The morning news., 1897-09-20
SHALL SHINE AS THE STARS.
A PROMISE TO THOSE WHO SAVE
THE SOULS OF OTHERS.

on the Duty of Christians TO Their
Fellow NIen-Thc Powerful Infiu-
ence of a Good Example at an OPP
portune Nloment-The Efficacy OF
Prnycr-Christians in n COnsteIIu-
tion.
Washington, Sept. 19.-This discourse
flashes bright light into the life of Chris
tian workers, and offers a sublime hope
for all those who are discouraged in their
attempts to DO good. DR.. Talmage's text
is Daniel p: 9: They that turn many 10
Righteousness shall shine as the stars for
ever and ever
Every man has a thousand roots and
a thousand branches. His roots reach
down through an the earth; his branches
spread through all the heavens. He
speaks with voice, with eye, with hand,
with foot. His silence often is loud as
thunder. ana his life is a dirge or dox-
ology. There is no such thing as negative
influence. We are all positive in the place
we occupy. making the world better or
making it worse. on the Lords side or on
the devils, making up reasons for our
blessedness or Punishment; and we have
already done work in peopling heaven or
hell. 1 hear people tell of what they are
going TO do. A man who has burned down
q city might as well talk of some evil that
he expects TO do. or a man who has saved
an empire might as well talk of some
good that he expects TO do. by the force
of your evil influence you have already
consumed infinite values: or you have by
the power of right influence, won whole
kingdoms for God.
1t would be absurd for me, by elaborate
argument 10 prove that the world is Off
the track. You might as well stand at
the foot of an embankment, amid the
wreck of capsized railtrain. proving by
elaborate argument that something Is out
of order. Adam tumbled over the em-
bankment sixty centuries ago, and the
whole race. in one long train, has gone on
tumbling in the same direction. CRASH! +!
crash The only question now Is, by whaI
leverage can the crushed thing be lifted?
nv what hammer may the fragments be
reconstructed2 / want to show you now
we NAV turn many to righteousness, ana
what will be our future pay for so doing.
First. We may turn them by the charm
of a right example child coming from
filthy home was taught at school 10 WASH
It's face. 1t went home so much improved
in appearance that its mother washed her
face. And when the father of the house
hold came home and saw the improve
ment in domestic appearance, he washed
his face. The neighbors, happening in,
saw the change and tried the same eN-
pertinent, until all that street was purified,
and the next street copied It's example
and the whole city felt the result of one
schoolboy washing his face. That is
fable. by which we set forth that the best
way to get the world washed of its sins
and pollution is 10 have our own heart and
life cleansed and purified. man with
grace in his heart and Christian cheerful
ness in his face and holy consistency in
his behavior is a perpetual sermon; and
the sermon differs from others in that it
has but one head, and the longer it runs
the better.
There are honest men who walk down
Wall street making the teeth of iniquty
chatter. There are happy men who go
into a sick room, and by a look, help the
broken bone to knit, and the excited
nerves drop to calm beating. There are
pure men whose presence silences the
tongue of uncleanliness. The mghtiest
agent of good on earth is a consistent
Christian I like the Bible folded between
lids of cloth. of calf-skin. or morocco, but
l like it better when, in the shape of a
man. it goes out into the world-a Bible
illustrated. Courage is beautiful to read
about; but rather would 1 see a man with
all the world against him confident as
though all the world were for him. Pa
tience is beautiful to read about but
rather would I see a buffeted soul calmly
waiting for the time of deliverance. Faith
is beautiful to read about; but rather
would find a man in the midnight walk
ing straight on as though he saw every
thing. Oh, how many souls have been
turned to God by the charm of a bright
example,
When. in the Mexican war, the troops
were waverng. a general rose in his
stirrups. and dashed into the enemys s
lines, shouting: "Men, follow mer' They,
seeing his courage and disposition, dashed
on after him and gained the victory What
men want to rally them for God is an
example to lead them. All your commands
to others to advance amount to nothing
as long as you stay behind. To affect
them Alright you need to start for heaven
yourself, looking back only to give the
stirring cry of Men, follow"
Again: We may turn many to righteous
ness by prayer, There is no such detec-
tive as prayer, for no one can hide away
from it. 1t puts its hand on the shoulder
of a man ten thousand miles off. 1t
allShlS on snip mld-AtlanIc. Inc little
child cannot understand the law of cleo
tricity, or how the telegraph operator. by
touching the instrument here, may dart
a message under the sea TO another con-
tinent; nor can we, with our small intel
lect, understand how the touch OF a
Christians prayer shall instantly strike a
soul on the other side of the earth. You
talSe ship and go to some other country,
and get there at II o'clock in the morning.
You telegraph to America and the mes
sage gets here at O'Clock the same
morning. In other words. it seems TO ar
rive here five hours before IL started Like
that is prayer. God says: Before they
call. 1 will hear" To overtake a loved
one on the road, you may spur up lath-
cred steed until he shall OUTRAGE the one
that brought the news to Ghent; but
prayer shall catch it at one gallop. A
boy running away from home may take
the midnight train from the country vii
lage and reach the seaport in time TO
gain the ship that sails on the morrow;
but mothers prayer will be on the deck
TO meet him, and in the hammock before
he swings into it, and at the capstan be-
fore he winds the rope around, and on the
sea, against the sky, as the vessel ploughs
on toward it. There is a mightiness in
prayer. George Muller prayed company
OF poor boys together, and then he pray
ed up an asylum in which they might he
sheltered. He turned his face toward Ed