The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-09-24
TAXCOLLECTOR CONVERTED
The Text Of Rev. Talmage'S Sermon
Taken From Luke XIX, 9.


vine Blessing Is Curse-Take Your
Family Bible, Read Chapter and
Call ths Family Together, Have
Prayers and Heaven VIII Be in Your
House.
Brooklyn, Sept. 23.-Rev. DR.. Talmage,
who is now preparing to leave Australia
for India on his round the-world tour, has
selected as the subject of to-day's sermon
through the press: THE Tax Collectors
Conversion the text being taken from
Luke 1879: This day is salvation come
70 this house"
Zaccheus was politician and tax
gatherer. He had an honest calling, but
the opportunity for stealing was so
large, the temptation was too much for
him. The Bible says he was sinner"
that is, in the public sense. How many
fine men have been ruined by official po-
sition 1t is an awful thing for any man
to seek office under government unless his
principles of integrity are deeply fixed.
Many man, upright in an Insignificant
position, has made shipwreck in a great
one. AS far as l can tell, in the city of
Jericho this Zaccheus belonged to what
might be called the ''Ring.' They had
things their own way, successfully avoid
ing exposure-if by no other way, per-
haps by hiring somebody to break in and
steal the vouchers. Notwithstanding his
bad reputation, there were streaks of
good about him. as there is about almost
every man. Gold is found in quartz, and
sometimes in very small percentage.
Jesus was coming TO town. The people
turned out en- masse to see him. Here he
comes-the Lord of Glory-on foot, dust
covered and roadweary, limping along
the way, carrying the griefs and woes of
the world. He looks to be 60 years of
age, when he is only about 80. Zaccheus
was a short man and could not see over
the peoples heads while standing on the
ground so he got up into sycamore tree
that swung its arm clear over the road.
Jesus advanced amid the wild excitement
of the surging crowd. The most honor
able and popular men of the city are look
ing on and trying to gain his attention.
Jesus, instead of regarding them. looks up
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 go home with so
dishonorable a man.
see Christ entering the front door of
the house of Zaccheus. The King of
heaven and earth sits down; and as he
looks around on the place and the family,
he pronounces the benediction of the text
This day is salvation come to this
house,
Zaccheus had mounted the sycamore
tree out of mere inquisitiveness. He
wanted to see how this stranger looked
the color of his eyes, the length of his
hair, the contour of his features, the
hight of his stature. ''Come down" said
Christ
And so, many people, in this day, get
up into the tree of curiosity or specula-
ton TO see Christ. They ask thousand
queer questions about his divinity, about
Gods sovereignty, and the eternal de-
crees. They speculate and criticize, and
hang on the outside limb of a great syca-
more. But they must come down from
that if they want to be saved. We can
not be saved as philosophers, but as little
cHldren. You cannot go to heaven by
Z 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 specula-
tion They take the Rose of Shar on, or
the Lily of the Valley, pull out the anther.
scatter the co~olla, and say, is that the
beautiful flower Of religion that you are
talking abOutR' No flower is beautiful
after you have torn it all TO pieces. The
path TO heaven is so plain that fool need
not make any mistake about it, and vet
men stop and cavil. Suppose that going
toward the Pacific slope, l had resolved
that would stop until l could kill all the
grizzly bears and the panthers on either
side of the way. l would never have got
to the Pacific coast. When l went out to
hunt the grizzly bear, the grizzly bear
would have come out to hunt me- Here
is plain road to heaven. Men say they
Will not take step on it until they can
make game of all the theories that bark
and growl at them from the thickets.
They forget the fact that as they 90 out
to hunt the theory, the theory comes out
TO hunt them, and so they perish, We
must receive the kingdom of heaven
IN simplicity. William Pennington
was one of the wisest men of this country
"a governor of his own state, and after
ward speaker of the House of Representa-
tlves. Yet, when God called him TO be a
Christian, he went in, and sat down
among some children who were applying
Tor church membership, and he said to his
pastor, Talk to me just as you do to
these children, for / know nothing about
it," There is no need of bothering our
selves about mysteries when there are so
many things that are plain. DR. Ludlow.
my professor in the theological seminary
taught me lesson that | have never
forgotten. While putting a variety of
questions to him that were perplexing
he turned upon me somewhat in
sternness, but more in love, and said
MIR. Talmage, you will have to let
God know some things that you don't"
We tear our hands on the spines of the
cactus instead of feasting our eyes on its
tropical bloom. A great company of peo-
pie now sit swinging themselves on the
sycamore tree of their pride, and l cry
to you, ''Zaccheus, come down." Come
down out Of your pride, out of your in
qu1sltiyeneess, out of your speculation.
You cannot ride into the gate of heaven
with coach and four, postillion ahead and
lackey behind. Except We become as lit
tie children, We cannot enter the kingdom
of Cod God has chosen the weak things
of the world to confound the mighty.
'''Zaccheus, come down come dcwnp'
notice that this tax-gatherer accom-
panied his surrender to Christ with the
restoration of property that did not be-
long 70 him. He says: "If ! have taken
anything by false accusation, / restore
fourfold." That is, if l have taxed any
man for ten thousand dollars when hehad
only five thousand dollars worth Of prom
erty, and put in my own pocket the tax
for the last FIVE thousand | win restore
to him fourfold. If L took from him ten
dollars, | will give him forty dollars. II
took from him forty dollars, / will give
him one hundred and sixty dollars.
Hundreds Of thousands of dollars have
been sent to Washington during the past
Few years as conscience money! sup