The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1894-09-26
MEN IN OFFICE.
REV. Talmage breaches a Sermon
ON Political Life.
Lessons to be Gathered from the Life OF
zaccheus, the Tax Gatherer-The Value
Of Honesty and Integrity-The "Con-
> science FUND.- in the Treasury
= at Washington.

hcN' L. Do WlUL Ialmage, VINO IL
about to leave Australia for India, Sc
lected as the subject for his latest SER
mon through the press: ''The Tax Col,
lector's Conversion" the text being
taken from Luke xix, 9: "This day is
salvation come to this house."
aZaccheus 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 position! 1t is an awful
thing for any man to seek Office under
government unless his principles of in
tegrity are 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 might be
called the ring" They had things
their own way, successfully avoiding
exposure-if by no other way, perhaps,
by hiring somebody to break in and
steal the vouchers. Notwithstanding
his bad reputation, there were streaks
of good about him, as there are about
almost every man Gold is found in
quartz, and sometimes in very small
percentage.
Jesus was coming to town. The peo-
pie turned out en- masse to see Him.
Here He comes-the Lord of Glory-on
foot, dust-covered and road-weary,
limping along the way, carrying the
griefs and woes of the world. He looks
to be sixty years of age when He is
only about thirty. Zaccheus was a
short man, and could not see over the
peoples heads while standing on the
ground; so he got up into a sycamore
tree that swung its arm clear over the
road. Jesus advanced amid the wild
excitement of the surging crowd. The
most honorable and popular men of the
city are looking on, and trying to gain
His attention. Jesus, instead of re-
garding them, looks up at the little
nan in the tree, and says: "Zaccheus,
come down. l am going home with
YOU" Everybody was disgusted to
think that Christ would go home with
so dishonorable man.
l 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 fam
lily 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 height of his stature. 'Come
down." said Christ.
And SO, many people in this day GET
up into the tree of curiosity or specu-
lation to see Christ. They ask a
thousand queer questions about His di.
vinity, about Gods sovereignty and the
eternal DEGREES They speculate, and
criticise, and hang on to the outside
limb Of great sycamore. But they
must come down from that If they
want to be saved. We cannot be saved
as philosophers, but as little children.
You cannot go to Heaven by way Of
Athens, but by way of Bethlehem.
Why be perplexed about the way sir
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 ot
Sharon or the lily of the valley, pull
out the anther, scatter the corolla and
say: us that the beautiful flower oi
religion that you are talking aboutP'
No flower is beautiful after you
have torn it all to pieces. The
path of Heaven is so plair
that a fool need not make any
mistake about it, and yet men stoI
and cavil. Suppose that, going to
ward the Pacific slope, had resolved
that would stop until l could kill al
the grizzly bears and the panthers OF
either side of the way. 1 would nevel
have got to the Pacific coast. When
went out to hunt the grizzly bear, th'
grizzly bear would come out to hun
me. Here is a plain road to Heaven
Men say they will not take a step on i
until they can make game of all thu
theories that bark and growl at then
from the thickets. They forget tn,
fact that as they go out to hunt th'
theory, the theory comes out to hun
them, and so they perish. We must re
ceive the kingdom of Heaven in simple
ity. William Pennington was one o
the wisest men Of this country-a gov
ernor of his own state, and afterward
speaker of the house of representatives
Yet, when God called him to be Chris
tian, he went in and sat down amonl
: some children who were applying TO
church mem mbership, and he said to hi
pastor: "Take me just as you do thes
children, for know nothing about it.
There is no need Of bothering ourselve
about mysteries when there are s
! many things that are plain. DR.. Lud
! low, my professor in the theological
! seminary, taught me lesson hav
! never forgotten. While putting va
riety of questions to him that wer
perplexing, he turned upon me some
what in sternness, but more in love
[ and said; "Mr. Talmage, you will hav
, to let God know some things that yo
don't"
: We tear our hands on the spine {
the cactus instead of feasting our ey
on its tropical bloom. A great con
! pany of people now sit swinging then