The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1895-10-12
A PURE HEART.
DR.. Talmage Propounds q Pointed
Question.
Il IL a. Important to Have . Pure Heart ~
. Healthy Physical System-Fscts
for All Christians to Con-

slider.
The subject of the latest sermon by
Rev. T. De Witt Talmage was: "A Point
Blank Question: the tex being taken
from ii. Kings, X. Is, "Is thine heart
rightY' DIR. Talmage said:
With melted horses at full speed,
for he was celebrated for fast driving,
Jehu, the warrior and king, returns
from battle. But seeing Jehonodab, an
acquaintance by the wayside, he shouts
whoa! whoar' to the lathered span.
Then leaning over to Jehonadab, Jehu
salutes him in the words of the text
words not more appropriate for that
hour and that place, than for this
hour and place-"Is thine heart right?"
l should like to hear of your ply
steal health. Well, myself, I like to
have everybody else we'll; and SO might
ask, is your eyesight right, your hear
ing right, your nerves right, your lungs
right. your entire body right? But I
am busy to-day taking diagnoses of the
more important spiritual conditions.
l should like to hear Of your financial
welfare. l want everybody to have
plenty Of money, ample apparel, largo
storehouses, and comfortable resi-
dence; and l might ask. is your bust
ness right. your income right, your
worldly surroundings rightP But what
are these financial questions compared
with the inquiry Is to whether you have
been able to pay your debts to God.
The question I ask you to-day Is not
In regard to your habits. I make no
inquiry about your integrity. or your
chastity, or your sobriety. I do not
mean e stand on the outside OF b
gate and ring the bell: but coming up
the steps, I open the door and come to
the private apartment Of the soul; and
with the earnestness of . man that
must give an account Of this days
work, I cry out, o man, o woman i'm
mortal, is thine Seart right?
The Bible account. of us Is not exaR-
gerated when II says that we ART poor
and wretched and miserable and blind
and naked. Poor; the wretch that
stands shivering or u doorstep on q
cold day is not SO much In need OF
bread IS we are of spiritual help.
Blind; why, the man whose eyes per-
ished In . powder blast, and who for
these ten years has gone feeling his
way from street to street, Is not In
such utter darkness as we. Naked;
Why, there IL not one rag Of holiness
left to hide the shame Of our sin. Sick;
why, the leprosy has eaten into the
head and the heart and the hands and
the feet, and the maraamus of an ever
lasting wasting away has already
seized on 20 n Of us
But the usanest thing for . man to
do IL to discourse about the evil with.
out pointing . way to have II remedied.
I speak of the thirst Of your hot
tongue, only that I may show you the
! living stream that drops crystalline
and sparkling from the Rock Of Ages,
and pours . river Of gladness 1t your
feet II ! show you the rents In your
coat, II ID only because the door OF
Gods wardrobe now swings open, and
here 10 Q robe, white with the fleece of
the Lamb Of God. and of . cut and
make that an angel would not be
ashamed to year. II I snatch from
you the black, moldy bread that you
are munching, 1t is only to give you
the bread made out Of the finest wheat
that grows ON the celestial hills, and
baked in the fires Of the Cross; and one
crumb Of which would be enough to
make all Heaven . banquet. Hear 1t.
one and all. and tell 1t to your friends
when you 20 home, that the Lord
Jesus Christ can make the heart right.
First we need , repenting heart. II
for the last ten, twenty, or forty years
Of life, we have been going on In the
wrong way. It is time that we turned
around and started in the opposite di-
rsction. II we offend our friends we
are glad to apologize. God Is our best
friend, and yet how many of us have
never apologized for the wrongs we
have done HINT
There IL nothing that we &c much
need to get rid of as sin. It is . horri-
BILE black monster. 1t polluted Eden.
Il killed Christ. It has blasted the
world. Men keep dogsi in kennels. and
rabbits In q warren, and cattle In Q pen.
What Q man that would be who would
shut them up In the parlorP But this
foul dog Of sin, and these herds Of
transgression, We have entertained
| for many . long yea in our heart,
which should be the clesnest, brigh-
test room In all our nature. Out with
the vile herdI
Turn u the beasts and let Christ
como In! A heather came to an early
Christian, who had the reputation OF
curipg diseases. The Christian said:
"You must have all your idols dc.
stroyed." The heather gave to the
Christian the key to his house, that
he might 60 in and destroy the idolA
He battered to pieces all he saw, but
still the man did not get we'll. The
Christian aid TO him: There must b
some idol In your house not yet de-
stroysd." The heather confessed that
there was one idol Of heather gold
that he could not bear to give up.
After awhile, when that was Dc.
stroyed, In answer to the prayer Of
the Christian, the sick man got we'll.
Many . man has awakened In hii
dying hour TO and his sins all shout
him. They clsmbered up ON tho right
side Of the bed, and on the left side,
and over the headboard and over the
tootboard, and horribly devoursd the
soul.
Rapenti the voice celestial cries,
Nor longer dare delay:
The wretch that scorns the mandste dies.
And meets Q fiery day.
Again, we need . believing heart 4
good many years ago q weary one
went up one Of the hills Of Asia Minor
and with two logs on His back, cried
out to all the world, offering to carry
their sins and sorrowa They pursued
Him. They slapped Him In the face
They Knocked Him. When He groansd
they groaned. They shook their Hstl
ct Him. They spat ON Him. The,
bounded Him IS though He were
wild bsast. His healing of the sicl
His sight-giving to the blind, HI
mercy to the outcast, silenced all tn
revenge of tho world. His prayers an
bensdictions were lost in the whir
wind of e%xecration: away with Hin
Away with Himr'
of wood that He carried; 1t was tn
t~ransgression of the race. the angus
Of the ages, the wrath Of God, the Sol
rows of hell, the ~stupendous interest
Of an unending eternity. No wonde
His back bent. No wander that II
crouched under q torture that made tn
sun faint and the everlasting hill
tremble, and the dead rush up in thei
winding sheets as He cried: IF 1t b
possible, let this cup pass from me.
But the cup did not pass. None I
comfort.
There he hangsi What has this
hand done that It should be thu