The Penn's Grove record., 1896-08-28
REV. DR. TALMAGE,
The Eminent Divine's Sunday
Discourse.
s bjec;;-"The Great Trial"

TEXT 1--WE have an advocate with the
Jesus Christ tine righteous" II John
H., 1,
Standing ia a cour room, you say to your
self: CAT this bar crime has often been
srraigned; at this WITNESS stand the oath has
often been taken; at tnis jurors bench the
has been rendered; Mt this judges
iesk sentence has been pronounced" But l
have to tell you to-day OF a trial higher than
any Oyer and Terminer or Circuit or Su-
prsme or Chancery. 1t is the trial OF every
mai for the life Of his sou. This
trial IL different from any other In the fact
that 1t Is both civil and criminal.
The issues at stake are tremendous, and l
shall In my sermon show you first, what arc
the grounds OF complaint; then, who are the
in the cause, and lastly, who are
the advocates.
When a trial IL called on the first thing Is
to have the indictment read. Stand up then,
Christian man. and hear the indictment
Of the court OF high heaven against thy soul.
1t is an Indictment of ten counts, for thou
hast directly or Indirectly broken all the ten
commandments. You know how it thun-
on Sinai ami when God came down
how the mountain rocked and the smoke
as from u smoldering furnace, and
the darkness gathered thick, and the loud,
deep trumpet uttered the words: ''The soul
that sinneth, It shall der Are you guilty,
or not guilty. 10 not put In u negative plea
too quick, for l AVE to announce that "all
have sinned aud come short of the glory OF
God. There is none that doelh good; no,
one. whatsoever shall keep the whole
law. yet offend In one point, he Is guilty OF
ALL" Do not, therefore. be too hasty in
pronouncing yourself not guilty.
The lawsuit before US also charges you
with the breaking of a solemn contract.
Many a time did we promise to be the Lords.
We got down on our knees and said: 90,
Lord, ! am Thine now and forever" Did
you keep the promise? Have you stool up
to the contract? Have you not sometimes
faltered when you ought to have been true2
Have you not been proud when yoG ought
to have been humber Have you not played
the coward when you oaght to have been
the hero? l charge Il upon you aud / charge
1t upon myself-we have broken the con-
tract.
Still further; this lawsuit claims damages
at your hands. The greatest SANDER on the
the Christian religion Is an inconsistent pro-
fessor. The Bible Gays religion Is one thing;
We. by our Inconsistency, say religion is
some other thing, and what is more deplora-
BILE about 1t is that people can see faults in
others while they can not see any in them
selves. II you shall ut any time find some
miserable old gossip, with imperfections
from the crown Of her head to the sole OF her
foot, u perfect blotch OF sin herself, she will
go tdttling, tattling, tattling, all the yeRrs of
her life about the inconsistencies of others,
having no idea that she is inconsistent her
self. God save the world from the gossip,
female and male! l think the males are The
worst!
Now you have heard the indictment read.
Are you ready to plead guilty or not guilty.
Perhaps you are not ready yet to plead.
Then the trial will go on. The witnesses will
be called, and we shall have the matter de-
cided. In the name Of God | now make pro-
clamation: oyezl Oyez! Oyezi whoever
hath anything to offer in thlst trial in which
God is the plaintiff and the Christian soul
the defendant, lei him now step forth and
give testimony in this solemn trial.
Tbs first witness | calf upon the stand in
behalf of the prosecution Is the world-all
critical and observant OF Christian char
acter. You now that there are people
around you who pprpetually banquet on the
~frailties OF Gods children. You may know,
II you have lived In the country. that a crow
cares for nothing 80 much as carrlon. There
are those who imagine that out OF the faults
OF Christians they can make a bridge OF
boats across the stream of death, n they
are going to try 1t; but, alns forthe mistakel
When they get mid-strsa m away will go tho
bridge and down will 20 their souls to perdi-
ton. o world of the greedy eye and the
hard heart, some on the stand now and tes-
t!fy In behalf of the prosecution against this
Christian soul on trial. What do you know
about this Christian mani 'oh." says the
world. II know a great deal about him. He
talks about putting his treasures in heaven,
but he is the sharpest man In a trade | ever
knew. He seems to wan us to believe that
he Is a child Of God, but he is Just full of
imperfections. / do not know but / am a
great deal betier han he Ia now. Often
times he is very earthly, and he talks so lit
tie about Christ an so much about himself.
l am very glad to testify that this is a bad
man."
Stop, o World. with the greedy eye and
hard heart. / fear you are o much inter-
ested in this trial to give impartial evidence.
Let all those who hear the testimony OF this
witness know that there Is an old family
quarrel between these two parties. There
always has been u variance between the
World and the Church, and while the World
on the witness stand to-day has told a great
deal OF truth about this Christian man, you
must take 1t all with much allowance, re-
membering that they still keep the old grudge
good. o, World Of the greedy and the hard
heart, that will do; you must sit down.
The second Witness | call in this case 1;
Conscience. Who art thou. o Conscience
What Is your business2 Where were you
born2 What are you doing here? sob, -
says Conscience. 81 was born In heaven. 1
] came down to bAfriend this man. 1 have
lived with him. I have instructed him. l
lave warned him. l showed him the right
and The wrong, advising him to a k the one
and escheR the other. I have kindied a
great light in his soul. With a whip OF
scorpion l nave scourged his wickedness, and
/ rave tried to cheer him when doing right;
and yet / am compelled to testify on the
stand to-day that he has sometimes rejected
my m lssiop. Oh, how many cups of life
have / pressed to his lips that he dashed
down, and how often has he stood with his
hard heel On the bleeding heart Of the Son
of God II pains me yer, much that l have
to testify against this Christian man, and
yet / must, In behalf Of Him who will In no
wise clear the guilty, say that this Christian
man has done wrong. He has been worldly.
He has been neglectful. He has done a
thousand things he ought not to have done,
and left undone a thousand things he ought
to lave done" That will do, Conscience.
You can sit down.
The third witness i call in the case Is an
angel OF God. Bright and shining me- what
doest thou herer What hast thou to say
against this man on trial? ooh" says the
angel, 81 have been a messenger to him.
have guarded him. 1 have washed him. With
THIS wing l nave ueIenueu MN, anu Often
times, when he knew 1t not, / led him into
green pastures and beside still waters. |
snatched from him the poisoned chal-
ices. When bad spirits came upon him TO
destroy him, / fought them back with infinite
fierceness, and yet have to testify to-day
that he has rejected my mission. He has
lot done as ne ought to have DONE. Though
l came from the sky, he drove me back.
Though with this wing l defended him, and
though with this voice l wooed him, l have
TO announce his multiplied imperfections.
dare not keep back the testimony, for then
should not dare to appear again amongst
the sinless ones before the great white
Throne"
There is only one more witnessto be called
on behalf OF the prosecution, and that is the
great, the holy, the august, the omnipoteni
Spirit of God. We bow down before Him
Holy Spirit, knowest Thou this mani sob,
yes,' says the holy one, II know him.
have striven with him ten thousand times
and though sometimes he did seem to repent
he fell back again as often from his first Is
tate. Ten thousand times ten thousand ha
he grieved Me, although the Bible warne'
him. saying: 'Gaeve not the Holy Ghost
Quench not the Spirit Yes, he has driver
Me back. Though l am the Third Person o
the Trinity, he has trampled on My Mission
49,