The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1894-09-28
TALMAGE's SERMON.
By Good Deeds Induce Sinners to
Come Into the Church.
Too Much Show and GIlttering Nothing
ness In the Religion OF the Day-Ths
Great Object should be 60
Reach the Masses.

Rev. r. Dewitt Talmage made the
following selection of sermon for
publication this week. Its subject is
''Holy Compulsion, A" being based on the
text:
And compel them to come in.-Luke xiv, o.
The plainest people in our day have
luxuries which the kings and queens
Of olden times never imagined. I
walked up and down the stairs of
Hollywood palace palace that was
considered one of the wonders of the
yorld-and ! said: "Can it be posi-
bic that this is all there was of this re-
puted wonderful palace?" And this is
the case in many other instances.
There are fruits in Westchester coun-
ty and on Long Island farms far bet
ter than the pomegranates and april
cots of Bible times Through all the
ages there have been scenes of festivi-
ty, and the wealthy man of my text
plans a great entertainment, and in
vites his friends If one buys an ex-
quisite picture, he wants his friends to
come and appreciate it; and it was a
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 i1n-
agine the embarrassment of anyone
who has provided grand feast when
he finds out that the guests invited do
not intend to come. There is nothing
that so provolkes the master of the
feast as that.
Well, these people invited to this
great banquet of the text made most
frivolous excuses. The fact was, I
suppose, that some of them were of
Tended that this man had succeeded SO
much better in the world than they
had. There are people in all occupa-
tions and professions who consider it
wrong to them that anybody else is adj
vanced. l supposed these people in
vited to the feast said among them
selves: 1--WE are not going to admin
lister to that mans vanity, he is proud
enough now; we won't go; beside that,
we could all give parties if we made
our money the way that man makes
his"
So, when the messengers went out
with the invitations there was a
unanimous refusal. One man said:
"Oh, have bought farm, and must
go and look at it," He was a land
speculator, and had no business to buy
land until he knew about it. A friv
olous excuse. Another man said: Il
have bought five yoke of oxen" The
probability is he was a speculatOr in
live stock. He ought to have known
about the oxen before he bought them.
Beside that, if he had been very anx-
ious to get to the feast. he could have
hooked them up and driven them on
the road there. Another frivolous ex-
cuse. Another man said. "Oh, have
married a wife. and l can't come"
when, if he had said to his wife: Il
have an invitation to a splendid din
ner; it is highly complimentary to me;
/ should very much like to go; will
you go along with me?" she would
have said: ITO be sure will GO" An
other frivolous excuse. The fact was
that they did not want to go.
"Now," said the great man of the
feast, II will not be defeated in this
matter; have with an no nest purpose
provided a banquet, and there are
scores of people who would like to
come if they were only invited. Here,
y y
find a blind man, give him your arm
and fetch him in: and when you find
a lame man, give linn a crutch and
fetch him in; and when you find poor
man, tell him that there is a plate for
him in my mansion; and when you find
someone who is so ragged and wretched
that he has never been invited any
where, then by the kindest tender
ness and most loving invitation 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 a
banquet. The table was set in Pales-
tine good many years ago, and the
deciples gathered around it, and they
thought they would have 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 trumpets and harps
of eternity made up the orchestra, and
as the wine of God is pressed to the
lips of a SHINING, bleeding, suffering,
dying, grooming world a voice breaks
from the heavens, saying: Drink, oh,
friends; yea, drink, oh, belovedH' Oh,
blessed Lord Jesus, the best friend i
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 deigns to die,
What melodious sound hear
Bursting on the ravished ear.
Heavens redCeming work is done,
Come and welcome; sinner. come.
Religion is joyous thing. I do not
want to hear anybody talk about reli-
gion as though it were a funeral. / do
not want anybody TO whine in the
prayer meeting about the kingdom of
God do not want anybody 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 great joy. II
is exhilaration to the body. 1t is in
vigoratlon to the mind. 1t is rapture
to the soul. II is balm for all wounds
1t is light for all darkness. 1t is har-
Dor from all storms, and though God
knows that some of them have trouble
enough now. they rejoice because they
are on the way to the congratulations
eternal.
stopped one nightfall, years ago,