The Monitor-register., 1897-01-29


and That of the Dying Christian to Prove
General Hope--A Sermon of Absorb
ing Interest.
MINNEAPOLIS, Jan. 24.-Dr. Talmage
has been for few days preaching and
1ecturing in Chicago, Minneapolis and
st. Paul, and his sermon is on theme
which will absorbingly interest all who
read it. He returns this week to Wash
ington. The subject is Heavenly Rec
ognition," and the text, III Sam. xii, %,
81 shall go to him. -
There is very sick child in the abode
of David the king. Disease, which
stalks up the dark lane of the poor and
puts its smothering hand on lip and
nostril of the wan and wasted, also
mounts the palace stairs and, bending
over the pillow, blows into the face of
young prince the frosts of pain and
death. Tears are wine to the king of
terrors. Alas, for David the king! He
can neither sleep nor eat and lies pros
trate on his face, weeping and wailing
until the palace rings with the outcry
of woe.
Shall Go to Him.
What are courtly attendants or vic
torious armies or conquered provinces
under such circumstances? What to any
parent is all splendid surrounding when
his child is sick? Seven days have passed
ON. There, in that great house, two eye
lids are gently closed, two little hands
folded, two little feet quiet, one heart
still. The servants come to bear the It'd
ings to the king, but they cannot make
up their minds to tell him, and they
stand at the door whispering about the
matter, and David hears them, and he
looks up and says to them, ''Is the child
dead?'' eyes, he is dead"
David rouses himself up, washes HIM
self, puts on new apparel and sits down
to food What power hushed that tenn
pest? What strength was it that lifted
up that king whom grief had dethroned?
Oh, it was the thought that he would
come again into the possession of that
darling childl No gravedigger's spade
could hide him. The wintry blasts of
death could not put out the bright light
There would be forge somewhere that
with silver hammer would weld the
broken links. In a city where the hoofs
of the pale horse never strike the pave
ment he would clasp his lost treasure.
He wipes away the tears from his eyes,
and he clears the choking grief from his
throat and exclaims, 81 shall go to himp
Was David right or wrong? five part
on earth, will we meet again in the next
world? "Well," " says some one, ''that
seems to be an impossibility. Heaven is
so large place we never could find our
kindred there" Going into some city
without having appointed time and
place for meeting, you might wander
around for weeks and for months, and
perhaps for years. and never see each
other, and heaven is yaster than all
earthly cities together. And how are you
going to find your departed friend in
that country? 1t is so vast a realm.
John went up on one mountain of in
spiration, and he looked off upon the
multitude, and he said, Thousands of
thousands - Then he came upon a
greater altitude of inspiration and looked
off upon it again, and he said, "Ten
Thousand times ten thousand. And
then he came ON higher mount of in
spiration and looked off again and he
said, ga hundred and forty and four
thousand and thousands Of thousands. "
And he came on q still greater height
of inspiration, and he looked off again
and exclaimed, GA great multitude that
no man can number.
Now, ask, how are you going to find
your friends in such throng as that?
Is not this idea we have been entertain
ing after all a falsity? Is this doctrine
Of future recognition Of friends in heav-
en- guess, a myth, whim, or is it
granitic foundation upon which the soul
pierced of all ages may build Il glorious
hope? Intense question! Every heart in
this audience throbs right into it. There
is in every soul here the tomb Of at least
one dead. Tremendous question: 1t
makes the lip quiver, and the cheek
flush, and the entire nature thrill. Shall
we know each other there? get letters
almost every month asking me to dis
cuss this subject. I get letter in a
bold, scholarly hand, On gilt edged pa
per, asking me to discuss this question,
and I say, "Ah, that is curious man,
and he wants curious question solved. "
But I get another letter. 1t is written
with o trembling hand and on what
seems to be torn out leaf Of book,
and there and here is the mark of tear,
and I say, "Oh, that is a broken heart,
and it wants to be comforted.
From Theory to Certainty.
The object of this sermon is to take
this theory out Of the region of s1r1nise
and speculation into the region of posi-
tive certainty. People say: SIT would be
very pleasant if that doctrine were true
hope it may be true. Perhaps it is true
I wish it were true" But believe that
can bring an accumulation of argu-
ment to bear upon this matter which
will prove the doctrine of future recog-
milton as plainly as that there is any
heaven at all, and that the kis Of re-
union at the celestial gate will be as
certain as the dying kiss at the door of
the sepulcher.
Now, when you are going to build q
ship you must get the right kind of tim
Der. You lay the keel and make the
framework of the very best materials
the keelson, stanchions, plank shear,
counter timber, knees, transoms-all
iron or solid oak. You may build ship
of lighter material, but when the cy-
clone comes on it will go down. Now,
we may have a great many beautiful
theories about the future world built
out of our own fancy, and they may do
very we'll as long as we have smooth
sailing in the world. But when the
storms of sorrow come upon us, and the
hurricane of death, we will be swamped,
we will be foundered. We want the
ory built out of Gods eternal word. The
doctrine of future recognition is not SO
often positively stated in the word Of
God as implied, and you know, my
friends, that that is, after all, the
strongest mode of affirmation. Your
friend travels in foreign lands. He
comes home. He does not begin by ar
guing with you to prove that there are
such places as Lonuon and Stockholm
and Paris and Dresden and Berlin, but
his conversation implies it. And SO this
Bible does not SO positively state this
theory as all up and down its chapters
take it for granted.
What does my text imply? 81 shall
go to him" What consolation would it
be to David to go to his child if he
would not know him? Would David
have been allowed to record this antici-
patton for the inspection of all ages if it
were a groundless anticipation? We read
in the first book of the Bible: Abraham
died and was gathered to his people.
Jacob died and was gathered to his peo-