The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-11-25
REV. DIR. TALMAGE
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE
NOTED DIVINE.
Subject: ga Passion Of Souls"

IEXT: II coulQ WlSn tnat myself were
accursed from Christ for my brethren, my
kinsmen according to the flesh. Romans
iX.. g.
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
when he declared, II could wish that myself
were accursed from Christ for my brethren,
my kinsmen according to the fesh," he
meant in the most vehement Of all possible
ways to declare his anxiety for the salvation
Of his relatives and friends. 1t was passion
for souls. Not more than one Christian out
Of thousands Of Christians feels it. All ab-
sorbing desire for the betterment of the
physical and mental condition is very COM
mon. 1t would take more of a mathema-
tician than ever can be to calculate how
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 inf1rmaries, and for dispensafles
and retreats where the poorest may have
most skilful surgery and helpful treatment.
Oh. II Is beautiful and glorious this wide
spread and ever 1ntenslfying movement to
alleviate and cure physical misfortunes.
May God encourage and help the thousands
Of splendid men and women engaged in that
work! But all that Is outside OF my subject to-
day. In behalf OF theimmortality OF man,
the inner eye the inner ear, the inner Ca
pacity for gladness or distress. how few feel
anything like the overwhelming concentra-
ton expressed In my text. Rarer than four
leaved clovers, rarer than century plants,
rarer than prima donna, have been those OF
when It may be said, "They have 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
ighteenth-century we're so characterized.
All the names of those you could recall In
our time as having this passion for souls yoa
can count on the fingers and thumbs OF your
right and left hands. There are many more
such consecrated souls, but they are scattered
so widely you do not knowthem Thoroughly
Christian people by the hundreds Of millions
there are to-day, but how few people do you
know who are utterly oblivious to every
thing in this world except the redemption OF
souls2 Paul had it when he wrote my text,
and the time will come when the majority OF
Christians will have 1t, II this world Is ever
to be lifted out OF the slough In which it has
been sinking and flounderinR for near nine
teen centuries, and the betterment had bet.
Committee Of the Society OF Friends called
upon member to reprimand him for break
Ing some small rule Of the society, the mem
Der replied: ~ had a dream, in which all
the friends had assembled to'plan some way
TO have our meeting house cleaned, for 1t
was very filthy. Many propositions were
made. but no conclusion WAS reached until
one Of the members rose and said, Friends,
think II each one would take broom and
sweep Immediately around his own seat, the
meeting house would be clean.'" So let
The work of spiritual improvement begin
around our own soul. Some one whispers
up from the right hand side OF the pulpit
and says, "Will you please name some Of
the persons in our times who have this pas
sion for souls?'' Oh, no! That would be in
gldious and imprudent, and the mere men
lioning 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, men
hon among the people Of the past some who
had this passion for souls" Oh. yes! Samuel
Rutherford, the Scotchman Of 800 years ago
his imprisonment at Aberdeen for his re-
Igious zeal, and the public burning Of his
book, LEX Rex" in Edinburgh, and his un-
Just arrangement for high treason and other
prosecutions, purifying and sanctiiying him
30 that his works, entitled "Trial and
Triumph OF Faith" and "Christ Dying and
Drawing Sinners to Himself" and, above
all, his 215 unparalleled letters showed that
be had the passion for souls; Richard Baxter,
whose "ParRphrase OF the New Testament"
caused him to be dragged before Lord JET.
ireys, who howled ut him as "a rascal" and
"sniveling Presbyterian" and imprisoned
him for two years-Ba1ter, writing 168 re-
t{<.a, 49, loo, b b;r ar %o TIM o,1f
bringing rncounted thousands into the par
don of the gospel, and his 'Saints' Everlast-
Ing Rest" opening heaven to host innum-
srable; Richard Cecil; Thomas Kempis.
writing his Limitation of Christ" for all ages
Harlan Page, Robert McCheyne, Netteton,
Fiupey and more whom might mention,
the characteristic of whose lives was an over
towering passion for souls. A. B. Earl, the
Baptist evangelist. had it. ]. 8. 1nskip, 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: us that 80? Then
my knees and let me spend that time In call
Ing 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 neighbor-
hood, and here and there you think of one.
What JUNCTION they had in prayer! What
power they had in exhortation! II they
walked into q home, every member OF 1t felt
holy thrill. and il they walked into q
prayer meeting the dullness and stolidity
instantly vanished. One Of them would
wake up whole church. One Of them would
sometimes electrify whole city.
But the most wonderful one Of that char.
acterzation the world ever saw or heard or
felt was n peasant In the Far East, wearing
plain blouse like an inverted wheat sack,
with three openings-one for the neck and
the other two for the arms. His iather a
wheelwrlght and house builder and given to
various carpentry. His mother ut first under
suspicion because OF the circumstances OF His
nativity. and He chased by Herodic mania
out Of His native land to live awhile under
the shadows Of the sphinx and pyramid Of
Gizeh, aiterward confounding the LII. DIS
OF Jerusalem, then stopping the paro1ysms
OF tempest and Of madman. His path strewn
with slain dropsies and catalepsies and oph-
thalmias, transngured on one mountain,
preaching on another mountain, dying on
another mountain and ascending from an
other mountnin-the greatest, tho loveliest,
the mightiest, the kindest, the most self-sac-
riflcing, most beautiful being whose feet ever
touched the earth. Tell US, ye deserts who
heard our Saviour's prayer; tell US, ye seas
that drenched Hin with your surf; tell US,
ye multitudes who heard Him preach on
deck, on beach, on hillside; tell us, COL
gotha, who heard the stroke OF tho hammer
on the spikeheads and the dying gronn in
that midnight that dropped on mldncon,
did anyone like Jesus have this passion for
souls?
But breaking right in upon me is the
question, How can we get something Of this
Pauline and Christly longing for saved i'm
mortalities? ] answer, by better nppreciat-
ing the prolongation OF the souls existence
compared with everything physical and ma
terlai. How hope that surgeon will sue
cessfully remove the cntaract from that
mans eye 1t is such sal thing to be
blind. Let US prny while the doctor is busy
hI dalinnt,, nrraI ion BIT E6,r hns