The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1896-08-21
REV. DIR. TALMAGE
the NOTED DIvINE's SUNDAY
DISCOURSE
Subject "Tho Glow Of sunsot.u

pfthlhts Luxe ANFi I'd
Two villagers, having concluded their
GRAND iu Jerusalem. have started cat at the
city gate and are on their way % Emmuus,
tho place of their residence. They 20 with a
fad heart Jesus who bad been their ad-
miratiop and their Joy, had been basely
mas8acred and entombed. A.. with sad face
ana broken hear, they pass on thor way
stranger accogia them. They tell Him their
anxlelles and bitterness OF soul He in turn
talks 20 ihom, nightly eKpoundlng the
scriptures. he throws over them che fHscIua-
ton OF intelligent conversation They for
get the time and notice not the objects they
pass, and before they are aware have come
up In front Of their house. They pause be-
Tore the entrance aud attempt 20 persuade
the stranger 20 tarry With them. They press
upon HIN their inequalities. Night Is coming
on, and lie may meet a prowling wild beast
or bo obliged 10 Ne uusheltercd from tho
dew. He cannot 90 much farther now. Why
not stop there and continue their pleasant
conyorsaiionY They take Him hy the arm,
and they insist upon His coming in, address
Ing Him In the words, "Ablde with us, Tor C
Is toward evening"
Thoeandlosare Nghtedi thetable isspread;
pleasant s9eiaIitles IRE enkindled. They re-
loice I'm the presence 0I the stranger guest
he asks % blessing upon the bread they eat.
/ and with overwhelming power the thought
| flashes upon the astonlshcd people-it Is the
/ Lor1! And 08 they sit in breathloss wonder,
/ loogng upon the roaurreciCd body OF Jesus,
/ Re vanished. The interview ended. He was
/ gone.
With many OF us & Is bright, sunshiny
| day OF prosperity. There Is not O cloud IN
/ the sky; not leaf ruatling IN the forest; no
! chill 40 the orr. But we cannot expect all
] 80 NHaH W r.a. ID. a..
/ who expects perpetual daylight Of Joy. The
| sun viii after awhile near the horizon. The
| shadows will lengthen. While Ispeak many
Of as stand I'm the very hour described in the
| text, "ior IL Is toward evening The re-
/ quest of the text is appropriate Tor some be-
fore me- for with them Il istoWard the even
| ing Of old age. They have passed the meridian
Of life. They are sometimes startled 10 think
| how oldthey are. They donot however, hkoto
have Others remark upon It. II others sug-
| Cest their approximation toward venerable
appearance, they say, "Why, I'm not so old,
after ALL" They DO. indeed, notice that they
cannot lift quite so much as once. They
cannot walk quite so fast. They cannot
read quite so we'll without spectacles. They
cannot SO easily recover from q cough or
any occasional ailment They have lost
their taste for merriment. They are sur
pused at the quick passage Of the year.
They say that It only seems allt,le while ago
thai they we're boys. They are going little
down hill. There is something IN their
health, something in their vision, something
in their walk, something In their changing
associations something above, something
beneath, something within, to remind them
that it is toward evening.
The great want of all such Is TO have Jesus
abide with them. 1t is a dismal thing to be
getting old without the reiuyenating indu-
ence OF religion. When we stepon the down
grade OF life and see that It dips 10 the verge
Of tbs cold river, we want to behold some
one near who viii help us across it. When
the sight loses its power 10 glance and gather
up, we need the faith that can illuminate.
When we feel the failure OF the ear, we need
the clear tones Of that voice which in olden
times broke up the silence OF the deaf with
cadence OF mercy. When the axmen OF
death hew down whole forests OF strength
and beauty around Us and we are left in soil.
tude, we need the dove Of divine merev tC
sing in our branches. When the shadows
begin TO fall aud we feel that the day Is far
spent, we need most OF all to suppicate the
strong benefcent Jesus in the prayer OF the
villagers, abide with US, for it Is toward
evening"
The request of the text Is an appropriate
exclamation for all those who are approached
in the gloomy hour Of temptation. There il
nothing easier than to be good nutured wher
everything pleases, or to be humble wher
there is nothing to oppose US. or forgivinP
when we have not been assaied or homes
when we have no inducement to fraud. Bu
you have felt the grapple OF some tempta
ton. Your nature at some time quaked anC
groaned under the Internal force. You fel
that the devil was after you. You saw you
Christian graces retreating You feareC
that you would iall in the awful wrestle Will
sin and be thrown into the dust. The gloon
thiekened. The first indications of the nigh
were seen in all the trembling of your soul
in all the Internal suggestions OF Satan il
all the surging up Of tumultuous passions
and excitements. You felt with awful EN-
phasis that it was toward evening. In tn
tempted hour you need to ask Jesus L
, abide with you. You can beat back the mon
ster that would devour you. You can un
horse the sin that would ride you down
You can sharpen the battleax with whc
Won split tue head OF helmeted ubominati0n
J Who helped Paul shake the brazen gate,
heart Of Felix? Who acted like good sailo
when all the crew howed in the Medie
ranean shpWreck? Who helped the martyr
10 be firm when one word of recAntn
ton would have unfasteped the wilhes G
the stake and put out the kindlng are2 Whc
the night OF the soul came on and all tn
denizens OF darkness came riding upon tn
winds OF perdition who gave strength to III
SOU? Who gave oamness to the heart
Who broke the spel OF internal enchapt
, meni2 He who heard the request Of the vi
layers, "Abide with US, for it is toward ever
: ing"
One OF the forts Of France was attacked
aud the outworks were taken before might
3 The besieging army lay down. thinking thel
> was but little to do in the morning. and thi
the soldiery in the fort could be easily mad
: TO surrender But during the night, throug
, a back stairs, they escaped into tine country
IN the morning the besieging army spran
{ uponthe battements, but found that the
prey was gone. So. when we are assaulte
In temptation, there is always some seer
stair 10y which we might get off. God wi
not allow us to be tempted above what v
: ere able. hut with every temptation VI
i bring "a way Of escape that we may be able
bear 1t.
i The prayer Of the text is appropriate 4
all who are anticipating sorrow The grea
: est folly that ever grew on this planet is II
/ tendency TO borrow trouble, but there q
times when approaching sorrow is so evide
. that we need to be making special prepar
n | tiOn for IT'S coming.