Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1894-10-04
"HOLY COMPULsION.1
Subject Of a Discourse by Rev. It.
Dewitt Talmage, D. D.
Religion Is a Banquet to which All Are
Invited - None So Poor He Canno,
Partake of 1.-THE yiIest Are
Welcome TO the Feast.

/
selected the above as the subject OF
his recent sermon through the press,
his text being Luke xiv, 20: '.Aad
compel them TO come i'm
The plainest people of our day have
Injuries which the kings and queens of
olden times never imagined. | walked
up and down the stairs of Holyrood
Palace-a palace that was considered
one of the wonders of the world-and
said: 'Can it be possible that this is
all there was of this reputed wonderful
placer And this is the case in many
other instances There are fruits in
Westminster 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 a great entertainment
and invites his friends If one builds
beautiful home, he wants his friends to
come and appreciate it; and 1t was
landable 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 inn
agine the embarrassment of any one
who has provided grand feast when
he find out that the guests invited do
not intend to come. There is nothing
that so provokes the master of the
feast as that.
Well, the people invited to this great
banquet of the text made most frivo-
lous excuses. The fact was, | sup
pose, 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 occupations and
professions who consider it a wrong to
them that anybody else is advanced.
suppose these people invited to the
feast said among themselves: 1--WE are
not going to administer to this mans
vanity, he is proud enough now; we
won't go; besides that, we could all
gives parties if we made our money the
way that man makes his"
So when the messengers went out
with the invitations there was unani-
nous refusal. One man said: 20,
have bought farm, and must go and
and had no business to buy land until
he knew about it. frivolous excuse:
Another man said: Il have bought five
yoke of oxen" The probability is he
was Spectator in live stock. He
ought TO have known about the oxen
before he bought them. Beside that, |
if he had been very anxions to get to /
the feast he could have hooked them |
up and driven them on the road there. /
Another frivolous excuse. Another I
man said: 30, have married wife. 1
and / can't Gomez" when if he had said 4
to his wife, II have an invitation TO /
splendid dinner; it is highly compli- I
mentary TO me; l should very much
like to go; will you go along with me?"
she would have said: TO be sure will I
go" Another frivolous excuse The
fact was that they did not want to go
''Now." said the great man of the
feast Il will not be defeated in this
matter; have with an 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 a
blind man, give him your arm and
fetch him in; and when you find lame
man. give him crutch 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 kindest tenderness and the most
loving invitation any one ever had,
compel him to come in"
O. 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
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. I'M
ill the whole earth was covered up with
them. and the clusters from the heaven
ly vineyard were piled up on the board,
and the trumpets and harps of eternity
made up the orchestra, and as this wine
Of God is pressed to the lips of a SHINING.
suffering, dying, groaning
world, voice breaks from the heavens.
saving: Drink, friends yea, drink
D beloved" o blessed Lord Jesus, the
best friend 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 sounds hear
Bursting on the ravished ear
Heavens redeeming work is done.
Come. and welcome; sinner, come.
Religion is a Joyous thing. l do not
want to hear any body talk about re-
igion as though it were funeral. I !
10 not want anybody to whine in the
PRAYER meeting about the kingdom of ,
iod. do not want any man to roll
ID his eyes. giving in thatway evidence
4 his sanctity. The men and women
# God whom happen to know, for the !
most part find religion a great Joy. 1t
5 exhilaration to the body. It is in
-igoration to the mind. 1t IS rapture