Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1896-01-24
A SINFUL RETICENCE.
REV. DR.. TALMAoE breaches A PRkC.
TIcAL AND SUGGESTIVE SERMON.

I nI-F' Ons lNGWNON ThGfNNl - - ' if'S
TIcAL AND SUGGESTIVE SERMON.
Public Profession of Christ 49, An Elo-
quent Confession--Conver of Rev. DIR.
Talmage.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 10. - Rev. DR..
Talmage never produced a more prac-
tical and suggestive sermon than this of
today. We believe it will stir Christen-
dom. His subject was "Say So" and
the text selected was Psalms evil, ?,
LET the redeemed Of the Lord say so. "
An overture, an antiphon. a dOxolOgy
is this chapter, and in my text David
calls for an outspoken religion and re-
quests all who have been rescued and
blessed no longer to hide the splendid
facts, but to recite them, publish them
and as far as possible let all the world
| know about it. LET the redeemed OF
the Lord say so" There is a sinful reti-
cence which has been almost canonized.
The people are quite as outspoken as
they ought to be on all subjects Of poll
tics and are fluent and yoluble on the
Venezuelan question and bimetallism
and tariffs high and low and remodeled
and female suffrage, and you have to
skillfully watch your chance if you
want to put into the active conversation
modest suggestion Of your OVID, but
on the subject Of divine goodness, reli-
gious experience and eternal blessedness
they are not only silent, but boastful Of
their reticence. Now, if you have been
redeemed Of the Lord, why do you not
say sol If you have in your heart the
pearl Of great price, worth more than
the Kohinoor among Victorian jewels,
why not let other see it? If you got off
the wreck in the breakers, why not tell
Of the crew and the stout lifeboat that
safely landed youl If from the fourth
story you are rescued in time Of conia-
grafton, why not tell Of the fireman and
the ladder down which he carried you:
| II you have a mansion in heaven await
ing you, why not show the deed TO those
who may by the same process set an
emerald castle on the same boulevard:
| By the last two words Of my text David
calls upon all of Us who have received
any mercy at the hand Of God to stop
impersonating the asylums for the dumb
and in the presence Of men, women,
angels, devils and all worlds "say So "
Experience.
In these January days, thousands OF
ministers and private Christians are
wondering about the best ways Of start
ing a revival Of religion. can tell you
a way Of starting a revival, continental,
hemisphere and worldwide. You say a
revival starts in heaven. Well, it starts
in heaven just as prosperous harvest
starts in heaven. The sun must shine
and the rains must descend, but unless
you plow and sow and cultivate the earth
you will not raise a bushel Of wheat or
a peck Of corn between now and the end
Of the world. How, then, shall uni
versal revival start? BY all Christian
people telling the story Of their own con-
version. Let ten men and women get up
next week in your prayer meeting and,
not in q conventional or canting or dole
full way, but in the same tone they en-
ploy in the family or place Of business,
tell how they crossed the line, and
the revival will begin then and there, If
the prayer meeting has not been so dull
as to drive out all except those concern
ing whom it was foreordained from all
eternity that they should be there. There
are so many different ways Of being con-
verted that we want to hear all kinds,
so that our own case may be helped. 1t
always puts me back TO hear only one
kind of experience, such as man gives
when he tells Of his Pauline conversion
how he was knocked senseless, and
then had a vision and heard voices, and
after a certain number Of days Of horror
got up and shouted for JOY. All that dis
courages me, for | was never knocked
senseless, and never had such a sudden
burst Of religious rapture that l lost my
equilibrium But after awhile Chris
tian man got up in some meeting and
told us how he was brought up by de-
won't parentage, and had always been
thoughtful about religious things, and
gradually the peace of the gospel came
into his soul like the dawn Of the morn
ing-no perceptible difference between
moment and moment-but after awhile
all perturbation settled down into q
hone that had consoled and strengthened
him during all the vicissitudes Of life
time. l said, "That is exhilarating
that was my experience. " And so l was
strengthened.
In another prayer meeting man got
MP and told us how he once hated God
and went through all the round Of in
iouity until we were all on nettles lest
he should 60 too much into the particu-
lars, but one day he was by some reli-
gious power hurled fat and then got mp
a Christian and had ever since been GO
ing around with a Baxter Bible with
large flaps under his arm, floating
evangelist. Well, under this story many
are not helped at all, for they know
they never hated God, and they were
never dissolute. But after awhile some
Christian woman arises and says, 81
have nothing extraordinary to tell, yet
think the cares of life, the anxieties
about my children and two graves
opened in our iamily plot made me feel
the need Of God, and weak and helpless
and heartbroken 1 flung myself upon
his mercy, and l feel what the Bible
calls the peace of God which passeth al
understanding, and l ask your prayers
that may live nearer to the Christ who
has done so much for me. " declare
that before that woman got through We
were all crying, not bitter tears, but
tears Of joyful emotion, and in three
days in that neighborhOod all the Ice
had gone out Of the river in spring
time freshet Of salvation. Let the re-
deemed Of the Lord say So "
have but little interest in what peo
pie say about religion as an abstraction,
but l have illimitable interest in what
people say about what they have person
ally felt of religion. 1t was an expires
; sion Of his own gratitude for personal