Connecticut western news., 1896-11-12
THE OUTCRY OF PAUL
REV. OR. TAlMAGs BREACHES AN
 OTHER UNIQUE DISCOURSE.
Subject of Eloquent Ssrmon-Great Sacrihces-Religious Zeal.

Sacriaees-Reiigious Zeal.
 WASHINGTON, Nov. S.-Clear out of the ordinary style of sermonizing is this remarkable discourse of Dr. Talmage, which we send out today. His text is Romans ix. 8, II could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my hreth- ren. my kinsmen according to the flesh. "
 A tough passage, indeed, for those who take Paul literally. When some of the old theologians declared that they were willing to be damned for the glory of God, they said what no one believed. Paul did not in the text mean he was willing to die forever to save his rela- tives He used hyperbole, and when he declared, "I could wish that myself were accursed rum Christ for my hreth- ren. my kinsmen according to the flesh, he meant in the most vehement of all possible ways to declare his anxiety for the salvation of his relatives and friends. It was passion for souls. Not more than one Christian out of thousands of Christians feels it. All absorbing de sire for the betterment of the physical and mental condition is very common. IL would take more of mathematician than I ever can be to calculate how many are, up to an anxiety that some- times will not let them sleep nights. planning for the efficiency of hospitals where the sick and wounded of body are treated and for eye and ear infirmsries and for Gispensaries and retreats where the poorest may have most skillful sur gerry and helpful treatment. Oh, it is beautiful and glorious, this widespread and ever intensifying movement to ale. viate and cure physical misfortunes May God encourage and help the thou sands of splendid men and women en- gagged in that work.
 But all that is outside of my subject today. In behalf of the immortality of a man, the inner eye, the inner ear, the inner capacity for gladness or distress, how few feel anything like the over whelming concentration expressed in my text Rarer than four leaved clo- vers, rarer than century plants, rarer than prima donnas, have been those of whom it may be said, "They had a passion for souls" You could count on the fingers and thumb of your left hand all the names of those you can recall who in the last-the eighteenth-cen- tury were so characterized. All the names of those you could recall in our time as having this passion for souls you can count on the fingers and thum bs of your right and left hands. There are many more such consecrated souls, but they are scattered so widely you do not know them. Thoroughly Christian peo- pie by the hundreds of millions there are today, but how few people do you know who are utterly oblivious to ey- erything in this world except the re- demption of souls? Paul had it when he wrote my text, and the time will come when the majority of Christians will have 1t if this world is ever to be lifted out of the slough in which it has been sinking and foundering for near 19 centuries And the betterment had bet ter begin with myself and yourself. When committee of the Society of Friends called upon a member to repri- mand him for breaking some small rule of the society, the member replied, II had a dream in which all the Friends had assembled to plan some way to have our meeting house cleaned, for it was very filthy. Many propositions were made. but no conclusion was reached until one of the members rose and said, Friends, I think if each one would take a broom and sweep immediately around his own seat, the meeting house would be clean.
 Religious Zeal.
 So let the work of spiritual improve ment begin around our own soul. Some one whispers up from the right hand side of the pulpit and says. Twill you please name some of the persons in orr times who have this passion for souls?" Oh, mol That would be invidious and imprudent, and the mere mentioning of the names of such persons might cause in them spiritual pride, and then the Lord would have no more use for them. Some one whispers up from the left hand side of the pulpit. Will you not then mention among the people of the past some who had this passion for souls:" Oh, yesi Samuel Rutherford. the Scotchman of 300 years ago-his inn prisonment at Aberdeen for his religious zeal and the public burning of his book, Lex Rex," in Edinburgh, and his un- just arraignment for high treason. and other prosecutions purifying and sancti- flying hiR so that his works, entitled Trial and Triumph of Faith" and ''Christ Dying and Drawing Sinners to Himself, !" and above all, his 215 unpar- nnolol laftorc choxx.al fhof ha hol hn passion for souls; Richard Baxter, whose "Paraphrase of the New Testament" caused him to be dragged before Lord Jeffreys, who how1ed at him as "a ras- cal'' and "sniveling Presbyterian" and imprisoned him for two years-Ba1ter, writing 16S religious books, his "Call to the Unconrerted" bringing uncount- ed thousands into the pardon of the gos- pei, and his Saints Everlasting Rest" opening heaven to host innumerable Richard Cecil, Thomas Kempis, writ ing his limitation of Christ" for all ages; Harlan Page, Robert McCheyne, Nettleton, Finney. and more whom might mention, the characteristic of whose lives was an overtowering pas sion for souls. A. B. Earl, the Baptist evangelist. had it. l. S. lnskip, the Methodist evangelist, had it. Jacob Knapp had it. Dr. Bachus, president of Hamilton college, had it, and when told he had only half an hour to live. said: ''Is that so? Then take me out of my bed and place me upon my knees and let me spend that time in calling on God for the salvation of the world " And so he died upon his knees. Then there have been others whose names have been known only in their own family or neighborhood, and here and there you think of one. What unction they had in prayer! What power they had in exhortation! If they walked into 8 home, every member of it felt holy thrill, and if they walked into prayer meeting, the dullness and stolidity in- stantly vanished. One of them would ~raIa vx1 , xx-hola cbrrcb O,,a pf tbop,