St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1897-02-06
TALMACE'S SERMON.
The Astounding Grace of Christ and
His Sacrifices.

611S SoCTauCeA
What He Surrendered to Become the
saviour Of Mank.nd-we Can Never
Fully Appreciate His self
Abusgation.
Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage told again
the old, old story Of abounding grace,
but dressed it in new garb In the tell.
ing. His sermon was based on the
text:
that. though He was rich. yet for your sakes
He became poor.--I. Corinthians. viit..9
That all the worlds which on . cold
winters night make the Heavens one
great glitter are without Inhabitants
is an absurdity. Scientists tell US that
many Of these worlds are too hot OF
cold or too rarefied Of atmosphere for
residence. But. II not At for human
abode, they may be At for beings diff.
ferent from and superior to ourselves
We are told that the world of Jupiter
Is changing and becoming at for crea.
lures like the human race, and that
with little change in the structure Of
our respiratory organs. But that there
is . great world swung somewhere,
vast beyond imagination, and that it
is the headquarters of the universe,
and the metropolis Of immensity, and
has = population in numbers vast be-
yond al statistics, and appointments
of splendor beyond the capacity Of
canvas or poem or angel to describe, is
as certain as the Bible is authentic.
Perhaps some of the astronomers with
their big telescopes have already
caught glimpse Of it, not knowing
what it is. We spell it with six let
ters and pronounce it Heaven.
That Is where Prince Jesus lived
nineteen centuries ago. He was the
Kings son. It was the old homestead
of eternity. and all its castles were As
old as God. No frost has ever chilled
down the cheek Of one Of its inhab,t-
ants. There had never been = head
ache, or . suicide, or q heartache.
There had not been q funeral in the
memory Of the oldest inhabitant
There had never in all the land woven
. black veil, for there had never been
anything to mourn over. The passage
Of millions of years had not wrinkled
or crippled or bedimmed any of its cit
liens. All the people there were in =
state of eternal adolescence. What
floral and pomonic richness! Gardens
of perpetual bloom and orchards In
unending fruitage. Had somc spirit
from another world entered and asked:
''What is sin? What Is bereavement?
What is sorrow? What Is death?" the
brightest of the intelligences would
have failed to give definition, though
to study the question there was silence
in Heaven for half an hour.
The Prince of whom / speak had
honors, emoluments, acclamations,
such as no other prince, celestial or
terrestrial, ever enjoyed As He
passed the street. the Inhabitants took
of from their brows garlands of white
lilies and threw them in the way. He
never entered any OF the temples
without all tho worshipers rising up
and bowling in 0beisance. In al the
professions Of the high days He was
the one who evoked the loudest well
come. Sometimes on foot, walking In
loving talk with the humblest in the
land, at other times He took chariot,
and among the 0,00O that the Psalmist
spoke of He was the swiftest and most
flaming; or, - when St John described
Him, He took white palfrey with what
prance OF foot. and arch Of neck, and
roll Of name. and CLEAN Of eye. Is
only dimly suggested In the Apo
calypso He was not like other princes,
waiting for the father to die and then
take the throne. When years ago an
artist in Germany made = picture for
the royal gallery representing the
Emperor william ON the throne. and
the crown prince ~ having one foot
on the step of tho throne. tho Emperor
William ordered the picture changed,
aud said: Let thA prince keep his
foot OF the throne till leave It."
Already enthroned was the Heaven
IL Prince side by side with the Father.
What . circle Of dominion! What null
titudes Of admirersi What unendiug
round of glories! All the towers chimed
the Princes praises. VI al the inhab-
itants, from the center Of the city on
over the hills and clear down to the
beach against which the ocean of inn
mensesity rolls it, pillows. the Prince
was the acknowledged favorite. No
wonder my text says that HE was
rich" Set all the diamonds Of tho
earth In one scepter, build al the pal
aces Of the earth In one Alhambra,
gather all the pearls Of the sea In one
dixdem, put all tho values Of the earth
In one diadem, put all the values of the
earth in ono coin. the aggregate could
not express His af1uence. Yes, St. Paul
was right Solomon had In gold $780,
COZ, 600, and in silver el,O29, 81, 900
But q greater than Solomon Is here.
Not the millionaire, but tho owner
of al thingA To describe His CO.
lestial surroundings, the Bible uses all
colors, gathering them in rainbow
over the throne and setting them -
agate in the temple window. and hoist
ing IL of them into the wall, from
striped jasper 1t the base to trsnspsr-
ent amethyst in the capstone, while
between are green Of emerald, and
snow Of pearl, and blue of sapphire,
and yellow Of topaz, gray Of chryso-
prase, and flame Of jacinth. All the
lovliness Of landscape In foliage, and
river, and rill, and all enehsntment
aQuamarine, the 80 Of glass mingled
with fire - when the sun sinks in the
Nediterranean. All the thrill Of mn.
sic, instrumental and vocal, harpe,
trumrets, doxologieA There stood
the Prince, surrounded BY those who
had under their wings the velocity OF
millions Of miles in . second, Himseh
rich IN love, rich in alteration. rich iE