The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1895-02-04
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
THE EMINENT DTTINE'S DISCOURSE
ON LASrsUND1Y.
He Preached to au immsnce Audience at
tho Academy of Music In New York,
Bis Subject Being. opportunity"

New York February 8, 1S91-Rev. DR..
Talmage found himself again facing vast
audience at the Academy OF Music th's
afternoon, while thousands surged around
entrances unable to gain admission. The
academy was crowded shortly after )
o'clock and the preliminary service OF
song was participated IN by the thronSs
that filled the corridors and by many OF
those at the the doors on both Irving
Place and Fourteenth streets as well. The
distinguished divine took for his subject:
opportunity" the text Selected being
Gal. Nj, 10: "As We have. therefore, oppor-
tunty, let us do good"
At Denver. Col, years ago an audience
had assembled for divine worship. the pas
tor OF the church Tor whom l was 10
preach that night. interested in the seat
ing of the people, stood i'm the pulpit
looking from SIDE to side ana when no
more people could be crowded within the
walls he turned TO me and said with
startling emphasis: What an oppoItunityr'
Immediately that word began To enlarge.
and while a hymn was being sung, at
every stanza the word opportunity"
swiftly and nightly unfolded, ami while
the opening prayer was being made the
word piled up into Alps and Hymalayas
of meaning and spread out into other
attitudes ami longtudes of significance
until it became hemisphere and il stiil
grew in altitude and circumference until
IL encircled other worlds and swept out
and on and around until II was as big
as eternity. Never since have l read or
heard that word without being thrilled
with its magnitude ami momentum. Op
portunity, Although in the text TO some
il may seem a mild and quiet note, I'm the
great gospel harmony it is a staccdto pas
sage. II is one of the loveliest and aw-
fullest words in our language of more
than one hundred thousand words of Eng
lish vocabulary AS we have opportunity,
let us 90 good"
What is opportunity? The photographer
would cooly tell YOU L. is conjunction of
favorable circumstances for accomplishing
a purpose, but words cannot tell what IL
is. Take thousand years 10 manufacture
a definition ana you could not successfully
describe il. Opportunity. The measuring
rod with which the angel Of the apocalypse
measured heaven could not measure this
pivotal word Of my text. Stand on the
edge OF the prccipice of all time and let
down the fathoming line naud under hand
and lower down and lower down and Tor
a quintiilion of years let u sink and the
lead VIII not strike bottom. Opportunity!
But while 1 do not attempt TO measure or
define the word, I viii, God helping me,
take the responsibility Of telling you some
thing about opportunity.
First. IL is very swift IN its motions.
Sometimes within one minute il starts
from the throne OF God. sweeps around
The earth AMI reassends the throne from
which IA started. Within less than sixty
seconds IL fulfill, its mission.
IN The second place opportunity never
comes back. Perhaps an opport unity very
much Ike % may arrive. but that one
never. Naturalists ten ms or insects
which arc horn. fulin their mission ami
expire in an hour, hut many opportunities
die SO soon after they are born that their
brevity Of life is ncalruiable. What most
amazes me is that opportunities dO such
Questioning. far-reaching and tremendous
work in such short earthly allowance.
You are business man of large expert
cnce. The past eighteen months have been
hard on business men. 4 yCunE merchant
a his wits end came into your Office or
your house and you said: Times are hard
now. bat better days viii come. ! have
seen things as bad, or worse, but we got
out. and we will get out Of this. THE
greatest days that this country ever saw
are Vet TO come" The young man TO
whom you said that was ready for suicide,
or something worse. namely, a fraudulent
turn 10 set out OF his desp1.rim position.
Your hopefulncss inspired him for ali time
ana thirty years after you are dead ha
will be reapiug the advantage ~ your
optimism. Your opportunity 20 90 tnat
one thing for that young man was not halt
as Ions, AS the time 1 have taken u Zee
heaTse it.
In yondcr third gallery YOU sit man
of the world but you wish every body woll.
While the clerks are standing round IN
your store. or the men in your factory
are taking their noon SPELL some one SAYS:
Have You heard that one Of our men has
been converted az the revival meeting m
the Methodist church," While IL is being
talked over YOU say; We'll, | do not Dee
lseva In revival5. Those things do NOS
last. People get excited ami JOIN the
church and are no better than they were
before. wish our men would keep away
from those meetings" DO YOU know, on
man. what you did in that minute Of de-
probation? There We're two young men in
that group who that night would have
gone 70 those meetings and been saved Tor
this world and the next, but you decided
them not 10 go. They are social natur 5.
They already drink more than is good for
them. ami are disposed 20 re Wild. From
the tim. they heard you say that they
accelerated their steps ga she downward
road. In ten years they viii Doe throusht
with their designations and pass into iAe
great beyond. This little talk Of yours
decided their destiny for this world ana
the next. You had an opportunity thAL
Won misimproved. ana how VIII you i'el
when YOU confront lutst lNo 4A4iiIip- -,'i'
in the last judgment and they tell YOU
~ that unfortunate talk Of yours that
nunr them over the precipice! On man
of me world. why did You not say ~ that
nom spell Of conversation, GOOD. am
glad that man has got religion. 1 N.~H /
An this world are those who hunt Tor oplor-
trntties 20 do good, and the game Is some
thing to GLADDEN. earth and heaven. WlH
point out some Of the opportunities. Nnen
a soul is il bereaN ement is the best une
TO talk Of gospel consolation and heavenly
reunion. When a man has lost his property
Is the best time 70 talk to him Of eaNenly
inheritances that can never be levied upon.
When one Is sick is the best time TO talk
20 him about the supernatural latitude IN
W ich unhealth is an impossibility. When
the holy spirit is moving on community
is the best time 10 tell a Glan ne ought
70 be saved. BY a word. % a smile; 10y a
lCok. by a prayer the work may bee SO thor
oushly done that all eternity cannot undo
Il. As the harp was invented from hearing
the twang OF a bOwstring; as the law of
gIavitaton was suggested by the fail Of an
aTnie; as the order in India for the use
OF a creased cartridge started the mutiuy
Of la5s which appalled, the nations; so some
thing Insignificant may open the door Tor
great results. Re on the watch. IL may
be a gladncss; IL may be a horror; but II
will he an opuurtuuitv.