Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1894-10-05
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S SUM-
DAY SERMON.
Subject: s'The Tax Collectors Con
version.'

TEXT: '"This day is salvation come to this
house. Luke xix, 9.
Zaccheus was politician and taxgath-
erer. He had an honest calling, but the
opportunity for "stealings' was 50 large
the temptation was too much for him. The
Bible says he Twas n sfnner''-that Is, in the
public sense. How maay fine men have been
ruined by official position It is an awful
thing for any man to seek office under gov
ernment unless his principles of integrity
are deeply fixed. Many man upright in an
insignificant position has made shipwreck in
great one. AS far as I 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 expo
sure, if by no other way perhaps by hiring
somebody to break in and steal the vouch-
ers. Notwithstanding his bad reputation
there were streabs of good about him, as
there are about almost every man. Gold is
found in quartz, and sometimes in a 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 COW
cred and travel weary, Hmping along the
way CARRYING the griefs and woes of the
world. He looks 10 be sixty years of age,
when He is only about thirty. Zaccheus was
u short man and could not see over the peO.
ple's 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 man in
the tree and says: "Zaccheus, come down.
I am going home with you" Everybody
was dsgusted to think that Christ would go
home with so dishOnOrabe 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 family He pronounces
the benedictiOn of the text, ''Ihis day is SAL
walton como to this house"
Zaccheus had mounted the sycamore tree
out of mere inqutstiveness. 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 in
to the tree OF curiosity or speculation to see
Christ. They ask thousand queer ques-
tiOns about His divinity, about Gods SOW
ereignty and the eternal DEGREES. They
speculate and criticise and hang onto the
outside limb of a great sycamore, but they
must como down from that If they want to
be saved. We cannot be saved as philoso-
piers, but as little children. You cannot go
to heaven by way OF Athens, but by way of
Bethlehem.
Why be perplexed about the way sin came
INTO Ile WOTlU Wnen 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
of Sharon or the lilly of the valley, pull out
the anthar, scatter the cOrolla and say, 'Is
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 fool need not
make any mistake about it, and yet men
stop and cavil. Suppose that, going toward
the Pacific slope, had resolved that would
stop until I could kill all the grizzly bears
and the panthers on either side Of the way.
I would never have got 10 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 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 theory comes out to
hunt them, and so they perish.
DR.. Ludlow, my professor in the theO-
logical seminary. taught me lesson shall
never forget. While putting a variety of
questions to him that were perpleXing he
turned upon me, somewhat In sternness,
but more in love, and said. "Mr. Talmage,
you will have TO let God know some things
that you don't" We tear our hands on the
spines Of the cactus instead of feasting our
eye on its tropical bloom. A great COM
selves on the sycamore tree Of their pride,
and l cry to you: "ZaccheuS, come down! !!
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, position ahead and
lackey behind. Except 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 down.
l notice that this taxgatherer accompanied
his surrender to Christ with the restoration
OF property that did not belong to him. He
says, ''If have taken anything by false ac
cusation, l restore fourfold"-that is, if
have taxed any man for 10000 when he had
only $4,000 worth of property and put in my
own pocket the tax for the last $4,000, I will
restore to him fourfod. If I took from him
$40, I will give him $40. III took from him
$40, will give him $3.50.
Hundreds OF thousands of dollars have
been sent to Washington during the past few
years rs "cOnsctence money" l suppose
that money was sent by men who wanted to
be Christians, but found they could not until
our trying to come to Christ as long as we
keep irauduently n dollar or q rthing in
our possession that belongs to another Sup
pose you have not money enough to pay
your debts and for the sake of defraudIng
your creditors you put your property in
your wtfe's name. You might cry until the
day Of Judgment for pardon, but you would
not get it without first making restitution.
In times of prosperity it is right, against a
rainy day, to assign property TO your wife,
but If, in time of perplexity and tor the sake
OF defrauding your creditors, you make such
assignment you become culprit before
God and you may as we'll stop praying un-
til you have made restitution. Or suppose
one man loans another money on bond or
mortgage, with the understanding that the
mortgage can lie quiet for several years. but
as soon as the mortgage IS given commences
fOreclOsure-the sheriff mounts the auction
block, and the property is struck down at
half price, and the mOrtgagee buys it in.
The mOrtgagee started to get the property
at half price and Is C thief and robber.
Until he makes restitution there is no mercy
for him.
You say 81 cannot make restitution. The
parties whom l sWinded are gone" Then
say, ''Take the money up to the American
Bible Society and consecrate 1t to God"
Zaccheus was wise when he disgorged his
unrighteous gains, and it was his first step in
the right direction.
The way being plain, Christ walked into
the house of Zaccheus. He becomes differ
ent man his wife a different woman; the
children are different Oh, it makes great
change in any house when Christ comes into
It! How many beautiful homes are repre-
sented among you? There are pictures on
the wall, there is music in the drawing
and luxuries in the wardrobe, and a full sup
ply in the pantry. Even if you were half
asleep, there is one word with which could
wake you and thrill you through and
through, and that word is ''home y There