Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1894-04-25
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE EROOKLYN DIVINE'S SUN
DAY SERMON.
Subject "Strangers Within thu
Gates"

TEXT: II lrTs n stranger and re took NJ
M."-Matthew XIV, IS.
It is n moral disaster that jocosity has de
spoiled 50 many passages of Scripture and
my text is one that has suffered from irrever-
ent and misapplied quotation. It shows
great poverty Of wit and humor when people
take the sword Of divine truth for game at
fencing or chip of from the Kohinoor dia-
mond of inspiration q sparkle to decorate a
FOOLS cap. My text is the salutation in the
last judgment to be given to those who have
shown hospitality and kindness and Chris
tian helpiulness to strangers. By railroad
and steamboat the population of the earth
are all the time in motion, and from one
year end to another our cities are crowded
Tith visitors.
Every morning on the tracks OF the Hud-
son River. the Pennsylvania the Erie, the
Long Island Railroads there come passenger
trans more than can number, so that all
the depOts and the wharves are a-ruuble
and a-clang with the coming in of a great
immigration Of strangers. Some OF them
como for purposes of barter, some for mecn-
anism. some for artistic qualification. some
lor sightseeing. A great many of them &c
out on the evening trains. and consequently
the city makes but little impression upon
them, but there are multitudes who in the
hotels and boarding houses make temporary
residence. They tarry here for three or four
days, or as many weeks. They spend the
days in the stores and the evenings in sight
mon ttiup uppTdTV stay Will eitncr
make or break them not only financially but
morally, for this world and the world that is
to come. Multitude Of them come into our
morning and evening services. am con-
srious that / stand in the presence of many
lhls moment. / desire more especially 10
speak to them. May God give me the right
word and help me to utter it in the right
way.
There have plided into this house those
unknown to others whose history if told
mn Thrill h.,
tragedy, more exciting than PATHS song
more bright than "A spring morning. more
awful than wintry midnight If they
could stand up here and tell the story OF
their escapes, and their temptations. and
their bcreaYemonts. and their disasters and
their victories. and their defeats. there would
be IN this house such n commingIing of
Erpans and acclamatiOns as would make the
place unendurable.
There IS man who, in infancy, lay In
'radle satin lined. Out yonder is n man
VINO was picked up a founding on Boston
common. Here Is a man who is coolIy OBJ
serving this religious service eXpecting no
advantage and caring tor no advantage for
hImselt, while yOndcr is a man who has been
Tor ten years in an awful cOnfagation of evil
habits, and he is "A mere cinder Of a DESTROYED
nature, and he is wondering If there shall he
IN this service any escape or help for his i'm
mortal soul. Meeting you only once per-
maps lace to face, / strike hands with Won in
ana your eternal well being. st. Paul's ship
M Meiita went to pieces where two seas
meet. but we stand to-day at point where
thousand seas converge, and eternity alone
;an tell the issue of the hour
The hotels this country. for beauty ana
elegance, are not surpassed hy the hotels in
any other land. but those that are most cela-
DRAFTED Tor br!liiancy of tapestry and mirror
cannot give 10 the guest any costly apart-
.Etb, un.'s5 h' can afford parlOr in Hddi-
u"h 10 ms lodging. The stranger therefore,
VIII generally find assigned to him room
without any pictures and perhaps any rock
Ing chair. He will find a box OF matches on
bureau and an old newspaper left bv the
previous occupant, and that will De about all
the ornanentatiOn. At O'Clock in the even
ih2, after having taken his repast. he Will
look over bis memorandum book of the days
WORK, he VIII write a letter to his home. and
then desperation Will seize upon him to get
out. You hear the great city LAUNDERING
under your windows, and you say. Il must
lplu that procession" >" and in ten minutes Won
have joined it. Where are you going? ..0H -
You say, Il haven't made up my mind vet"
Eetter make up your mind before YOU start.
Perhaps the very way you go now YOU will
Always 90. twenty years ago there We're two
young men who came down the AstOr House
steps and started out in a wrong direction
where they have been going ever since.
well, whCre are you goinCY" saws one
man. Il am going to the academy to hear
some music Good. l would like to Join
you mt the door. AT the tap Of the orchestral
baton all the gates Of harmony and beauty
Will open before my soul. l congratulate
you Who're are you going? "Wel." you
say. Il am going up TO see some advertised
pictures" Good. | should like to goalong
win you and look over the same catalogue
and study with you kensett and BicrStalt
and Church and Moran. Nothing more
elevating than good pictures. Where are
you going? swell" you say, 81 am going
up TO the Young Mems Christian Association
rooms" Good. You will find there
gymnastics to strengthen the muscles. and
books TO improve the mind, and Christian
Influence TO save the soul, l wish every city
In the United States had as fine q palace for
ts Young Mems Christian Association
as New York las. Where are you going?
well, You say, Il am going to take a long
walk up Broadway and 50 turn around into
The Bowery. an going to study human
lIie.' Good. A walk through Broadway at
o'clock at night Is interesting, educating.
fascinating, appalling, eNhiaratinG TO the
last degree. Stop in front OF that theatre
and SEQ who goes in. Stop at that saloon
and sec who comes out See the great tides
OF life surging backward and forward and
heatins against the marble of the curbstone
and eidyiug down into the saloons. What
Ii that mark on the face of that debau chepy
Ii is the hectic flesh Of eternal death. What
5 that woman's luuShter? 1t is the shrieB
bfa lost soul.
Who is that Christian man going along
with vial Of anOlvne TO the dying pauper
On Elm street? Who is that belatcd man
IN tho way to n prayer meetiug2 Who is
ihat city missionary going to take n box in
which 10 bury child2 Who are all these
clusters of bright and beautiful faces? They
are going to some interesting place Of amuse-
ment.
VINO ls that man going into the drug stOreI |
That IS the man who yesterday lost all his
fortune on Wall street. He Is going in for n |
dose OF hclladouna, aud before morning It |
Will make no difference to him whether |
stocks are up or down. tell you that Broad |
way, between and y o'clock at night, be
tween the Battery and Central Park. is an
AusterlItZ. "a Gettysburg, n Waterloo, where
kingdoms are lost or won and three worlds |
uin-!e iu the strife.
met another coming down OF the hotel |
steps. and say, "Where are YOU gOiu.y
You say 81 aW going with mel chant oil
New York who has promised to show me the /
Underground life of the city. | am has Gus. |
t"mr- and he Is going to Obligs me very
much. stop! A business house that tries
lp -rt or keep your custom through such "a |
process rs that is not worthy of you. There
arc business establishments in our cities /
which have for years been scnling to de |
H'ru'tion hundred and thousands Of mer- |
cuaut7. They have q secret drawer in the /
counter whore money is kept, and the clerk |
goes anj s"tS II waru he wants take these |
Visitors t1 the city through the low siums OF |
'h" place
Shall mention the names Of some OF these |
Ir"@t commercial establishments l havs
~5rn ON nay lips. Shall II Perhaps [ had |
better leave 1t to tine young men VINO in that /
process have been destroyed themselves |
while they have been destroying others. |
care not how high sounding the name or o |
commercial establishment if it proposes 10 |
get customers or TO keep them by such UrO
ress as that. Drop their acquaintance. They