Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1894-04-12
AT THE TABERNACLE
"STRANGeRS IN TOWN" WAS REV.
DR.. TALMAGE'S SUBJECT.


Should and should Not Co Exploring a
City's Iniquitics.
BRooKLYN, April S--Bcfore no audi
cncc in the world could such n sermon az
Rev. DR.. Talmagc preached today be SO
appropriate as in the Brooklyn Tabernacle
where it is estimated that $50, 600 stran-
gers attend every year. II was sermon
that had for them a special interest. The
text selected was Matthew XIV, 30, II was
a stranger, and ye took me in. "
It is moral disaster that jocosity has
despoiled so many passages of Scripture
aud my text is one that has suffered from
irrevcrent and misapplied quotation. 1t
shows great poverty of wit and humor when
people take the sword of divine truth for
a game at fencing or chip off from the
Kohinoor diamond of inspiration a spar
kle to decorate fools cap. My text Is the
snlutation in the last Judgment to he Civ
en- to those who have shown hospitality
and kindness and Christian helpfulnCss
to strangers.
By railroad and steamboat the popula-
ton Of the earth are all the time in mo-
tion, and from one year. end TO another
our cities are crowded with visitors
Every morning on the tracks of the
Hudson river, the Pennsylvsnia the Erie,
the Long Island railroads, there come pas
senger trains more than / cab number, so
that all the depots and the wharcs arc
arumble and a-clan9 with the coming III
Of great immigration of strangers, Some
OF them como for purposes of barter some
for mechanism, some for artistic gratitlca-
ton, some for SighteCctnG. y great many
Of them go out on the evening trains. and
consequently the city makes but little inn
preston upon them, but there are multi
tudes who, III the hotels and boarding
houses, make temporary residence. They
tarry here for three or four days, or as
many weeks. They spend the days in the
stores and the evenings IN sightseeing.
Their temporary stay will make or break
them not only financially, but morally,
for this world and the world that is to
come. Multitude, of them come into our
morning and evening services. | am con
soious that l stand in the presence of many
this moment I desire moro especially to
speak to them. May God give me the right
word and help me to utter it in the right
way
MORE AwtuL THAN wlNTRY MIDNIGHT.
There have glidcd into this house those
would be more thrilling than the deepest
tragedy, more exciting than PATHS song,
more bright than a spring morning more
awful than wintry midnight. If they
could stand up here and tell the story of
their escapes, and their temptations, and
their bercavements, and their disasters,
and their victories, and their defeats, there
would be in this house such a commin-
Cling of groans and acclamatons as would
make the place uncomfortable.
There is man who, in infancy, lny in a
cradle satin lined. Out yonder is Il man
who was picked up, a founding, on Bos
ton common. Here is n man who is coolly
observing this religious service, expecting
no advantage and caring for no advantage
iOr hilnself, while yonder is man who
has been for 10 years in an awful confla
grafton of evil habits, and he is a mere Gin
der of n destroyed nature, and he is Won
dering if there shall be in this service any
escape or help for his immortal soul Meet
Ing you only once perhaps face to face, |
strike hands with you in an earnest talk
about your present condition and your eter-
nal well being. st. Paul ship at Melita
went to pieces where two seas meet, but we
stand today at q point where a thousand
seas converge, and eternity alone can tell
the issue of the hour.
The hotels of this country for beauty
and elegance are not surpassed by the ho-
tells in any other land, but those that are
most celebrated for brilliancy Of tapestry
and mirror cannot give to the guest any
costly aiArtment unless he can afford a
parlor in addition to his lodging. The
stranger, therefore, will generally find as
signed to him room without any pictures
and perhaps any rocking chair. He will find
box of matches on a bureau and an old
newspaper left by the previous occupant
and that will be about al the ornamental
ton. At O'Clock in the evening, after
having taken his repast, he will look over
his memorandum book of the days work,
he will write letter TO his home, and
then desperation will seize upon him
TO get out. You hear the great city thun-
derng under your windows, and you say
Il must join that procession" and in 10
minutes you have joined it. Where are
you going' "Oh," you say, 81 haven't
made up my mind YETI Better make up
your mind before you start Perhaps the
very way you go now you will always 90
Twenty years ago there We're two young
men who oamo down the Aston House
steps and started ont in wrong direction,
illCS nave bNcl SblliS tNtI slllSt
THE HECTIC FLUSH OF DEATH
well, where are you going" says one
man. II am going to the academy to hear
some music" Good. | would like TO join
you at the door, At the tap Of the orches-
tNl baton all the gates Of harmony and
beauty will open before your soul | con
gratulate you. Where are you going
swell" you say, II am going up to soc
some advertised pictures. " Good, should
like TO go along with you and look over
the same catalogue and study with you
Bcnectt and Bierstadt and Church and
Moran. Nothing more eleyating than good
pictures
Where are you going' "Wcll, " you say,
vi am going up to the Young Men S Chris.
tian association rooms" Good. You will
find there gymnastics to strengthen the
muscles, and books to improve the mind,
and Christian influence to save the soul.
] wish every city in the United States had
~ fine palace for its Young Men S Chris
tian association as New York has. Where
are you going' "Well, you say, 81 am
going TO take n long walk up Broadway,
md 80 turn around into the Bowely.