The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1897-12-30
THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
Rev. Cr. Talmage Describes the
Sermon of the Future.
III, Gospel is to be Resnant Over All
Hearts, All Circles, All Governments
and All Lands-God's Uni
versal Kingdom.

Ah -iiS SNA hAoh AsS'' - ~
Witt Talmage presents subject of
more than passing interest to Christian
workers. 1t is based on the text:
Go thou and preach the kingdom of Cod
Luke TX. g.
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 univer-
sal kingdom, 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 SER
mon. 1t is simple fact that every
body knows that most of the sermons
of to-day do not reach the world. The
vast ma ajorlty of the people of our
great cities never enter church.
The sermon of to-day carries along
with it the deadwood 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 scminares
a1d doctors of divinity to hew the
l..odern pulpi utterances into the same
old-style proportions. booksellers will
tell you they dispose Of a hundred his
tories, a hundred novels, a hundred
poems, to one book of sermons. What
is the matter? 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 despise the Christian religion.
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 hun
dred to one. What is the matter, then?
1t is simply because our sermon of to-
day is not suited to the age. 1t is the
canal boat 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
sermon will have to be converted.
You might as we'll go into a modern
Sedan or Gettysburg with bows and
arrows instead of rifles and bomb
shells and parks of artillery as to ex-
pect to conquer the world for God by
the old styles of sermonology. Jona,
than Edwards preached the sermons
best adapted to the age in which he
lived, but if those sermons were
preached now they would divide an
audience into two classes-those sound
| asleep and those wanting to go home,
But there is coming sermon-whc
| will preach it have no idea; in wha,
what part of the earth it will be borr
| | have no idea; in which denomin atioI
of Christians it will be delivered, | car
not guess. That coming sermon may
be born in the country meeting house
on the banks of the st. Lawrence, OF
the Oregon. or the Ohio, or the Tom
bigbee, or the Alabama. The person
who shall deliver it may this moment
lie in a cradle under the shadow of the
Sierra Neyadas, or in New Englant
| farm house, or amid the rice fields o
southern savannas. Or this momen
there may be some young mar
in some of our theological
seminaries. in the junior, or middle, o
senior class. shaping that weapon o
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 watch towers of Zion
waking to the realization of our pres
ent inefficiency, may preach it oul
selves. That coming sermon may no
be 20 wears off. And let US pray Go
that it's arrival may be hastened, Will
| announce to you what | think wi
be the chief characteristics of that sci
mon when it does arrive; and | wan
to make the remarks appropriate an
suggestive to all classes of Christia
workers.
First of all, remark that that con
ing sermon will be full of livin
Christ, in con ntradistinction to didact
technicalities. a sermon may be flu
of Christ though hardly mentionin
His name, and a sermon may be empt
of Christ while every sentence is rep
titious of His titles. The world wan
living Christ, not a Christ standing {
the head Of a formal system of theo
ogy, but q Christ who means pardC
and sympathy and coincidence an
brotherhood and Heaven. A po
mans Christ. An overworked man
Christ. An invalid's Christ. A farr
er's Christ. A merchants Christ.
artisans Christ. An every mans Chris
A symmetrical and finely-worde
system of theology is well enough f
theological classes, but it has no mo
4 business in pulpit than have t.
technical phrases of an anatoraist, OF
1 physician, in the sick room of a patier
The world wants help, immediate a,
s world-uplifting, and it will cor
through sermon in which Christ sh;
e walk right down into the immort
y soul and take everlasting possession
= it, filling it as full of light as is t
d monday armament That sermon
the future will not deal with men
t the threadbare illustrations of Jes
Christ. In that coming sermon the
d will be instances of vicarious sacrifit
/, taken right out OF everyday Ii
| for there is not day son
body is not diving for others,