The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-10-10
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
The RROOKLYN DIvINE'S SUN.
DAY SERMON.

DAY SERMON.
Bubjects ssThe Tax Collectors Con
version"
=
TEXT, ''This day IS salvation come to this
house. e."-Luke xix, 9.
Zaccheus was politician and taxsath-
fer. He had an honest calling, bur the
pportunity for ttstealings" was so large
t6e temptation was too much for him. The
lBible saws he twas sinner"-that Is, In the
bubble sense. How many fine men have been
fuined by official position! It Is an awful
Thing for any man to seek Office under gov
! krnmeiH unless his principles Of integrity
Ire deeply fixed. Many man upright IN an
insignificant position has made shipwreck In
great one. As far as can tell, IN the city
Of Jericho this Zaccheus belonged to what
-mieht be called the "ring." They had things
their own way, successfully avoiding expo
yure, II by no other way perhaps By hiring
Iomebody to break IN and steal the rouch-
!. srs. Notwithstanding his bad reputation
] there were streaks OF good about him. as
there are about almost every man. Gold is
Iourd In quartz, and sometimes In small
percentage.
u Jesus was coming to town. The people
turned out en- masse to see Him. Here He
comes, the Lord Of glory, on foot, dust COW
ered and travel weary, limpinG along the
gay, carrying the griefs and woes Of the
world. He looks to be sixty years OF age,
when he is only about thirty. Zaccheus was
Z ort man and could not see over the peo-
heads while standing on the ground,
3 got up into a sycamore tree that swung
I'm clear over the road. Jesus advanced
d the Wild excitement Of the surgtng
Ssswd. The most honorable and popular
'hen Of the city are looking on and trying to
rain His attention. Jesus, instead OF re-
sarding them, looks uu at the little man IN
the tree and says: "Zaccheus, come down.
am going home with you" Everybody
was Disguised to think that Christ would 90
home with so dishonorable q man.
see Christ entering the front door or the
house OF Zaccheus. The King OF heaven
& md earth sits down, and as He looks around
on the place and the family He pronounces
the benediction of the text. 'This day is sal.
yation come to this house"
Zaccheus had mounted the sycamore tree
but OF mere inquisitiveness. he wanted to
bee how this stranger lookedtae color OF
Bis eyes, the length OF his hair, the contour
BIZ His features. the height OF His stature
4Come down" said Christ.
And so many people In this day get up In
10 the tree OF curiosity or speculation to see
Christ. They ask thousand queer ques-
Hons about His divinity, about Gods SOW
breienty and the eternal DEGREES. They
peculate and crlticise and hang onto the
outside limb Of great sycamore, but they
must come down from that II they want 10
be saved. We cannot be saved as philoso-
pliers, but as little children. You cannot 20
10 heaven by way Of Athens, but BY way OF
Bethlehem.
Why be perplexed about the way sin came
into the world when the great question Is
how we shall get sin driven out OF our hearts.
How many spend their time In criticism and
religious speculation! They take the rose
of Sharon or the lilly Of the valley, pull out
the anther, scatter the corolla and say. "Is
That the beautiful flower Of religion that you
9Rre talking about?" No flower Is beautiful
after you have torn II all to pieces. The path
to heaven Is so plain that q fool need not
make any mistake about II, and yet men
Stop and cavll. Suppose that, going toward
the Pacific slope, had resolved that I would
stop until could kill all the grizzly bears
and the panthers on either side OF the way.
would never have got to the Pacific coast.
When rent out to hunt the grizzly bear,
: the grizzly bear would have come out to
hunt me. Here ls plain road to heaven.
Men say they will not take q step on 1t until
they can make game OF all the theories that
Odrk anu SIowl al tuom Hou suo s.tSneeS'
They forget the TACT that, as they so out 70
RhRnt the theory, the theory comes out to
hnt them, and SO they perish.
:. Dr.. Ludlow, my professor IN the theo.
lslcal seminary. taught me lesson shall
= uver forget. While putting variety OF
yf Cestions to him that were perplexing he
" hned upon me, somewhat IN sternness,
1t more in love, and said, "Mr. Tal%ase,
ou will have to let God know some things
pths< you don't" We tear our hands on the
sptnes Of the cactus instead OF feasting our
eye on its tropical bloom. A great COM
pany Of people now sit swinging them
selves on the sycamore tree Of their pride,
and cry to you: "Zaccheus, come down!
Come down out Of your pride, out OF your
inquisitiveness, out OF your speculation.
You cannot ride into the gate of heaven
with coach and four, position ahead and
lackey behind. Except ye become as little
children, ye cannot enter the kingdom of
God God has chosen the weak things OF
the world to confound the mighty. Zaccneus,
come down, come down"
8 notice that this taxgatherer accompanied
his surrender to Christ with the restoration
OF property that did not belong to him. he
says, "If have taken anything BY false ac-
cusatfon, restore fourfold"-that Is, II
only $4,000 worth OF property and put In my
own pocket the tax for the last $4,000, will
restore to him fourfold. II I took from him
90, will give him S4O. III took from him
!. s40. will give him $3.50.
Hundreds OF thousands OF dollars have
been sent to Washington during the past few
years as conscience money" I suppose
that money was sent by men who wanted to
be Christians, but found they could not until
they made restitution. There Is no need Of
our trying to come to Christ as long as we
keep Iraudulentiy dollar or q farthing In
our possession that belongs to another. Sup
pose you nave not money enough to pay
your debts and for the sake Of defrauding
your creditors you put your property In
your wtfe's name. You might cry until the
day Of Judgment for pardon, but you would
not get 1t without first making restitution.
In times OF prosperity 1t IS right, against
rainy day, to assign property to- your wife,
but II, In time of perplexity and tor the sake
Of defrauding your creditors, you make such
assignment you become culprit before
God, and you may as we'll stop praying un-
I'll you have made restitution. Or suppose
one man loans another money on bond or
mortgage, with the understanding that the
mortgage can lie quiet for several years, but
as soon as the mortgage Is given commences
foreclosure-the sheriff mounts the auction
half price, and the mortgage buys 1t In.
The mortgagee started to get the property
ae half price and ls thief and a robber.
Until he makes restitution there Is no mercy
for him.
You say: 81 cannot make restitution. The
parties whom swindled are gone" Then
lsay, "Take the money up to the American
Bible Society and consecrate it to God"
Zaccheus was wise when he disgorged his
unrighteous gains, and 1t was his first step In
the right direction.
The way being plain, Christ walked into
the hop&e of Zaccheus. He becomes differ