Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1894-09-22
JOYS OF RELIGION.
DR#TSLMAGE FINDS INFINITE PLEAS
UREl IN cHRlST'6 SERVICE.

UREl IN cHRlST'S SERVICE.
aof Deprecates Overmuch Hairsplitting
Tneology--A Good Man. a Good Woman,
tlie Best Arguments In Behalf of Chris
tiaaity4The Power of Prayer.
IsRooKLyN, Sept 16.-Rev. DR.. Tai
mags, who is still absent on EIs round
theg4orld tour has selected as the sub
jectof his sermon through the press for
toaigg Holy Compulsion, the text
beng Luke xiv, %, And compel them
to aeme in =
Tue plainest people In our day have
lussrics which the kings and qucons of
oIdSn times never imagined. walked
up91d down the stairs of Hollywood pal
aessa palace that was considered one
of ele wonders of the world-and I
said: Can it be possible that this is oil
thets was of this roputed wonderful
plasS?a And this is the case in many
othifs instances There are fruits in
WGgchester county and on Long Island
farl.ss far better than the pomegranates
andapricots Of Bible times. Through
allstse ages there have been scenes of
.festNity, and the wealthy man of my
texfplans o great entertainment and
invites his friends Ii ono builds Il beau
tifuf.home, he wants his aoquaintances
30 Come and enjoy it. If one buys an
exquisite picture, he wants his friends
to come and appreciate 1t, and 1t was a
lauaable thing when the wealthy man
of niy text, happy himself, wanted to
make other people happy. And so tho
inye.ations went ont, but something
wersAyery much wrong. You oan i'm
aginS the embarrassment Of any one
whdshas provided a grand feast when
ne fiads out that the guests invited do
not Sntend to come. There is nothing
thas's6 provokos the master of tho feast
as that.
Wall, these people invited to this
great banquet of the text made most
frivolous excuses. The fact was, sup
poso..that some Of, them wore offended
thatEthis man had succeeded so much
better in the world than they had
''ThcSe are people III all occupations and
professions who consider it wrong to
thens4hat anybody else is advanced. |
suppese these people invited to the feast
said E1nonu themselves: 1--WE arc not
goinasto administer to that man = van
ity FsHe is proud enough now We
won,tgo- Besides that we could all give
parties if we made our money the way
thatflan makes his y
soewhen the messengers went out
wittsthe invitations there Was unan-
i1noqsS refusal One man said, ooh, 1
rhayeSsougl.t farm, and must go and
look at II. He was a land Spectator
and had no business to buy land until
he knfssY about it. A frivolous excuse.
Another man said, 81 have bought five
Iyokes oxen. The probability is that
he yy9s peculator in live stock He
ouels known about the oxen
!. III q he bought them. Besides that, If
he had been very anxious to get to the
feast, he could have hooked thom up and
driven them on the Rad there. Another
frivolous excuse Another man said,
''Oh, have married wife, and can't
come, +" when if he had said to his wife,
III have IN invitation to a splendid din
,ner.' 1t is highly complimentary to me.
il should very much like to go. Will You
go along with mo?" she would have
said, ITO be sure, will go. Another
frivolous excuse The fact wGs that they
did not want 10 go.
Bring In the Lowly.
Now said the great man of tho
feast, ~ viii not be defeated in this
matter. have with an honest purpose
,provided banquet, and there are scores
OF people who would like to come If
they were only invited. Here, my man,
here; you 90 out, and when you find
blind man give him your arm and fetch
him in, and when you find lame man
give him crutch and fetch him i'll, and
when you find poor man tell him that
there is a plate for him in my mansion
and when You find some one who is so
ragged and wretched that he has never
been invited anywhere then by the kind
est tenderness and the most loving IN
vitation any one ever had compel him
to come III. -
oh, my friends, it requires no acute
'Eess on my part or on your part to SEQ
in all this affair that religion is ban
iuuet. The table was set in Palestine
good many years ago, and the disciples
gathered around it, and they Thought
they would have good time all by
themselves, but while they sat by this
table the leaves began to grow and
spread, and one leaf went to the east
and another leaf went to the vest until
the whole earth was covered up with
them. and the clusters from the heaven
" vineyard were piled up on the board,
and the tlumpets and harps of eternity
made up the orchestra, and as this vine
iof God is pressed to the lips OF sin
ming, bleeding, suffering, dying, groan-
ing world voice breaks from the heav'
ems. saving: Drink, 0 friends. Yea,
drink, O -belovedr' 0 blessed Lord
Jesus, the best friend l ever had, the
best friend any man ever had, was
there ever such table? Was there ever
such banquet?
From the cross upHfted high,
! Where the Saviour delgns 10 die.
What meiodious sounds hear
Bursting on the rnvshed car!
Heavens redcelning work is done,
Come. and welcome. sinner, come.
Religion is joyous thing. do not
want to hear anybody talk about reli-
gion as though it were funeral. do
not want anybody -owhine in the pray
er meeting about the kingdom of God.
1 do not want any man to roll up hls
eyes, giving in that way evidence Of
his sanctity The men and women OF
God whom I happen to know for the
most part find religion great JOY. 1t
is collaboration to the body. 1t Is lnylg'
oraticn to the mind It is rapture to the
soul. 1t is balm for all wounds. 1t IS
light for all darkness 1t is harbor from
III etor,,,, oud tho-lOh Cod knows that