Connecticut western news., 1894-09-27
FROM THE SOUTH SEA
pR. TALMAGE SENDS A LESSON FROM
 FAR AUSTRALIA.

The Way of Christ With . Publican and
 sinner-Too often Are Officials Tempt
 ed Above What They Are Able to Bear.
 BROOKLYN, Sept 23.-Rev. Dr. Tal mage, who is now preparing to leave Australia for India on his round the world tour, has selected as the subject for today's sermon through the press ''The Tax Collector Conversion, the text being taken from Luke xix, 0, .'This day is salvation come to this house"
 Zaccheus was a politician and tax gatherer He had an honest calling, but the opportunity for "stealings" was so large the temptation was too much for him. The Bible says he twas a sinner that is, in the public sense. How many fine men have been ruined by off cial position! It is an awful thing for any man to seek office under govern ment 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 can tell, in the city of Jericho this Zao- cheus 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 rep utation 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
 The Thronging to See Jesus
 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, hmping 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 0 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 popu- lar men of the city are looking on and trying to gain his attention. Jesus, in- stead of regarding them, looks up at the little man in the tree and says: "Zac- cheus, come down. I am going home with you" Every body was disgusted to think that Christ would go home with so dishonorable 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 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.
 Idle Curiosity.
 And so many people in this day get up into the tree of curiosity or specula- tion to see Christ They ask thousand queer questions about his divinity, about Gods sovereignty and the eternal decrees They speculate and criticise and hang onto the outside limb of @ great sycamore, but they must come down from that if they want to be saved. We cannot be saved as philoso- phers, but as little children. You can not go to heaven by way of Athens, but by way of Bethlehem.
 Why be perplexed about the way sin came into the world when the great 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 re- ligion 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 any mistake about it, and yet men stop and cavil. Suppose that, going toward the Pacific slope, had resolved that I would stop until I could kill all the grizzly bears and the partners on either side of the way. would never have got to the Pacific coast. When went out to hunt the grizzly bear, the grizzly bear would have come out to hunt me. Here is a plain road to heaven. Men say they will not take a 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 go out to hunt the theory, the the ory comes out to huntthem, and so they perish.
 Must Become . Little Child.
 We must receive the kingdom of k<ax sy, civ try ton was one of the wisest men of this country-a governor of his own state and afterward speaker of the house of representatives-ye when God called him to be Christian he went in and sat down among some children who were applying for church membership, and he said to his pastor, ''Talk to me just as you do to these children, for I know nothing about it !" There is nc need of bothering ourselves about mys- teries when there are so many things that are plain
 Dr. Ludlow, my professor in the theo- logical seminary, taught me lesson I have never forgotten. While putting a variety of questions to him that were perplexing he turned upon me, some what in sternness, but more In love, and said, "Mr. Talmage, you will have to let God know some things that you don't.'h We tear our hands on the spines of the cactus instead of feasting our eye on its tropical bloom A great company of people now sit swinging themselves on the sycamore tree of their pride, and l cry to you: "Zaccheus, come downi 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, postilion ahead and lackey behind. 'Ex- cept 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. Zaccheus, come down, come downp