The free press., 1894-02-15
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIyINE'S SUM-
DAY SERMON.
srabject: "Festivity."

TEXT: Come, for az WtHJS are "od
ready. Luke xiv, IT.
1t was one of the most exciting times in
English history when Queen Elizabeth visited
Lord Leicester at Kenilworth Castle. The
moment Of her arrival was considered so in
portant that all the clocks of the castle were
etopped, so that the hands might point 10
that one moment as being the most signii-
cant of all. She was greeted the gate with
floating islands and torches. and the thunder
of cannon. and fireworks that set the night
abiaze. and great burst OF music that lifted
the whole scene into perfect enchantment.
Then she was introduced in a dining hall the
1uxuries of which astonshed the world. Four
hundred servants waited upon the guests
The entertainment cost $4,000 each day. Lord
Leicester made that great supper in kenil-
worth Castle.
Cardinal Wolsey entertained the French
ambassadors at Hampton Court. The best
cooks In all the land prepared for the ban
quet Purveyors went out and Travelled all
the kingdom over to find spoils for the table.
The time came. The guests were kept dur
ing the day hunting in the Kings park so
that their appetites might be keen. and then
in the evening to the sound Of the trumpet
ers, they were introduced into u hall hung
with silk and cloth of gold, and there were
tables a-glitter with imperial plate and laden
with the rar est of meats and ablush with the
costliest wines. and when the second course
ofthe feast came it was found that the arti-
cles of food had been fashioned into the
shape of men, birds and beasts, and groups
dancing, and jousting parties riding against
each other with lances. Lords and princes
and ambassadors out OF cups filed to the
brim, drank the health first OF the King OF
England and next OF the King OF France.
Cardinal Wolsey prepared that great supper
In Hampton Court.
But have to tell you of grander enter
nj Nv ord tha ia
queter. Angels are the cupbearers. All the
redeemed are the guests. The halls Of eternal
love, frescoed with light and paved With JOY
and curtained with unfading beauty, are the
banqueting place. The harmonies of eter-
nifty are the music. The chalices of heaven
are the plates, and am one of the servants
coming out with both hands filed with inyi-
tations, scattering them everywhere, and,
oh, that for yourselves you might break the
seal OF the invitation and read the words
written in red ink OF blood by the tremulous
hand of dying Christ, "Come now, for all
things are ready"
There have been grand entertainments
where was a taking off-the wine gave out,
or the servants were rebelious, or the light
failed. But l have gone all around about
this subject and looked at the redemption
which Christ has provided, and / come here
to tell you it is complete, and l swing open
the door of the feast, telling you that 'all
things are now ready"
In the first place, | have to announce that
the Lord Jesus Christ Himself is ready. Car
dinal Wolsey came into the feast after the
first course. He came in booted and spurred.
anu the guests arose and checred him. But
Christ comes in at the very beginning of the
feast-aye, He has been waiting 1894 years
for His guests. He has been standing ON His
mangled feet, He has had His sore hand on
His punctured side, or He has been pressing
His lacerated ples-waiting waiting. 1t
is wonderful that He has not been impatient
and that He has not said, ''Shut the door
and let the laggard stay out" but He has
been waiting
No banqueter ever waited for his guests so
patiently as Christ has waited for u.s. To
prove how willing He is TO receive us.
gather the tears that rolled down His
cheeks in sympathy ior your sorrows l
gather all the drops of blood that channeled
His brow, and His back, and His hands aud
1eet, In trying to purchase your redemption
gather all the groans that He uttered in
midnight chill, and in mountain hunger, and
In desert loneliness, and twist them into one
scry-bitter, agonizing, overwhelming
gather all the pains that shot from spear
and spike and cross, jolting into one pang-
remorseless, grinding. excruciating. | take
that one drop of sweat on His brow, and un-
der the gospel glass that drop enlarges until
l see in it lakes of sorrow and an ocean of
W.,
emaclated and gashed and CORY, coaxes for
your love with u pathos in which every word
ls heart break and every sentence mar
tyrdom. How can you think He trifes?
Ahasuerus prepared feast for lS0 days,
but this feast is for all eternity. Lords and
princes were invited to that. You and and
all our world are invited to this Christ is
ready. You know that the banaueters of
olden time used to wrap themselves in robes
prepared for the occasion, so my Lord Jesus
hath wrapped Himselfin all that is beautiful,
Bee how iair He is His eye, His brow, His
cheek, so radiant that the stars have no
brilliancy compared with it, His face reflect
ing all the joys OF the redeemed, His hand
having the omnipotent surgery with which
He opened blind eyes and Strengthened
crooked limbs, and hoisted the pillars of
heaven and swung the twelve gates, which
are the twelve pearls.
There are not enough cups in heaven to
dip up this ocean of beauty There are not
ladders enough 10 scale this height Of love
There are not enough cymbals TO clap, or
harps to thrum, or trumpets to peal forth
the praises OF this one altogether fair. Oh,
thou flower of eternity, thy breath is the
perfume of heaven! Oh blissful daybreak.
let all people clap their hands in thy radi-
nnce! Chorus: Come, men and saints and
cherubim and seraphim and archangel-all
heights, all depths, all immensities. Chorus
Roll Him through the heavens in chariot of
universal acclaim, over bridges of hosannas.
under arches of coronation, along by the
great towers Ginning with eternal jubilee.
Chorus "Unto Him who hath loved us and
washed us from our sins in His own blood, to
Him be glory, world without end?"
l have word OF five letters, but no sheet
white enough on which to write it and no
pen good enough with which to inscribe it,
Give me the Iairest leaf from the heavenly
records-give me the pencil with which the
angel records his yictory-and then, with my
hand strung to supernatural ecstasy and my
pen dipped in the light OF the morning, L
will write it out in capitals OF love,
"J-E-S-U-S." 1t is this one, infinitely fair,
to whom you are invited. Christ is waiting
for you, waiting as n banqueter waits for
the delayed guest-the meats smoking, the
beakers brimming, the Ministries with
fingers on the stiff string, waiting for the
clash OF the hoofs at the gateway.
Waiting Tor you as a mother waits for her
son who went off ten years ago, dragging
her bleeding heart along with him. Waiting
on, give me comparison intense enough,
not enough, importunate enough to express
my meaning-something high as heaven and
deep as hell and long as eternity Not hop