The Penn's Grove record., 1894-09-28
RRV. DIR, TALMAGR,
THE BROOKLYN DIyIEE'S sun
DAY SERMON.
subIcct: "The Tax Collectors Con-
version"

Zlcchnus was n politician and a tnx0ath-
erPr, He had an honest calling, but the
opportunity for ''steallngs" was 80 large
The temptation WAS too murN for him. The
bible says he "wes a sinner'-that Is. In the
puhlic sense. How MANY fine men have been
ruined by official positionl It is an awful
thing for any man TO seek office under gov
rrnment unless his principles of integrity
IRE depnlv fixed. Manga man upright in an
insignificant position has made ~shipwreck In
n graat one. As far az I can tell, In the city
o. Jericho this Zaccheus belonged to what
might be called the %"ring." They had things
their own way, successfully avoiding exno-
sure. II nv no other way perhaps by hiring
somebody to break in and steal the vouch-
era. Notwithstanding his bad reputation
there were strpaks of good about him. as
there are about almost every man. Gold is
found in quartz, and sometimes in n small
percentage.
Jesus was coming to town. The people
turned out on masse TO see Him. Here He
comes. the Lord Of glory, on foot, dust COW
cred and travel weary. limping along the
way, carving the griefs and woes OF the
world. He looks to be sixty years OF age.
when He is only about thirty. Zaccheus was
n short man and could not see over the peo-
ple's beads while standing on the ground.
so he got I'm into a sycamore tree that swung
ia nrm clear over the road. Jesus advanced
anti the wild excitement OF the surging
crowd. The most honorable and popular
men ~ the CITY ara looking on and trying to
gain His attention. jesus, instead OF re-
gar ing them. looks mr. at the little man in
the tree anil srvs: "Zaccheus. come down.
7 am going home with you" Everybody
was disgus'e : to think that Christ would go
home with so d~ishonorable a man.
I see Christ entering the front door OF the
house o. Zarcheus. The King OF heaven
and earth sits down, n as He looks around
on the plaea and the family He p~ronounces
the henediction OF the text. 9TH day is SAL
walton coma 10 this house."
Zaccheus had mounted the sycamore tree
ont o. mere inuuisitiveness. He wanted to
soc how this stranger ~lnoked-the color oil
His eyes, the length ofHis hair, the contour
o. HIS f%eqtures. the height OF His stature.
"Cona down "sniI Chris.
Amt 80 MANY p.onte in This day get up in
tnthe tree OF curiosity or speculation to see
Christ. They ask a thousand queer ques-
tions about His divinity. about Gods SOW
ereicnty and the eternal DEGREES. They
speculate and ~criticiss and hang onto the
outside limb of n great sycamore, but they
must come down from that If they a TO
be saved. We cannot be saved as phfloso'
pliers, but as little children. You cannot go
10 heaven by way of Athens, but by way Of
bethlehem.
Why be perplexed about the way sin cam
mo the WOTlu WIEN it Sttht duVstAOh iE
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 GU
the anther, scatter the corolla and say. "Is
that the beautiful flower Of religion that you
are talking ahout?" No flower is beautiful
after You have torn it all to pieces. The patti
10 heaven is so plain that a fool need no
make any mistake about it. and yet mel
stop and cavil. Suppose that. going toward
the Pacific slope, l had resolved that 1 woulo
stop until l could kill all the grizzly bears
and the pantbPrs IN either side OF the way
I would never nave got 10 the Pacific coast
When I went out to nunt the grizzly bear
the grizzly hear would AVE come out Il
hunt me. Here Is a plain road TO heaven
Men saw they will not take a step on it unit
they can make game of all the theories tina
bark and growl Mt them from the thicsets
They forget the fact that. as they go out Z
hunt the theory, the theory comes out Il
hunt them. and so they perish.
DIR. Ludlow, my professor In the thee
| logical seminary, taught me a lesson l shall
never forget. While putting a variety o
questions to him that were perplexing hi
turned upon me. somewhat In sternness
but more in love, and said. "Mr. Talmage
you will have to let God know some thing
that you don't" We tear our hands on tn
spines of the cactus instead of feasting on
eve on its tropical bloom. A great com
pnny OF people now sit swinging them
selves on the sycamore tree OF their pride
and / cry to you: "Zaccheus, come down
Come down out OF your pride, out of you
inquisitiveness, out OF our speculation
You cannot ride into the gate OF heavei
with coach and four, position ahead an
lackey behind. Except ye become as httl
! children, We cannot enter the kingdom o
God God has chosen the weak things o
=; the world to confound the mighty. Zaccheus
come down, come down ~
notice that this taxgatherer accompanie,
his surrender to Christ with the restoratio
OF property that did not belong to him. II
saws, 'If / have taken anything by false &C
cusatlon, I restore fourfold"-that is, II
have taxed any man for SIC, 900 when he ha
only 5000 worth of property and put in m
own pocket the tax for the last $4,000, l WI
restore to him fourfold. If I took from hir
$40. Twill give him $40. If 1 took from hii
$40. I will give him $160.
Hundreds OF thousands of dollars hay
been sent to Washington during the past fe
vears as, Hconscience monev-" snnpos
that money was sent ny men who wanted I
be- Christians, hut found they could not unit
they made restitution. There is no need G
our trying to come TO Christ as long as W
keep lrau iulently a dollar or a farthing 4
our possession that belongs to another. Sur
pose you have not money enough to pa
your debts and for the sake of delraudIn
your creditors you put your properly 1
your wite's name. You might cry until III
day OF judgment for pardon, hut you woul,
not get II without first making restitution
In times OF prosperity 1t is right, against
rainy day. to assign property 10 your wife
but II, in time of perpleXity and tor the SAX
OF d~efrauding your creditors, you make sue
assignment you become "a cuiprit befor
God, and you may as well stop praying un
til you have made restitution. Or suppos
one man loans another money on bon | o
mortgage, with the understan1in that tn
mortgage can lie quiet for s 'veral years, GU
as soon as the mortgage is given commence
foreclosure-the sheriff mounts the auction
block, and tho property is struck down a
half price, and the mortgages buys II In
The mortgage started to get the proper,
ut half price n ls c thief and n roober
Until he makes restitution there is no mere!
Tor him.
You say 81 cannot make restitution. TIL
parties whom l swindled are gone" The
/ say, "Take the money up to the America
Bible Society and consecrate it to Co 4.
Zaceheus was wise when he disgorgei hi
%unrlghteous gains, and 1t was his first step il
the right direction.
The way being plain, Christ walked int
the house of Zaccheus. He becomes a differ
ent man ; his wife a different woman tn
children are different. On, II makes a greA
change in any house when Christ comes int,
it! How many beautiful homes are repre-
scented among you? There are pictures o.
the wall, there is music in the d-rawing-roon
and Injuries in the wardrobe, and a full sup
ply in the pantry. Even II you were hal
asleep, there is one word with which 1 coul(
wake you and thrill you through an.
through, and that word Is ''homer' Their
are also houses Of suffering represented ii
which there are neither pictures nor ward
robe nor adornment-only one room, AMI
plain cot, or a bunk In a corner. Yet 1t is tn
place where your loved ones dwell, an
your whole nature tingles with satisiaciio
when you think of it and call it home
Though the world may scoff at US and prr
sue US. and all the dav we he tossed ahou'
ut evontj'e we sail into the harbor OF home
"hrn"h there be no rest for us In the bus
world. and we 20 trudging about, bearin
/ burdens that well nigh crush us. there ts
re'uge. and It hath an easy chair In whtc
we may sit. and a lounge whore we may III
and a serenity o. peace In which we may r.
ROSE. and that refuge is home. This EnVNs
soldiers, sitting on the walls around sevnI
tonoI, one NIGHT heard a company OF nj
sicians playing "Home, sweet Home" nm
IL Is said thut the whole army broke out Int