The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-08-19
|REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
|UNDAY's DISCOURSE BY THE
NOTED DIVINE.
Subject: "The Glow Of Sunset"


sad heart Jesus, who had been their &C
mtration and their joy. had been basel
massacred and entombed. As, with sac fac
and broken heart, they pass on their way
stranger accosts them. They tell Him thei
anxieties and bitterness Of soul. he in tur
talks TO them, nightly expounding tn
Scriptures. He throws over them the fascina
tion Of intelligent conversation. They for
get the time and notice not the objects the,
pass, and before they are aware have com'
up In front OF their house. They pause be
fore tSe entrance and attempt to persuade
the stranger to tarry with them. They pres
upon Him their hospitalities. Night is coming
on, and He may meet prowling wild beas
or be obliged to lie unsheltered from the
dew. he cannot 90 much farther now. Why
not stop there and continue their pleasant
conversation? They take Him by the arm
and they insist upon His coming in, address
ing Him in the words, "Abide with US, for /,
Is toward evening""
The candles arc lighted; thetable isspread
pleasant socialities are enkindled. They re-
ioice in the presence OF the stranger guest
He asks blessing upon the bread they eat
and he hands a piece of it to each. Suddenly
and with overwhelming power the thought
flashes upon the astonished people-it is the
Lord! And as they sit in breathless wonder
looking upon the resurrected body OF Jesus,
He vanished. The interview ended. He was
gone.
With many Of us it is bright, sunshiny
day of prosperity. There is not a cloud III
the sky; not leaf rustling in the forest; no
chill in the air. But We cannot expect all
this to last. He is not an intelligent man
who expects perpetual daylight of Joy. The
sun will after awhile near the horizon. The
shadows will lengthep. While lspeak many
Of US stand in the very hour described in the
text, "for it IS toward evening" The re-
quest Of the text is appropriate for some be-
tore me, for with them it is toward the even
ing Of old age. They have passed the meridian
of life. They are sometimes startled to think
how old they are. They do not however. .liketo
have others remark upon 1t. If others sug-
gest 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 cough or
any occasional ailment They have lost
their taste for merriment. They are sur
urised at the quick passage of the year.
They say that it only seems little while ago
that they were boys. They are going little
down hill. There is something in their
health, s1mething in their vision, something
In their walk, something in their changing
associations, something above, something
beneath, something within, to remind them
that 1t Is toward evening.
The great want Of all such is to have Jesus
abide with them. 1t is dismal thing to be
getting old without the rejuvenatinS inau-
ence OF religion. When We step on the down
grade OF life and see that it dips to the verge
of the coid river, We want to behold some
one near who will help US across it. When
the sight loses its power 10 glance and gather
up, We need the faith thar can illuminate.
When we feel the failure Of the ear. We neeu
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 soli-
tude, we need the dove of divine mercy to
sing in our branches. When the shadows
begin to fall and we feel that the day Is far
spent, we need most Of all to supplicate the
strong beneficent Jesus in the prayer of the
villagers, abide with US, for 1t 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 Is
nothing easier than to be good natured when
everything pleases, or to be humble when
there is nothing to oppose us, or forgiving
when we have not been assailed, or honest
when we have no inducement to fraud. But
sou have felt the grapple OF some tenpta-
ton. Your nature at some time quaked and
that the devil was after you. You saw your
Christian graces retreating. You feared
that you would iall in the awful wrestle with
sin and bs thrown into the dust. The gloom
thickened. The first indications of the night
were seen In all the trembling of your soul,
In all the Internal suggestions of Satan, in
all the su-ging up Of tumultuous passions
and e1citements. You felt with awful en-
phasis that it I7as toward evening. In the
tempted hour you need to ask Jesus to
abide with you. You can beat back the mon
ster that would devour you. You can un-
horse the sin that woulL ride you down.
You can sharpen the battlea1 with which
YOU split the head of helmeted abomination
Who helped Paul shake the brazen gated
heart of Felix? Who acted like good sailor
when all the crew howled in the Mediter-
ranean shipwreck? Who helped the martyrs
to be tfl-m when one word OF recanta-
ton would have unfastened the withes of
the stake and put out the kindling frei When
the night Of the soul came on and all the
denizens Of darkness came riding upon the
winds Of perdition who gave strength to the
soul? Who gave calmness to the heartl
Who broke the spell of Internal enchant-
ment? He who heard the request of the vii
layers, abide With US, for it is toward even
ing"
One of the forts Of France was attacked,
aud the outworks were taken before night.
The besiegiDg army lay down. thinking there
was but little to do in the morning, and that
fhn So1Jiar1- W fha fnrf ,.nrl1 % aoc;l,,
TO surrender. But during the night, through
back stairs, they escaped into the country.
In the morning the hesieeing army sprane
upon the battlements, but found that their
prey was gone. So. when we are assaulted
In temptation, there is always some secre,
stair by which we might ger OF. God viii
not allow Us to oe tempted above what We
are able. but with every temptation viii
bring way OF escape thar we may be able te
bear it.
The prayer Of the text ia appropriate fol-
all who are anticipating sorrow. The great
est folly that ever grew on this planet is ths
tendency to borrow trouble. but there are
times when approaching sorrow is so eviden
that we need to be making special prepara.
tiop for its coming.
One OF your children has lately become a
favorite. The cry of that child strikes deep
er into the heart than the cry OF all the otn
ers. You think more about it. You give i
more attention, not because 1t is any more o
q treasure than the others. out because it i
becoming frail. There is something in th'
cheek. in the eye and in the walk that make!
YOU quite sure that the leaves Of the lowel
lare going to be scattered. The utmost nurs
S1ng and medical attendance are Intellectual
5The pulse becomes feeble. the complexion
lighter, the step weaker, the laugh fainter
= No more romping for that one through hal
and parlor. The nursery is darkened bv al
approaching calamity. The heart feels Will
mournful anticipation that the SUN is goinI
down. Night speeds on. 1t is toward even
:ng.
You have long reioiced in the care of ;
mother. You have done everything to MAX,
her last days happy. You have run will
quick feet to wait upon her every want. He