The Progress. (Shreveport, La.) 1892-1900, 1894-09-29
TABERNACLE PULPIT
Ok. TALMAGE TALKS ABOUT
THE PLUTOCRATS,
We Conversion OF Zaccheus and Its Re.
iatlon to the History That Is Now BE,
ing Made in This Countrywide Weak
Are Of God.

bHoohL1N, sept. %, In94.-keT. DR..
Talmage, who is now preparing tt
leave Australia for India, on his round.
the world tour, has selected as the
subject for to-days sermon through
the press: The Tax Collectors Con.
version" the text being taken from
Luke NIX %, This day is salvation
come to this house /
Zaccheus was politician and tax.
gatherer. He had an honest calling,
but the opportunity for "stes.line,'
was so large, the temptation was toe
much for him, The Bible says he
was a sinner'-that is, in the public
sense How many fine men have been
ruined by official position! 1t is an
awful thing for any man to seek Office
under government unless his princi.
plies of integrity are deeply fixed
Many man, upright in an inslgniti-
can't position, has made shipwrecll in
a great one. AS far as ] can tell, in
the city of Jerico this ZaccheuS be-
longed to what might be called the
"Ring.' They had things their
own way, successfully avoiding
exposure-If by No other way,
perhaps by hiring somebody to
break in and steal the vouchers. Not.
withstanding his bad reputation. there
were streaks of good about him, as
there is about almost every man.
Gold is found in quartz, and some
times in very 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 covered and road weary,
limping along the way, carrying the
griefs and woes of the world. lie
looks to be sixty years OF age when he
is only about thirty. Zaccheus was
short man, and could not see over the
peoples 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
regarding them, looks up at the little
man in the tree, and says, "Zaccheus,
come down. lam going home with
you" Every body was disguised to
think that Christ would 60 home with
so dishon orable a man.
I Isee Christ entering the front door
Of the house of Zaccheus The KING
of heaven and earth sits down; and
rs he looks around on the place and
the family, he pronounces the bene'
diction of the text: This day is sal
,ation come to this house
Zaccbeus had mounted the syca'
more tree out of mere inquisitiveness'
He wanted to see how this stranger
.ooked-the color of his eyes. the
length of his hair, the contour OF MS
features, the height of his stature
Come down." said Christ
\ And so, many people, in this day
get up into the tree OF curiosity OF
sneculation to see Christ. They ask
thousand queer questions about Ill
divinity, about Gods sovereignty ane
I the eternal DEGREES. They specu
late. and criticize, and hang on to tn
outside limb of great sycamore. Bu
). thew must come down from that l
l. 49, want to be saved. We can no
be saved as philosophers, but as It'll
v children You can not go to heaVe'
hv way of Athens, but oy way 0
Bethlehem. Why be perple*e'
$. about the way 1sin came I'M
tine world, when the great ques
~ ton is how we shall get sin drive
ont of our hearts? How many spen
their time in criticism and religion
u ejaculation! They take the Rose .
: Sharon, or the lily Of the valley pu
s. s. ont tho anther, scatter the coroll'
d And saw, us that the beautiful move
Of religion that you are taik.h
,bout?" No flower is beautiful an.e
o uou have torn it all to pieces. In
natb to heaven is so plain that a 1o'
head not make a mistake aoout
and vet men stop and cavlL gu
pose that going toward the L ao.i
sIone I had resolved that wou
stop until could kill all the gr'zz
hears and the panthers on either s''
of the way. would never nave g
70 the Pacific coast. When l we!
ont to hunt the grizzly bear the gr'
Wv hear would have come out to hu
ne. Here is plain road to heaVe
Men saw they will not take a step
nth they can make game OF all u
,'sories that bark and gro
st them from the thickets. An
foroet the fact that as they
aut to hunt the theory. the tneo
comes out to hunt them, and so Tn
. nerish We must receive the k 1n!g,!
If heaven in simplicity "illls
Nv u" Pennington was one OF the w,ses E; 81 - =,
e. Gu Of this eountry-a governor OF his o !,
~ ~ ot.,e and afterward speaker OF
" house of representatives lev ""
10 God called him to be a Chris'lan'
,st went in, and sat down among 50
id children who were applying Tor chul
he mem bership. and he said to his P
tor talk to me as you DO TO .h
ng children, for l know nothing ~,
as. ;t.n There is no need OF bother
lily ourselves about my steries wneh VI