The free press., 1895-03-21
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THIS EMINENT DIvINE's SUNDAY
SERMON.
Subject; "a Seraphic Diet"

TEXT. man ull tat uhSOio ANNN'
Psalms xviii, 20.
Somewhat risky would be the undertaking
to tell lust what was the mama that 1ell To
the Israeites in the wilderness, OF what il
was made and who made it. The mama
was called angels food but why SO calledi
Was 1t because it came from the place |here
angels live, or because angels compounded
1t, or because angels did eat 1t, or because
1t was good enough for angels? On whal
crystal platter was it carried to the door OF
heaven and then thrown out? How dld II
taste? We are told there was in it something
like honey, but if the saccharlne taste IN IL
had been too strong many would not nave
liked il, and 50 it may have had q commln'
Cling of favors, this delcacy of the skies. IL
must have been nutritious. for Natlon nveu
on it for forty years. 1t must have been
healthful. for It Is 50 inspiringly applauueu
1t must have been abundant. because 1t DIS
missed the necessity of sutler for great
army. =.
Each person had ration of three quarts
a day allowed to him. and so ID, 5,OOO pounds
were necessary every week. Those were the
times of which my text speaks. when man
did eat angels food" II tho good Lord,
who has helped mo SO often, Will help me
now. | will first tell you what Is angels
food and then how we may get some of 1t
for ourselves In our moral state we must
have for mastication and digestion and
assimilation tho products of the earth;
Gorporeity. as well as mentality and
spirituality, characterizes us. The style OF
diet has much to do with our well being
Light and frothy food taken exclusively re-
Suits in weak muscle and dsemi-individualism
The taking of too much animal food produces
sensuaity Vcgetarians are cranks. REASON
able selection of the farinaceous and tho
solid ordinarily produces physical stamina.
But we have oil occasionally been in an
ecstatic state where we forgot the necessity
of earthly food. We were fed by joys. by
authorizations. by discoveries. by companion
ships that dwind!ed tho dining hour into
table stupid and uninviting. There hava
been casas where from seemingly invisible
sources the human body has been main
tained as In the remarkable case OF our in
valid and Christian neighbor, Mollie Fanch-
or. known throughout the medical and
Christian world for that she was seven
weeks without earthly food, fed and sus-
tanned on heavenly visions. Our beloved
DR.. lrennus Prime, editor and theoloSian,
recorded the wonders concerning this girl;
Professor West, the great scientist, marveled
over it, and Willard Parker of worldwide
fame in surgery threw up his hands In
anazement at it. There are times in all our
lives when the soul asserts itself and says to
the body: "lIush. stand back! Stand down"
am at a banquet where no chaliceS gieam
and no viands smoke and no culinary i'm
PIGMENTS clatter. 1 am feeding ON that
which no human hand has mixed and nj
earthly oven baked. | am eating 'angels,
food" II you have never been in such al
exalted state, | commiserate your leaden
and dismiss you from this
service as incompetent TO understand tho
and glorious suggestiveness OF my
text when it says, "Man did eat angels
food"
Now, what do the supernaturals live onA
They experience mono of the demands of cor
porioty and have no hindrance or environ,
ment In the shape of bone and muscle and
flesh. and hence that which may delectata
our palate or invigorate our poor, dying
frames would be Of no use to them. But
thoy have food of their own. My text sayi
so There may be other courses of food in
the heavenly menu that / am not aware
Of but I know of five or SIN styles OF
food always on celestial tables when cheru-
BIN and seraphim and archangel gather fol
heavenly repnst-the mystery of redemption,
music the heavenly picturesque,
sublime colloquy eternal enterprises, sanity
divine companionship, celebra-
tive jubilance. There is one subject that OK.
cites the curiosity and inquisitiveness of all
those angels. st. Peter says, "Which
thing the angels desire to look into'-that
is, why did Christ exchange palace for a
barn? Why did He drop scepter from
His right hand TO take q fspeaf
into His left side2 Why quit the
anthem of the worshipng heavens to hear
the grooming of a weary mothers voice! Was
n straw better than garland? Could it not
have beon done in some other way?" says
angel the first. "Was the human race worth
such sacrifce?" says angel the second.
"How could heaven get elong without Him
for thrty-threc years?' says angel the third.
"Through that assassination may sinful man
rise into our eternal companionShip," says
angel the fourth.
Sculpture will halt this side the grave be-
cause 1t chiefly commentaries the forms OF
those who in heaven will be reconstructed.
and what would we want of tho scuiptured
imitation when we stand in the presence of the
resurrected original? Painting will Ealt this
side the grave because the colors of earth
would be too tame for heaven, and what use
to have pictured on canvas the scenes which
shall be described 30 us by those who were
the participants? One of the disciples will
tell us about the "Last Supper" better than
Titan with mighty touch set up in art gallery.
The planest saint by tongue will describe the
"Last Judgment" better than Michael Angelo
with mis- pencil put 1t upon the ceiling of the
Vatican. Architecture will halt this side the
grave. for what use would there be for archi-
tect's compass and design in that city which
is already built and garnished until nothing
can be added? All the Tuileries and Windsor
Castles and st. Clouds of the earth piled up
not equalinG its humblest residences; all tho
st. Pauls and st. Peters and ST. 1zaaks and
st. Sophias of the earth built into one
cathedral not cqualing the heavenly temple.
But music will pass right on, right up and
right in, and millions in heaven will ar-
knowledge that, under God, she was the
chief cause OF their salvation. Oh, l would
like to be present when all the great Chris
tian singers and the great Christian players
of all the ages shall congregate in heaven.
OF course they must like all the rest of US,
be cleansed and rans0mel by the blood OF
the slain Lamb. Alas, that some of the
great artists of sweet sound have been n.
distinguished for prohgaey rs for the way
they warbled or sang or fingered tho key
board or trod tho organ pedal. Some
who have been distinguished bassos and so.
pranos and prima donnas on earth, feel will
never sing the song Of Moses and the Lamb
or put the lips TO the trumpet with sounds ol
victory before the throne. Br; many of tht
masters who charmed us on earth will more
nightly charm us in heaven. Great
music hall Of eternity! May you aud
be there some day to acclaim when thu