The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-04-25
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S SUN.
DAY SERMON.
Subject "Strangers Within the
Gates.''

:. TEXT: "I aoas stranger and ye took Ne
fn. MATTHEW XIV, 35.
I It Is moral disaster that iocosity has de-
spoiled go many passages Of Scripture, and
my text is one that has suffered from trrever-
ent and misapplied quotation. 1t shows
great poverty Of wit and humor when people
take the sword of divine truth for game at
fencing or chip off from the Kohinoor dia-
mond of inspiration sparkle to decorate a
FOOLS cap. My text is the salutation in the
last judgment to be given to those who have
shown hospitality and kindness and Chris
tdan helpfulness to strangers. By railroad
and steamboat the population OF the earth
are all the time In motion. and from one
years end to another our cities are crowded
with visitors.
Every morning on the tracks Of the Hud-
son River. the Pennsylvania, the Erie. the
Long Island Railroads there come passenger
trains more than can number, so that all
the depots and the wharves are a-rumble
and a-clang with the coming In OF great
immigration Of strangers. Some Of them
come for purposes of barter, some for mech
anism, some for artistic qualification, some
for sightseeing. A great many OF them go
out on the evening trains, and consequently
the city makes but little impression upon
them, but there are multitudes who in the
hotels and boarding houses make temporary
residence. They tarry here for three or four
days, or as many weeks. They spend the
days In the stores and the evenings In sight
seeing. Their temporary stay will either
make or break them not only financially, but
morally, for this world and the world TINT ts
to come. Multitudes Of them come into our
morning and evening services. I am con-
scious that stand In the presence Of many
this moment. I desire more especially to
speak to them. May God give me the right
word and help me to utter it In the right
way.
There have glided into this house those
unknown to Others whose history II told
would se more thrilling than the deepest
tragedy, more exciting than PATHS song,
more bright than a spring morning. more
awful than q wintry midnight. II they
could stand up here and tell the story OF
their escapes, and their temptations, and
their bereavements. and their disasters, and
their victories. and their defeats, there would
be In this house such a commingling OF
groans and acclamations as would make the
place unendurable.
There is man who, in infancy, lay In q
cradle satin lined. Out yonder Is a man
who was picked up founding on Boston
Common. Here Is man who Is cooly OBJ
advantage and caring tor no advantage for
himself, while yonder Is man who has been
for ten years in an awful confagation Of evil
habits, and he is mere cinder of destroyed
( nature, and he Is wondering If there shall be
in this service any escape or help for his I'M
mortal soul. Meeting you only once per-
haps face to face. strike hands with you In
an earnest talk about your present condition
and your eternal we'll being. st. Paurs ship
e~,k Tolt Ia. o. ID 1ryba $x,n
meet. but we stand to-day at point where
tbtnsand seas converge, and eternity alone
can tell the issue OF the hour.
The hotels this country, Cor beauty and
elegance, are not surpassed by the hotels In
any other land,; but those that are most cele-
brated for brilliancy of tapestry and mirror
cannot give to the guest any costly apart
ment unless he can afford q parlor In addt-
don to his lodging. The stranger, therefore,
will generally find assigned to him a room
without any pictures and perhaps any rock
ing chair. He will find box Of matches on
Z g bureau and an old newspaper left by the
previous occupant, and that will oe about all
the ornameptation. At 7o'clock in the even
ing, after having taken his repast, he will
look over his memorandum book of the day 3
work, he will write letter to his home, and
then q desperation will seize upon him to get
out. You hear the great city laundering
under your windows. and you say, II must
Join that procession" and in ten minutes you
have Joined 1t. Where are you going? "Oh," ="
you say, IT haven't made up my mind yet. ="
Better make up your mind before you start.
Perhaps the very way you go now you will
always go. Twenty years ago there weretwo
young men who came down the Astor House
steps and started out In q wrong direction,
where they have been going ever since.
swell, where are you going? says one
man. 81 am going to the academy to hear
i some music" Good. would like to join
you at the door. At the tap of the orchestral
baton all the gates of harmony and beauty
viii open before my soul. I congratulate
you. Where are you going2 "Well," q" you
!, say, 81 am going up to see some advertised
pictures" Good. I should like to 20 along
with you and look over the same catalogue
and study with you Kensett and Bierstadt
and Church and Moran. Nothing more
elevating than good pictures. Where are
you going? "Well," you say, 81 am going
up to the Young Mems Christian Association
rooms" Good. You will find there
( gymnastics to strengthen the muscles, and
books to improve the mind, and Christian
influence to save the soul. I wish every city
in the United States had as fine a palace for
as New York has. Where are you going?
swell, you say, "I am going to take long
walk up Broadway and so turn around into
the Bowery. am going to study human
HE" Good. A walk through Broadway at
8 o'clock at night Is interesting, educating,
fascinating, appalling, exhilarating to the
last degree. Stop in front Of that theatre
and see who goes In. Stop at that saloon
and see who comes out. See the great tides
OF life surging backward and forward and
beating against the marble OF the curbstone
Nd ol1 1x,ino INT tho ooIN hof
Is that mark on the face Of that debauchee?
It ts the hectic flesh of eternal death. What
Is that woman's laughter? It IS the shrek
Of q lost soul.
Who Is that Christian man going along
with vial Of anodyne to the dying pauper
on Elm street? Who is that belated man
on the way to a prayer nesting? Who Is
that city missionary going to take a box In
which to bury child Who are all these
clusters Of bright and beautiful faces? They
are goingto some interesting placeof amuse-
ment.
Who Is that man going into the drug store?
That Is the man who yesterday lost all his
fortune on Wall street. He Is going in for q
dose OF belladonna, and before morning 1t
will make no difference to him. whether
stocks are up or down. tell you that Broad
way, between and u o'clock ut night, be-
| tween the Battery and Central Park, Is an
AuSterutz, IettySDurS, waterloo, Wnere
kingdoms are lost or won and three worlds
mingle In the strife.
met another coming down of the hotel
steps, andI say, "Where are you goingT'
. You say: 81 am going with a merchant OF
New York who hes pronissi to show me the
underground life of the city. I am his Gus
toner, and he IS going to ob!ige me very
much" Stop! A business house that tries
I 20 get or keep your custom through such q
process as that Is not worthy OF you. There
are business establishments In our cities
which have for years been ssniing to de-
sfrncfion hundred and thousands OF mer.