The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-09-24


BROOKLYN, Sept %. 1s94.-Rev. Dr.
Talmage, who is now preparing to
leave Australia for India, on his round
the world tour. has selected as the
subject for to-day's sermon through
the press: THE Tax Collectors Con
version. " the text being taken from
Luke XIX 9. This day is salvation
come to this house
Zaecheus was politician and tax
gatherer He had an honest calling.
but the opportunity for ''stealings"
was 50 large, the tempta ton was too
much for him The Bible says he
was a sinner''-that is, in the public
sense How many fine men have been
ruined by Official positionl 1t is an
awful thing for any man to seek Office
under government unless his princi-
pies Of integrity are deeply fixed
Many man. upright in an inslgnifi-
cant position, has made shipwrecl in
a great one. As far as | can tell, in
the city of JericO this Zaccheus be-
1onged 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. Not
withstanding his bad reputation. there
were streaks of good about him. as
there is bout almost every man
Gold is found in quartz, and some
times in a 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 road weary,
1imping along the way. carrying the
grlefs and woes of the void He
looks to be sixty years of age when he
is only about thirty. Zaccheus was
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 hon ora bic and popular men of
the city are looking on and trying to
gain his attention Jesus, instead of
regarding them. looks up at the little
man in the tree, and says, s'Zaccheus.
come down am going home with
you" Every body was Disguised to
think that Christ would 60 home with
SO dishonO rable a man
I 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
lie laullVs he DEOnOuACCS the DEAC-
diction of the text: This day is sal
walton come to this house.
Zaccheus had mounted the syca-
more tree out of mere nquisitiveness-
He wanted to see how this stranger
1ooked-the color of his eyes, the
length of his hair, the contour of his
fea lures. the height of his stature.
Come down.. said Christ
And so. many people, in this day.
get up into the tree of curiosity or
speculation to see Christ. They ask
thousand queer questions about his
divinity, bout Gods sovereign ty. and
the eternal DEGREES. They specu-
late, and criticize, and hang on to the
outside limb of a great sycamore But
they must come down from that if
they want to be saved. We can not
be saved as philosophers, but as little
children. You can not go to heaven
by way of Athens, but by way of
be thlehem- Why be perplexed
a bout the way 0sin came into
the world, when the great ques-
ton 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 lily of the valley, pull
out the anther, scatter the coroIla,
and say. rs that the beautiful flower
of religion that you are talking
about?" No flower is beautiful after
you have torn it all to pieces. The
path to heaven is so plain that a fool
need not make a mistake about it,
and yet men stop and caviL Sup
pose that. going toward the Pacific
slope. I had resolved that would
stop until 1 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 I went
out to hunt the grizzly bear. the griz-
ely bear would have come out to hunt
me. Here is a plain road to heaven
Men say they will not take step on
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 go
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 governor of his own
state, and afterward 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 for church
mem bership. and he said to his pas
tor talk to me as you do 10 these
children. for I know nothing about
it " There is no need of bOthering
ourselves a bout my steries when there
are so many things that are plain
DR.. Ludlow, my professor in the theO-
logical seminary. taught me lesson
1 have never forgotten. While
putting variety of questions
to him that were Perplexing he