The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1896-11-28
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
The Eminent Divine's Sermon De.
.ivered In Washington.
Subject: "Divine Chirography."

TEXT: "Rejoice because your names are
written in heaven" K, 20.
Chrography, or the art. OF handwriting,
like the science Of acoustics, Is in very un.
church, and told by some architects that the
voice would not be heard In at building shaped
like that PROPOSED. came in much anxiety
to this city and consulted with Prof. Joseph
Henry, of the Smithsonian Institution, about
the law Of acoustics. He said: "Go ahead
and build your church In the shape pro-
posed, and | think 1t will be all right.
have studied the laws OF sound perhaps more
than any man OF my time, and have come
so far as this: Two auditorium5 may seem TO
be exactly alike, and in one the acoustics
may be good and III the other bad. In the
same unsatisfactory stage is chfrograpny,
although many declare they have reduced 1t
to science. There are those who say they
can read character by handwriting. 1t IS
said that the way one writes the letter "I''
decides his egoiism or modesty, and the way
one writes the letter SO" decides the height
and depth OF his emotions. II Is declared
cramped hand meansa cramped nature, and
an easy, flowing hand facile and liberal
spirit; but If there be anything in this science,
there must be some rules not yet announced,
for some of the boldest and most aggressive
men have delicate and small penmanship,
while some OF the most timid sign their
names with tina height aud width and scope
OF the name Of John Hancock on the 1mmor-
tai document. But whIle the chirography
of the earth is uncertain, our blessed Lord
in our text presents the chirograpay cees-
tial. Wher addressing the seventy disciples
standing before Him, He said: "Rejoice be-
cause your names are written in heaven.
or course, the Bible, for the most part,
when speaking OF the heavenly world, speaks
fguratively while talking about books and
about trumpets. and about wings and about
gates and about golden payements and about
orchards with twelve crops OF fruit--one
crop each month-and about the white
horses of heavens cavalry; but we do well to
follow out these inspired metaphors and reap
from them courage and sublime expectation.
| and consolation and victory. We are told
that In the heavenly library there is Book
of Life. Perhaps there are many volumes in
it. When we say book, we mean all writ
ten by the author on that subject. cannot
tell how large those heavenly volumes are
nor the splendor Of their binding, nor the
number Of their pages, nor whether they are
pictorialized with some exciting scenes OF this
world. / only know that the words have not
been impressed by type, but written out by
some hand. and that all those VINO, like the
seventy disciples 10 whom the text was
spoken, repent and trust the Lord for their
tteIndt SdtvdttOU, surely udSo tuclf uduoS
written in heaven. 1t may not be the same
name that we carried on earth. We may,
through tn, inconsiderateness OF parents,
have name that is uncouth, or that was
afterward dishcnored by one after whom we
were called. do not know that the seventy
entI ances Of the names OF the seventy dis
ciples correspond with the record in the
genealogical table. 1t may not be the name
by which we were called on earth, but 1t will
be the name by which heaven will know US,
AMI we will have 1t announced to us as We
pass in, and We will know 1t so certainly that
we will not have to be called twice by 1t, as
in the Bible times the Lord called some peo-
pie twice by name: "Saul. Saulr' samuel!
Samueln' "Martha! Martial"
In examination OF your name In the
heavenly archives, il you fndit there at
all, you will find it written with bold hand.
You have seen many signature that because
of sickness or old age had a tremor in 1t, yet
IT was as bold as the man who wrote 1t.
Many an order written on the battlefield and
amid the thunder OF the cannonade has had
evidence of excitement in every word and
every letter and In the speed with which 1t
was folded and handed to the officer rs he
put his foot in the swift stirrups, and yet
that commander, Notwithstanding his trem-
bling hand. gives a boldneSs OF order that
shows itself in every word written. You do
not need to be told that a trembling hand
does not always mean a cowardly hand. It
was with a very trembling hand Charles
Carroll, OF Carrolton, signed his name to
the Declaration OF American Independence,
but no signer had more courage and when
some one said, 'sThere are many Charles
CAROLS, and 1t will not be known which one
it is" he resumed the pen and wrote Charles
Carroll of Carrollton. Trembling hand no
sign of timidity. The daring and defiance
seen In the way your name is written in
f. H. H. .x.kh y k<<II
come on if they can to defeat your ransomed
soul.
Again, il according to the promise OF the
text, you are permitted to look into the
volumes of eternity and see your name there,
you will find it written in lines, in words, in
letters unmistakab!e. Some people have
come TO consider indistinct and almost un-
readable penmanship mark of genius, and
so they affect 1t. Because every paragraph
that Thomas Chalmers, and Dean Stanley,
and Lord Byron, and Rufus Choate and
other potent men wrote was puzzle, imita-
tors make their penmanship puzzle. Alex
ander Dumas says that plain penmanship is
the brevet of incapacity. Then there are
some who, through too much demand upon
their energies and through lack of time, lose
the capacity of making the pen Ineligible,
and much OF the writing of this world Is in
decipherabIe. We have seen piles Of inex-
plicable chirography, and we ourselves have
helped augment the magnitude. We have
not been sure OF the name signed, or the
sentiment expressed, or whether the reply
was affirmative or negative. Through in
distinct penmanship last wills and testa-
ments have been defeated, widows and
orphans robbed OF their inheritance, railroad
trains brought into collision through the
dim words of telegram put into the hand
OF conductor. and regiments, in this wise,
mistaking their instructions, have been
sacrificed in battle. I asked Bishop
Bishop having been in many of the wars,
what Tennyson, in his immortal poem.
"Tne Charge of the -a2ar hr:.aie
meant by the woras, ''oome one had
blundered," and the Bishop said that
the awful carnage at Balaklava was the
result Of an Observation-Disclosures and
wrongly-read military order. 'sSome one
had Numbered" But your name, once
written in the Lambs Book of Life, will be
80 unmistakable that all heaven can read it
at the first glance. 1t will not be taken for
the name OF some other, so that in regard to
1t there shall come to be dIsputation. Not
trillions OF the finally savel will doubt that
it means you and only you. Oh, the
glorious, the rapturous gertrude of that
entrance on the heavenly roll. Not saved in
a promiscuous way. Not put into
glorified mob. No, no! Though you came
up, the worst sinner that was ever saved,
and somebody who knew you in this world
at one time as absolutely abandoned and
dissolute should say: II never heard OF
your conversion and do not believe you
have a right to be here" you could Just
laugh laugh OF triumph, and, turning over
the leaves containing tho names OF the re-