The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1894-09-26
7. DIR. TALMAGE.
BROOKLYN Divines Sunday
Sermon.
AsaD1ect: "Holy Compulsion."

~'~ss ~Os
be plainest people in our day have luxu.
3 which the kings and queens OF older
res never imagined. I walked up and
49wn the stairs of Hoyrood palace-a pa
aAce that was considered one of the wonders
0h the woodland said "Can it be posi-
Die that this is all there was of this reputed
wonderful place?' And this is the case In
many other instances. There are fruits in
Westchester County and on Long Island
farms far better than the pomegranates and
apr1cots of Bible times. Through all the
ages there have been scenes of festivities,
And the wealthy man of my text plans q
great entertainment and invites his friends.
Al one builds beautiful home, he wants his
acquaintances to come and enjoy it. If one
buys an exquisite picture he wants his
friends TO come and appreciate 1t, and 1t was
laudable thing when the wealthy man OF my
text, happy himself. wanted to make other
people happy. And so the invitations went
put, but something went very much wrong.
You can imagine the embarrassment of any,
one who has provided a grand feast when he
hnds out that the guests invited do not
Intend 10 come. There is nothing that so
provokes the master of the feast as that.
Well, these people invited to this great
banquet of the text made most frivolous ex-
euses. The fact was, suppose, 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 occupa-
f1ons and professions who consider 1t q
wrong to them that anybody else is adj
vanced. I suppose these people invited to
the feast said among themselves: 'We are
not going to administer TO that mans van
ity. He is proud enough now. We won't
go. Besides that we could all give parties
II we made our money the way that man
makes his. -
So when the messengers went out with
the I0VIfafi0nG fhnra nna0imOnG
fusal. One man said, ooh, have bought
farm, and l must go and look at it." 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 a Spectator in
live stock. He ought to have known about
the oxen before he bought them. Besides
that, if he had been very anxious 70 get to
!. 1he feast, he could have hooked them up
and driven them on the road there. An
3 other frivolous excuse. Another man said,
. "Oh, / have married a wife, and can't
come" when if he had said to his wife, "I
have an invitation to a splendid dinner It
is highly complimentary to me. should
very much like to go. Will you go along
with me?" she would have said. ''To be sure,
] will CO." Another frivolous excuse. The
fact was that they did not want to go.
slNow," said the great man of the feast,
ST will not be defeated in this matter I
have with an honest purpose provided
banquet, and there are scores of people who
would like to come if they were only in
vited Here, my man, here you go out,
and when you find blind man give him
your arm and fetch him in, and when you
find a lame man give him crutch and fetch
him in, and when you find poor man tell
him that there is plate for him inrny man
: RiSn; aGdSWnen you ti1d sorae one who is so
ragged and wretched that he has never been
invited anywhere then by the kindest ten
derness and the most loving invitation any
one ever had compel him to come in"
Oh, my friends, it requires no acuteness
on my part or on your part to see in all this
affair that religion is banquet. The table
was set in Palestine a good many years ago,
and the disciples gathered around it, and
they thought they would have a 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 heavenly vineyard were piled up
on the board, and the Irumpets and harps OF
eternity made up the orchestra, and as this
wine of God is pressed to the lips of a sim
ming, bleeding, suffering, dying, grooming
world voice breaks from the heavens, say
ing Drink. o friends. Yea, drink, o be-
loved ~ blessed Lord Jesus, the best
friend ever had, the best friend any man
ever had was there ever such table? Was
there ever such banquet?
From the cross upifted high,
Where ths Saviour deigns TO die,
What meio iious sounds hear
Bursting on tn ravished ear.
Heavens redeeming work is DONE
Come and welcome, sinner, come.
Religion is Joyous thing. 1 do not want
10 hear anybody talk about religion as
though it were funeral do not want any
~
the kingdom of God. l do not want any
man to roll up his eyes, giving in that way
evidence of his sancity. The men and
women of God whom happen to know for
the most part find religion great Joy. It is
exhilaratIon to the body. 1t is invigoratlon
to the mind. 1t is rapture to the soul. 1t
is balm for all wounds. 1t is light for all
darkness. It is harbor from all storms, and
though God knows that some of them have
trouble enough now, they rejoice because
they are on their way to the congratulations
eternal.
on, the Lord God has many fair and beau
tiful daughters, but the fairest of them all is
abe whose ways are pleasantness and whose
maths are peace Now, my brothers and
sisters-for I have a right to call you all so
Il know some people look back on their an
eestral line, and they see they are descended
from the Puritans or Huguenots, and they
rejoice in that, but look back on my an
cestral line, and see therein such ming
ling and mixture of the blood OF all nationali-
ties that I feel akin to all the world, and by
the blood of the Son of God. who died for
all people, address you in the bonds OF uni
yersal brotherhood.
I come out as only servant bringing an
Invitation to party, and put it into your
hand. saying, "Come. for all things are now
ready" and urge it upon you and continue
TO urge it, and before l get through hope,
by the blessing Of God, to compel you to
come in.