Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1897-11-26
THE COMING SERMON.
REV. DR.. TALMAGE TELLS WHAT "
OUGHT TO BE.
He Says the Sermon Of Today Has Too
Much Dead Wood - The Sermon Of the
Future VIII he Short. Spirited, and It

ciation.l
WASHINGTON, Nov. 21.-Most appro-
pirate to the times we live in is DR..
Talmage's discourse Of today. All Chris
tian workers will read it with interest
His text is Luke tx, go, go, thou. and
preach the kingdom Of God. "
The gospel is to be regnant over all
hearts, all circles, all governments and
all lands. The kingdom of God spoken
of in the text is to be universal king
dom, and just as wide as that will be
the realm sermonic- go. thou, and
preach the kingdom Of God" " We hear
a great deal in these days about the
coming man and the coming woman
and the coming time. Some one ought
to tell US Of the coming sermon. 1t is
simple fact that everybody knows that
most Of the sermons of today do not
reach the world. The vast majority OF
the people Of our great cities never en-
ter church.
The sermon of today carries along
with it the dead wood Of all ages. Hun
dreds Of years ago it was decided what
a sermon ought to be, and it is the at
tempt of many theological seminaries
and doctors Of divinity to hew the mod
ern pulpit ntterances into the same old
style proportions Booksellers will tell
you they dispose of a hundred histories,
a hundred novels, hundred poems, tn
one book Of sermons.
What is the matter2 Some say the age
is the worst of all ages 1t is better
Some say religion is wearing out, when
it is wearing in Some say there are so
many who despise the Christian reli-
gion. answer, there never was an age
when there were so many Christians or
so many friends of Christianity as this
age has-our age; as to others a hundred
to one What is the matter then? 1t is
simply because our sermon OF today is not
suited to the age. 1t is the canalboat in an
age of locomotive and electric telegraph
The sermon will have to be shaken out
of the old grooves or it will not be heard
and it will not be read
Before the world is converted the SER
mon will have TO be converted You
might as we'll go into a modern Sedan
or Gettysburg with bows and arrows in
stead of rifles and bombshells and parks
of artillery as to expect to conquer this
world for God by the old styles OF SER
monology. Jonathan Edwards preached
the sermons best adapted to the age IN
which he lived, but il those sermons
were preached now they would divide
an audience into two classes - those
sound asleep and those wanting to &c
home.
The Sermon Of the Future.
But there is a coming sermon. Who
will preach it have no idea; IN wha'
mart of the earth ii will be born have
no idea; in which denomination ol
Christians it will be delivered | canno'
guess. That coming sermon may o'
born in the country meeting house OF
the banks Of the st. Lawrence, or th'
Oregon. or the Ohio, or the Tombigbee
or the Alabama. The person who shal
deliver it may this moment lie In
cradle under the shadow OF the Slerri
Nevadas or in a New England farm
house or amid the ricefelds OF southern
savannas, or this moment there may D
some young man in some OF our tneo
logical seminaries, in the junior or MID
die or senior class, shaping that weapol
Of power. or there may be coming som
new baptism of the Holy Ghost on tn
churches. so that some-of us who nov
stand in the watchtowers OF Zion, wax
ing to the realization of our present in
efficiency, may preach it ourselves
That coming sermon may not be 2
years off. And let us pray God that II
arrival may be hastened, while l an
nounce to you what think will be tn
chief characteristics Of that sermo
when it does arrive, and want to max
the remarks appropriate and suggestiy
to all classes of Christian workers
First of all, | remark that that com
ing sermon will be full OF a livin
Christ. in contradistinction to didacti
technicalities. A sermon may DO full c
Christ. though hardly mentioning hi
name. and a sermon may be empty {
J Christ while every sentence Is repetl
tious of his titles. The world wants
living Christ, not Christ standing q
the head of formal system OF theology
but Christ who means pardon an
, sympathy and coincidence and brother
hood and life and heaven, poor man
Christ. an oyerworked mans Christ, a
iuvalid's Christ, farmers CHRIST,
. merchants Christ. an artisans Ohris
an every mans Christ.
A symmetrical and finely worded sy
tenn of theology is we'll enough for th'
olocical classes, but 1t has no more bus
ness in a pulpit than have the technics
nhrases of an anatomist or physicia
in the sickroom of patient The worl
wants help, immediate and world ul
lifting. and it will come through Sc
mon in which Christ shall walk rigi
down into tine immortal soul and taI
everlasting possession of it, filling 1t
full of light as is the MONDAY nrml
$ ment That sermon Of the future WI
/ not deal with men in the threadbare
Il, lustrations of Jesus Christ. In that col
= ing sermon there will be instances
I vicarious sacrifice taken right ont OF e
eryday life, for there is not day som
bodv is not dying TOR others AS u
c physician, saving his diphtheric patie
. by sacrificing his own life; as the sh
" captain, going down with his vesst
while he is getting his passengers IN
the lifeboat; as the fireman, consumii
in the burning building, while ne
taking u child out Of a fourth sto
window; as last summer the ssrol
swimmer at Long Branch or Caps Nj
or Lake George himself peri,hod Tyi'
to rescue the drowning; az the news!
per boy not long ago supporting ,
mother for some yeara his invai
" mother, when offered by gentleman
cents to get some especial paper, and
y GOT it and rushed up In his anxiety
deliver IL and was crushed under
% wheels of the train and lay on the grl
with only strength enough to say, (