM
pqratively perfect turned out badly, the next
life will sue seed, though it starts with dead
failure.
"But," says some one, "I think we ought
10 have q chance in the next life, because
this life is so short it allows only small OPP
portunhy. We hardly have time to turn
around between cradle and tomb, the wood
oftho one almost touching the marble OF tho
other" But 90 you know what mate the an
cient deiuge a necessity 1t was me lOnge-
vty OF the antediuyians. They were worse
in the second century OF their lifetime than
in the first hundred years, and still worse IN
the third century, and still worse all the way
on to 700. 500 and 800 years, and the earth
had TO be washed and scrubbed and soaked
and anchored clear out OF sight for mors
Shan month before it could be made lit Tor
decent people to live in.
Longevity never cures impenitency. All
The pictures of Time represent him with a
scythe 10 cut but never saw any picture OF
Time with q case OF medicines 10 heal.
Seneca says that Nero for the first five years
Of his public life WAS set up for an example
of cIemencv and kindness, but his path all
the way descended until at So A. D. he be-
came a suicide. II 500 years did not make
antediluvians any better, but only made
them worse, the ages of eternity could have
no effect excep. proongation OF depravity.
'But." saws someone, Gin the future state
evil surroundings will be Withdrawn anu
elevated influences substituted, and hence
expurgation and sublimation and glorl1ca-
ton" But the righteous, all their SINS LOT
given. have passed on into beatllc SAFE.
and consequently the Unsavcd VIII o. ieIl
alone. 1t cannot be expected thar Dr: Dub,
who exhausted himself in teaching Hin zoos
the way to heaven, and DR.. Abeel. who gave
his life in the evangelization of China, and
Adoniram Judson, who toiled for ths re
demption OF Borneo, should be sent down y
some celestial missionary society to educate
those who wasted all their earthIy exist 5nce.
Tvangelisdc and missionary efforts are
ende1. The entire kingdom OF the morally
bankrupt by themselves, waere are the
solvatorv influences to come from2 Can one