The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1894-02-02
READY FOR 4 FEAST.
REV. DR.. TALMAGE breaches AN EL-
OQUENT SERMON ON FESTNITY.

An Entertainment Where the Lord Is the
Banqueter and Angels Are the Cupbear-
ers-An Effective and Earnest Gospel
Plea to the Unconverted.
BROOKLYN. Jan. 28.-The usual large
audience assembled in the Tabernacle to-
day and listened 20 a sermon Of remark
able power and interest by Rev. Dr. Tai
mage, the subject being "Festivity."
The text selected was Luke xiv, l..
"Come, for all things are now ready"
1t was one of the most exciting times
in English history when Queen Elizabeth
visited Lord Leicester at henilwOrth
castle. The moment of her arrival was
considered so important that all the
clocks of the castle were stopped, so that
the hands might point to that one mo-
slent as being the most significant of all.
She was greeted to the gate with floating
islands and torches, and the thunder of
cannon, and fireworks that set the night
ablaze, and a great burst of music that
lifted the whole scene into perfect en-
chantment. Then she was introduced in
dining hall the luXuries Of which as
tonished the world. -Four hundred serv-
ants waited upon the guests. The enter
tainment cost s. .000 each day. Lord Lei
cester made that great supper in Kenil-
worth castle.
Cardinal WolSey eyentertainedt the French
ambassadors at Hampton court. The
best cooks in all the land prepared for
the banquet. PuryeyOrs went out and
travelled all the kingdom over to find
spoils for the table. The time came. The
guests Were kept during the day hunting
in the kings park So that their appetites
might be keen. and then IN the evening,
to the sound Of the trumpeters, they
were introduced into a hall hung with
silk and cloth OF gold, and there Were
{ tables aglitter with imperial plate and
laden with the rarest of meats and
ablush with the cOstliest wines, and when
| the second course of the feast came it
was found that the articles OF food had
been fashioned into the shape Of men,
birds and beasts, and groups dancing,
and jousting parties riding against each
other with lances. Lords and princes
and ambassadors. out Of cups filled 10 the
brim, drank the health first of the king
of England and next of the king OF
France. Cardinal Wolsey prepared that
great supper in Hampton court.
A REMARKABLE BANQUET
But have to tell you of a grander en-
tertainment. My Lord the King is the
banqueter. Angels are the cupbearers.
| All the redeemed are the guests. The
halls of eternal love, frescOed with light
and paved with joy and curtained with
unfading beauty, are the banqueting
place. The harmOnies Of eternity are the
music. The chalices OF heaven are the
plates, and / am one of the servants COM
ing out with both hands filled with invi-
tatiOns, scattering them everywhere, and,
oh, that for yourselves You might break
the seal of the invitation and read the
words written in red ink Of blood by the
tremulous hand of dying Christ, Come
now, for all things are ready"
There have been grand entertainments
where was a taking off-the wine gave
out, or the servants were rebellious, or
the light failed. But l have gone all
around about this subject and looked at
the redemption which Christ has provid-
ed, and l come here to tell you it is COM
plete. and | swing open the door of the
feast, telling you that "all things are
now ready"
In the first place, have to announce
that the Lord Jesus Christ himself is
ready. Cardinal Wolsey came into the
| feast after the first course. He came in
booted and spurred, and the guests arose
and cheered him. But Christ comes in at
the very beginning of the feast-aye, he
has been waiting 1884 years for his
guests. He has been standing on his
mangled feet, he has had his sore hand
on his punctured side, or he has been
pressing his lacerated temples-waiting
waiting. 1t is wonderful that he has not
been impatient and that he has not said,
''Shut the door and let the laggard stay
out" but he has been waiting.
No banqueter ever waited for his
guests so patiently as Christ has waited
for US. To prove how willing he is to
receive Us, gather all the tears that
rolled down his cheeks IN sympathy for
your sorrows; gather all the drops Of
| ludG CiIoll1SACu LIS DIONs anu MS
back, and his hands and feet, in trying
to purchase your redemption; l gather
all the groans that he uttered In mid
night chill, and in mountain hunger, and
in desert loneliness, and twist them into
one cry-bitter, agonizing, Overwhelm-
ing.
! l gather all the pains that shot from
spear and spike and cross, jolting into
one pang-remorseless, grinding excru-
ciating. take that one drop Of sweat
on his brow, and nder the gospel glass
that drop enlarges until l see in it lakes
of sorrow and an ocean of agony. That
being standing before you now, enact
ated and gashed and CORY, cOaxes for
your love with a pathos in which every
word is heart break and every sentence
martyrdom. How can you think he
trihes?
FOR THE DELAYED GUESTS.
Ahasuerus prepared feast for $50
days, but this feast is for all eternity.
Lords and princes were invited TO that.
You and | and all our world are invited
TO this. Christ is ready. You know that
the banqueters of olden time used TO
wrap themselves in robes prepared for
the occasion, so my Lord Jesus hath
wrapped himself in all that is beautiful.
See how fair he is! His eye, his brow,
his cheek. so radiant that the stars have