The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1894-09-21
JOYS OF RELIGION.
Or, TALMAGE FINDS INFINITE PLEAS
uRe IN oHRlST'S SERVICE

Nc Deprccates Owe auch uairs2iittin
Theology-A Good Man, n Good Woman
the best Arguments In Behalf of Chris
tianits The Power of Prayer.
BROOKLYN, Sept, 10 Rev. DIR. Tai
rage, who is still absent ON his rount
the world tour, has selected MS tho sub
icct of his sermon through the press fo
today "Holy Compulsion, the tex
haing Luke xiv, 23, and compel then
6d c6me in"
Tho plainest people in our day hav
lrxr:ics which the kings and queens o
oldon times never imagined. walked
up and down the stairs of Hollywood pal
ncc--a palace that was considered ont
Of the wonders of the world-and
said, Can it be possible that this is al
there was Of this roputed wonderful
placer" And this is the case in many
bther instances. There arc fruits il
Westchester county and on Long Islant
farms far better than tho pomegranate'
and apricots of Bible times Througl
all tho ages there have been scenes Of
festivity, and the wealthy man of my
text plans q great entertainment and
invites his friends. If one builds u beau
tiful home, he wants his acquaintance
to come and enjoy it. If one buys an
exquisite picture, he wants his friends
to come and appreciate it, and it was q
laudable thing when the wealthy man
of my text happy himself, wanted tc
make other people happy. And so the
invitations went out, but something
went very much wrong You can i'm
agine the embarrassment of any one
who has provided grand feast when
he finds out that the guests invited dc
not intend to come. There is nothing
that 50 provoles the master of tho feast
rs that
Well, these people invited to this
great banquet of the text made most
frivolous excuses. The fact was. / sup
pose, that some of them were offended
that this man had succeeded so much
better in the world than they had
There are people in all occupations and
professions who consider it wrong to
them that anybody else is advanced. /
suppose these people invited to the feast
said among themselves: eve are not
going to administer to that mans van
ity. He is proud enough now We
won't 70 Besides that we could all give
parties if we made our money the way
that man makes his. ;"
So when the messengers went out
with the invitations there was unan-
imous refusal. One man said, ooh, l
have bought farm, and l must go and
look at it. Z" He was land Spectator
and had no business to buy land until
he knew about it, A frivolous excuse
Another man said, 81 have bought five
yoke of oxen" The probability is that
he was speculator in live stock. He
ought to have known about the oxen
before he bought them. Besides that, if
he had been very anxious to get to the
feast, he could have hooked them up and
driven them on the road there. Another
frivolous excuse. Another man said,
"Oh, l have married wife, and can t
come" when if he had said to his wife,
Il have an invitation to splendid din
her. 1t is highly complimentary to me-
l should very much like to go. Will You
go along with me?' she would have
said, "To be sure, will ga" Another
frivolous excuse. The fact was that they
did not want to go.
Bring In the Lowly.
Now, " said the great man of the
feast, 81 will not be defeated in this
matter. have with an honest purpose
provided a banquet, and there are scores
of people who would like to come if
they were only invited. Here, my man,
here; you go out and when you find a
blind man give him your arm and fetch
him in, and when you find lame man
give him a crutch and fetch him in, and
when you find poor man tell him that
there is plate for him in my mansion,
ragged and wretched that he has never
been invited anywhere then by the kind
est tenderness and the most loving in
vitation any one ever had compel him
to come in.
Oh, my friends, it requires no acute
ness on my part or on your part to see
in all this affair that religion is ban
quet. The table was set in Palestine a
good many years ago, and the disciples
gathered around it, and they thought
they would have good time all by
themselves, but while they sat by this
table the leaves began to grow and
spread, and one leaf went to the east
and another leaf went to the west until
the whole earth was covered up with
them, and the clusters from the heaven
ly vineyard were piled up on the board
and the trumpets and harps of eternity
made up the orchestra, and as this wine
Of God is pressed to the lips of sin
ming bleeding, suffering, dying, groan-
ing world voice breaks from the heav.
rns, saying: Drink, 0 friends. Yea,
drink, 0 belovedW o blessed Lord
Jesus, the best friend l ever had, the
best friend any man ever had, was
there ever such table? Was there ever
Euch banquet?
From the cross uplifted high,
Where The Saviour deigns to die,
What melodious sounds hear
Bursting on the ravished ear!
Heavens redeeming work is done,
Come, and welcome, sinner, come.
Religion is joyous thing. do not
want to hear anybody talk about reli,
gion as though it were funeral. do
not want anybody to whine in the pray
er meeting about the kingdom of God
] do not want any man to roll up his
eyes, giving i'll that way evidence of
his sanctity. The men and women of
God whom | happen to know for the
most part find religion great JOY. 1t
is exhilarstion to the body. 1t is inyig-
Grafton to the mind 1t isrspture to the
soul. 1t is balm for all wounds. 1t is
light for all darkness. 1t is harbor from
all storms, and though God knows that
some of them have trouble enough now,
they rejoice because they are on their
Uay to the conoratul ations eternal