Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1894-09-22
JOYS OF RELIGION.
Or. rALMAGE FINDS INFINITE PLEAS
uRE IN cHRisT'S SERVICE.

DR.. rALMAGE FINDS INFINITE PLEAS
uRE IN cHRlsT'S SERVICE.
vhenlcgy-A Good Man, n Coed Woman,
the Best Arguments In Behalf of Chris
tianity-The Power of Prayer.
BROOKLYN, Sept. 1G Rev. DIR. Tai
mage, who is still absent on his round
the world tour, has selected as tho sub
ject of his sermon through tho press for
today "Holy Compulsion. the text
being Luke xiv. 23, "And compel them
to come in.
The plainest people in our day have
Injuries which the kings and queens Of
olden times never imagined. walked
mp and down the stairs of Holyrood pal
aco--a palace that was considered ono
of the wonders of tho world-and l
said. Can it be possible that this is all
there was of this reputed wonderful
placer And this is tho case in many
other instances. There are fruits in
Westchester county and on Long Island
farms far better than the pomegranates
and apricots of Bible times. Through
all the ages there have been scenes of
festivity, and the wealthy man of my
/ text plans n great entertainment and
| invites his friends If one builds beau
/ tiful home, he wants his acquaintance
to come and enjoy it. If one buys an
exquisite picture, he wants his friends
to come and appreciate it, and it was
| laudable thing when the wealthy man
of my text, happy himself, wanted to
make other people happy. And so the
| invitations went out, but something
went very much wrong. You can i'm
agine the embarrassment of any one
who has provided a grand feast when
he finds out that the guests invited do
not intend to come. There is nothing
that so proyoies the master of the feast
as that.
Well, these people invited to this
| great banquet of the text mado most
frivolous excuses. The fact was, I sup
pose, that some Of them were offended
/ that this man had succeeded SO much
| better i'll the world than they had
There are people in all occupations and
| professions who consider it wrong to
them that anybody else is advanced. |
suppose these people invited to the feast
said among themselves: "We arc not
going to administer to that mans van
ity. He is proud enough now. We
| won't go. Besides that we could al give
parties if we made our money the way
that man makes his.
! So when the messengers went ont
with the invitations there was unan-
imous refusal. One man said, "Oh,
have bought farm, and 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 be bought them. Besides that if
he had been very anxious to get to the
feast, he could have hooked them up and
driven them on the road there. Another
! frivolous excuse. Another man said,
"Oh, have married wife, and can't
come, F" when if he had said to his wife,
Il have an invitation to a splendid dim
ner. 1t is highly complimentary to me.
! should very much like TO go. Willyo
go along with me?" She would have
said, ''To be sure, will so" Another
frivolous excuse. The fact was that they
did not want to go.
Bring In the Lowly.
Nov" said the great man of the
feast, II will not be defeated in this
matter. have with IN honest purpose
provided banquet, and there are scores
of people who would like to come if
they were only invited. Here, my man,
here; you go out, and when you find IA
blind man give him your arm and fetch
him i'll, and when you find a lame man
give him crutcli and fetch him in, and
when you find poor man tell him that
there is plate for him in my mansion,
and when you find some one who is SO
ragged and wretched that he has never
been invited anywhere then by the kind
est tenderness and the most loving in
vitation any one ever had compel him
to come in. -
Oh, my friends, it requires no acute
ness on my part or on your part to see
in all this affair that religion is ban
quet. The table was set in Palestine
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 heaven
ly vineyard We're piled up Oh the board,
and the trumpets and harps of eternity
made up the orchestra, and rs this wine
of God is pressed to the lips Of sin
ming, bleeding, suffering, dying, moan-
ing world voice breaks from the heav-
ems, saying: Drink, o friends. Yea,
drink, o beloyedp o 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 uplifted high,
Where the Saviour degn5 to Gle,
What melodious sounds hear
Bursting on the ravisied ear,
Heavens redeeming work is done,
Come, and welcome, sinner, cone.
Religion is a joyous thing. do not
want to hear anybody talk about reli-
gion as though it were funeral. do
not want Anybody to whine in the pray
er meeting about the kingdom of God.
do not want any man to roll up his
eyes, giving in that way evidence of
his sanctity. The men and women of
God whom happen to know for the
most part find religion a great joy. 1t
is exhilaration to the body. 1t is invig-
Grafton to the mind. 1t isrSpturc to the
Foul. 1t is balm for all wounds 1t is
light for all darkness. 1t is harbor from
all storms, and though God knows that
some of them have trouble enough now,