Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1895-08-01
AN OBJECTIONABLE SIN,
REV. DR.. Talmage Says It is Not
Possible to Commit It Now.
Eat There arc Sins Which, Although
Pardoned, are Irrevocabls and FOR
which There IL No Place for
Repentance-What These
Transgressions Are,

Lakeside (O.) assembly grounds, was
sThe objectionable Sim" The texts
selected were:
All manner Of sin ana blasphemy shall b
forgiven unto mem but the blasphemy agains,
the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men
And whatsoever speaketh against the Son Of
Man, 1t shall be forgiven him; but whatsoever
speaketh against the Holy Ghost 1t shall moi
be forgiven him, neither In this world, neither
IN the world to come. Matthew xii, 8l-32
he found no place Of repentance, though be
sought 1t carefully with tears. Heb. XIII, II.
As sometimes you gather the whole
family around the evening stand to
near some book read, % now we gather
"a great Christian family group-to
study this text; and now may one and
lhe same lamp cast its glow on all the
circle.
You see from the first passage that
read that there is sin against the
Holy Ghost for which q man is never
pardoped. Once having committed it,
he is bound hand and foot for the dun
geons of despair. Sermons may be
preached to him, songs may be sung
to him, prayers may be offered in his
behalf; but all to no purpose. He is a
captive for this world, and a captive
for the world that is to come. Do YOU
suppose that there is any one here who
has committed that sin? All sins are
against the Holy Ghost; but my text
speaks of one especially. 1t is very
clear to my own mind that the sin
against the Holy Ghost was the ascrib-
ing the works of the spirit to the
sgency of the devil in the time of the
apostles. Indeed, the Bible distinctly
tells us that. In other words, If man
had sight given to him, or II another
was raised from the dead, and some one
standing there should say. "This man
got his sight by satanic power; the
Holy Spirit did not do this; Beelzebub
accomplished it, or This man raised
from the dead was raised by satanic
influence" the man who said that
dropped down under the curse of the
text, and had committed the fatal sin
against the Holy Ghost.
Now, do not think it is possible in
this day to commit that sin. / think it
was possible only in apostolic times.
But it is very terrible thing even to
say anything about the Holy Ghost,
and it is marked fact that our race
has been marvelously kept back from
that profanity. You hear man swear
by the name of the eternal God, and by
the name Of Jesus Christ, but you never
heard man swear by the name of the
Holy Ghost. There are those here to-
day who fear they are guilty of the un-
pardonable sin. Have you such anxi-
ety2 Then have to tell you positively
that you have not committed that sin,
because the very anxiety is q result Of
the movement of the gracious spirit,
and your anxiety is proof positive, a.
certainly as anything that can be DEM
onstrated in mathematics, that you
have not committed the sin that have
been speaking o. / can look off upon
this audience and feel that there is sal
Walton for all It is not like when they
put ont with those lifeboats from the
Loeb Earn for the Vile du Havre.
They knew there was not room for all |
the passengers, but they were going to
DO as well as they could. But to-day
we man the lifeboat Of the Gospel, and
we cry out over the sea: Room for
all" 0, that the Lord Jesus Christ
would, this hour, bring you all out of
the food of sin, and plant you on the
deck of the glorious old Gospel craft!
But while I have said do not think
It is possible for us to commit the par
ticular sin spoken of In the first text,
have by reason of the second text
to call your attention to the fact that
there are sins which, though they may
be pardoned, are in some respects ir-
revocable; and you can find no place for
repentance, though you seek it careful
y with tears. Esau had birthright
given him. In olden times 1t meant not
only temporal but spiritual blessing.
One day Esau took this birthright and
traded it off for something to eat. 0,
The folly! But let us not be too severe
Upon him, for some of us have COM
nitted the same folly. After he had
made his trade, he wanted to get it
back. just as though you tomorrow
morning should take all your notes and
bonds and government securities, and
mould go into restaurant and in o
II Of recklessness and hunger throw
III those securities on the counter and
Isk for plate of food, making that
xchange. This was the one Esau
made. He sold his birthright for a
ness of pottage, and he was very
orry about it afterward; but "he found
10 place for repentance, though he
ought it carefully with tears"
There is an impression in almost
very mans mind that somewhere in
he future there will be a chance where
e can correct all his mistakes. Live as
'e may, If we only repent in time, God
VII forgive us, and then all will be as
veil as though we had never committed
In, My discourse shall come In collis-
On with that theory. l shall show you,
~ friends, as God will help me, that
mere is such thing as unsuccessful re-
enhance; that there are things done
''rong that always stay wrong, end for !
aem you may seek some place OF re-
enhance, and seek it carefully, but
ever find it.
belonging to this class of irrevocable ,
llstakes is the folly of misspent