The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-02-05
REV. DIR. TALMAGE
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE
NOTED DIVINE.
Subject: "Say So"

An overture, an antiphon, a doxology l!
this chapter. and in my text David calls fol
an outspoken religion and requests all who
have been rescued and blessed no longer tc
hide the splendid facts, but to recite them
publish them and as lar as possible let all the
world know about it. "Let the redeemed o.
the Lord sayso." There IS q sinful reticence
which has been almost canonized. The
people are quite as outspoken Us they ought
to be on all subjects of politics and are fluent
and voluple on the Venezuelan question
and bimetalism and tariffs high and low
'and remodeled and female suffrage, and you
have to skilfully watch your chance if you
want to put into the active conversation
"a modest suggestion of your own, but
on the subject of divine goodness, rell-
.gtous experience and eternal blessedpess
;they are not only silent. but boastful OF their
,reticence. Now, II you have been redeemed
TOT the Lord, why do you not say 80? fyou
have in your heart the pearl OF great price,
worth more than the Kohinoor among Vic
;torian jewels, why not let others see II? II
you got of the wreck in the breakers. why
not tell of the crew and the stout lifeboat
that safely landed you? II from the fourth
istory you are rescued In time OF confagra-
Ition, why not tell of the fireman and the lad
der down which he carried your II you
have a mansion In heaven awaiting you,
why not show the deed to those who may by
the same process get an emerald castle on
the same boulevard2 By the last two words
of my text David calls upon all OF US who
have received any mercy ut the hands OF
God to stop imperSonating the asylumS for
the dumb and In the persence OF men, women,
angels, devils and all worlds ''say So"
In these January days. thousands OF min
listers and private Christians are wondering
about the best ways OF starting revival OF
religion. can tell yon way Of starting q
revival. continental, hemisphere and world
wide. You say q 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 bushel of wheat or a peck Of
corn between now and the end ofthe world.
How, then, shall universal revival start?
BY all Christian people telling the story OF
their own conversion. Let ten men and wo-
men get up next week in your prayer meet
ing and, not in conventional or canting or
doleful 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, II
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 80 many different ways OF being con-
;yerted that we want to hear all kinds. so that
our own case may be helped. Italways puts
tine back to hear only one kind Of experience,
such as a man gives when he tells Of his
Pauline conversiop-how he was knocked
senseless, and then had vision and heard
voices, and after q certain number OF days
lof horror got up and shouted for Joy. All
that discourages me, for was never knocked
!senseless, and never had such a sudden
burst of religious rapture that I lost my
But after awhile Christian
man got up in some meeting and told Us how
he was brought up by devout parentage,
and had always been thoughtful about re-
Hgious things. and gradually the peace OF
the gospel came into his soul like the dawn
Of the morning-no perceptible difference
awhile all perturbation settled down into q
hope that had consoled and strengthened
him during all the vicissitudes Of lifetime.
said, "That Is exhilaratfng; that was my
experience" And 80 was strengthened.
In another prayer meeting man got up
and told us how be once hated God and
went through all the round Of iniquity until
we were all on nettles lest he should 60 too
much into the particulars. but one day he
was by some religious power hurled fiat and
then got up Christian and had ever since
been going around with Baxter Bible with
large flaps under his arm. floating evan9e-
list. Well, under this story many are not
helped at all, for they know they never hated
God, and they were never disSolute. But af-
ter awhile some Christian woman arises and
SAYS, sI have nothing extraordinary to
tell. yet think the cares Of life, the anxieties
about my children and two graves
opened in our family plot made me feel the
need OF God, and weak and helpless and
heartbroken l flung myself upon His mercy,
and feel what the Bible calls the peace Of
God which passeth all understanding and
4 ask your prayers that may live nearer to
the Christ who has done SO much for me. !"
I 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 a springrime freshet OF saliva
/; have but little interest in what people
say about religion as an abstraction, but
have illimitabls interest in what people say
about what they have personally felt Of re-
ligion. It was an expression OF his own
gratitude for personal salvation which led
Charles Wesley, after assessor of great de-
spondency about his soul and Christ had
spoken pardon, to write that immortal
hymn:
Oh, for thousand tongues TO sing
My great Redeemer's praise!
+, It was after Abraham Lincoln had been
comforted in the loss OF Tad, the bright boy
of the White House, that he said, II now see
as never before the preciousneSs OF Gods
love in Jesus Christ and how we are brought
near to God as our Father by Him."
What athrill went through the meeting In
Portland, Or, when an ex-Attorney-Genera
of the United States rose and said: "Lasi
night got up and asked the prayers Of Gods
burden isrolied of and all gone, and / fee
that could run or fly into the arms OF Jesus
Christ"
What a record for all time and eternity
was made by Gellacius, the play actor, ir
the theatre at Heliopolis. A buriesque o1
Christianity was put upon the stage. In de-
rision Of the ordinance OF baptism bath.
tub filled with wafer was put upon the stage
and another actor. in awful blasphemy
dipped Gellacius, pronouncing over him the
words. II baptize thee In the name OF The
Father, Of the Son and Of the Holy Ghost. '
But coming forth from the burlesque bap
tism he looked changed and was changed
and he cried out, 81 am Christian. will
die as Christian" Though he was dragged
out and stoned to death, they could no
drown the testimony made under such awfu
circumstances: II am Christian. I vii
die as q Christian" "Let the redeemed O
the Lord say so."
What confirmation would come If all who
had answers to prayers would speak out; i
all merchants in tight places because Of hard
times would tell how in response to suppl
cation they got the money to pay the note
how in answer to prayer the ratn came jus
in time to save the crop; If all parents wht
rprayed for wandering son to come home
would tell how not long after they heart
the boys hand on the latch of the from
door