Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1896-11-14
A PASSION FOR SOULS
LALvATIoN THE THEME or REV. DR..
TALMAGE'S SERMON.

TALMAGE'S SERMON.
Only One Being That Ever Lived Was
willing {" Give Up Heaven For Pcrdi-
tion. says the Preacher. and That Was
the Divine Peasant.
WASHINGTON, Nov. S.-Clcar out Of the
ordinary style of sermonizing is this re
markablc discourse Of DIR Talmagc which
we send out today. His text Is Romans
tx, 3. II could wish that myself We're ac-
cused from Christ for my brethren, my
kinsmcn according TO the flesh. y
4 tough passage, indeed, for those who
take Paul literally. When some of the old
theologians declared that they were will
ing to he damned for the glory of God
they said what no one believed Paul did
not in the text mean he was willing 10 die
forever 10 save his relatives. He used by
pcrbole, and when he declared, Il could
wish that myself were accurscd from Christ
for my brethren, my kinsmen according to
the flesh, he meant in the most vehement
of all possible ways 20 declare his anxiety
for the salvation of his relatives and
friends. II was passion for souls. Not
moro than one Christian ont Of thousands
Of Christians feels II. All absorbing de-
sire for the bcttermcnt of the physical and
mental condition Is very common. Ii
would take more of mathematician than
ever can be 10 calculate how many are,
up TO an anxiety that sometimes will not
let them sleep nights. planning for the ef-
flciency OF hospitals where the sick and
wounded of body are treated and for eye
and ear inflrmarics, and for dispcnsaries
and retreats where the poorest may have
most skillful surgery and helpful treat
ment. oh, IL Is beautiful and glorious
this widespread and ever intensifying
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 today. In
behalf Of the immortality of man, the
inner eye, the inner ear, the inner capacity
for gladness or Distress how few feel any
thing like the overwhelming concentra-
ton expressed in my text. Rarer than
four leaved clovers, rarer than century
plants, rarer than prima donnas, have
been those u whom IL may De said, "They
had 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-thc cightecnth-century We're
so characterized
Redemption of Mankind.
All the names of those you could recall
In our time as having this passion for
souls you can count on the fingers and
thumbs of your right and left hands.
There are many more such consccrated
souls, but they are scattered so widely you
do not know them. Thoroughly Christian
people by the hundreds of millions there
are today, but how few people do you
know who are utterly 1livious to every
thing in this world except the redemption
of souls Paul had it when he wrote my
text, and the time will como when the
majority of Christians will have 1t, If this
world Is ever to be lifted out of the slough
in which IL has been sinking and founder
ing for near 10 centuries, and the better
ment had better begin with myself and
yourself When II committee of the Society
of Friends called upon member to repri-
mand him for breaking some small rule
OF the society, the member replied: II had
dream, in which all the friends had assem-
bled to plan some way to have our meet
ing house cleaned, for it was very filthy.
Many propositions were made, but no CON
clusion was reached until one of the MEM
bers rose and said Friends, i think II
each one would take "a 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
passion for souls:' Oh, no. 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, men
ton among the people of the past some
who had this passion for souls:" oh, yesl
Samuel Rutherford, the Scotchman of 800
years ago-his imprisonment at Aberdeen
for his religious zeal, and the public burn
ing of his book, LEX Rex, " In Edinburgh,
and his unjust arrnignment for high trca-
son and other prosecutions, purifying and
sanctifying him so that his works, entitled
Trial and Triumph OF Faith" and
Christ Dying and Drawing Sinners to
Himself" and, above all, his 2l5 unparal
leled letters showed that he had the passion
for souls; Richard Baxter, whose Para
phrase of the New Testament caused him
To be dragged before Lord Jeffreys, who
howled mt him rs "a rascal and "sniyel-
ing Presbyterian" and imprisoned him for
two years-Baxter, writing los religious
books, his "Call to the Unconyerted'
bringing uncounted thousands into the
pardon of the gospel, and his Saints
Everlasting Rest opening heaven to a
host innumerable; Richard Cecil; Thomas
kempis, writing his Limitation OF
Christ for all ages; Harlan Page, Robert
McCheyne, Nettleton, Finney and moro
whom might mention, the characteristic
of whose lives was AN overtowering pas
sion for souls. A. ID. Earl. the Baptist
evangelist, had IL. !. ;. Inskip, the Meth
odist evangelist, had IL. Jacob Knapp had
IL. DIR. Bachus. prcsidcn: of Hamilton
college, had It. And when told he had only
half AN hour 10 live said: is that so?
Then take mo out Of my bed and place me
upon my knees and let me spend that time
i'm 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 JUNCTION they had In
prayer What power they had in exhor-
tation II they walked into home, every
member of II felt "a holy thrill. and If they
walked into prayer meeting the dizziness
and stolidify instantly vanished. One of
them would wake up "A whole church One
Of them would sometimes elcctrify whole
city
The Divine Peasant.
But the most wonderful one of that
characterization the world ever saw or
heard or felt was 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 father a wheclwright and house build
er and given to various carpentry. His
mother mt first under suspicion because Of
the circumstances of his nativity, and he
chased by "A Herodic mania out of his ma
tive land 10 live awhile under the shadows
of the sphinx and pyramid Of Gizeh, after
ward confounding the IL ID. IS of Jerusa-
lem, then stopping the paroxysm OF tom
pest and Of mailman. His path strewn
with slain dropsies and catalepsies and