The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-01-04
FROM LILIES TO THoRNS.
TALMAGE RETELLs THE GREATEST
STORY OF ALL TINE.


The Lord Jesus Christ Though Rich,
Yet For the sake of the World
Became POOr-A Picture of His Life
in the Homestead of Iternity-A
Day of Disaster in the Household
when the Race on This Earth Fell.
Christ to the Rescue and How He
Was Received.
Washington. Jan. 3.-In this discourse
of Rev DR. TaImage the greatest story
of all time is told in a new way and all
realms are drawn upon for illustration.
His text was II Corinthians, SO: Eye know
the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that
though he was rich. yet for your sakes
he became poor"
That all the worlds which on a cold win
ter's nieht make the heavens one great
glitter are without inhabitants is an ab-
surdity Scientists tell us that many of
these worlds are too hot or too cold or too
rarened of atmosphere for residence. But
If not fit for human abode they may be
fit for beings different from and superior
to ourselves. We are told that the world
of Jupiter is changing and becoming fit
for creatures like the human race, and
that Mars would do for the human family
with a little change in the structure Of
our respiratory organs. But that there
is a great world swung somewhere. vast
beyond imagination, and that it is the
headquarters of the universe, and
the metropolis Of immensely, and has a
population in numbers vast beyond all sta
tistics, and appointments of splendor be
yond the capacity Of canvas or poem, or
angel to describe, is as certain as the Bible
is authentic. Perhaps some of the astron-
omers with their big telescopes have al
ready caught a glimpse of it, not know
ing what it is. We spell it with six let
tiers and pronounce it heaven.
That is where Prince Jesus lived nine
teen centuries ago. He was the Kings
Son. 1t was the old homestead of eter-
nifty, and all its castles were as old as
God. Not a frost had ever chilled the air.
Not tear had ever rolled down the cheek
of one of its inhabitants. There had never
been a headache. or a sideache. or heart
ache. There had not been a funeral I'm the
memory of the oldest inhabitant There
had never in all the land been woven a
black veil. for there had never been any
thing to mourn over. The passage of mil
lions of years had not wrinkled or Grip
pied or bedimmed any of its citizens. All
the people there were in a state of eternal
adolescence. What floral and pomonic
richnessi Gardens of perpetual bloom and
orchards in unending fruitage. Had some
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 I speak had honors,
emoluments acclamations, such as no
other prince, celestial or terrestrial, ever
enjoyed. As he passed the street, the in
habtants took off from their brows gar
lands of white lilies and threw them In
the way. lie never entered any of the
temples without all the worshippers ris-
ing up and bowling in obeisance. In all
tho professions of the high days he was
the one who evoked the loudest welcome.
Sometimes on foot, walking in loving talk
with the humblest of the land, but at 9th
er times he took chariot, and among the
twenty thousand that the Psalmist spoke
of his was the swiftest and most fam
ing; or, as 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 sug-
gested in the Apocalypse. 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 a picture for the royal gallery rep
resenting the Emperor William on the
throne, and the crown prince as having
one foot on the step of the throne, the
Emperor William ordered the picture
changed, and said: Let the prince keep
his foot off the throne till l leave it,"
Already enthroned was the Heavenly
Prince side by side with the Father.
What a circle of dominionI What null
titudes of admirers! What unending
round of gloriesl All the towers chimed
the princes praises. OF all the inhabi-
tants, from the center of the city, on over
the hills and clear down to the beach
against which the ocean OF immensely rolls
its pillows, the prince was the acknowl-
edged favorite. No wonder my text
SAYS that "he was rich" Set all the dia-
monds of the earth in one scepter, build
all the palaces of the earth in one AL
hambra, gather all the pearls of the sea
in one diadem put all the values of the
earth in one coin, the aggregate could not
express his afTluence. Yes, st. Paul was
right Solomon had in gold six hundred
and eighty million pounds and in silver
one billion twenty-nine million three hun
dred and seventy-seVen pounds STERLING.
But greater than Solomon is here. Not
the millionaire, but the owner of all
things. To describe his celestial sur
roundings, the Bible uses all colors, gath
ering them in rainbow over the throne
and setting them as agate in the
temple window, and hosting twelve of
them into a wall, from striped jasper
at the base to transparent amethyst
in the capstone, while between are green
of emerald, and snow of pearl and blue of
sapphire, and yellow of topaz. grey of
chrysoprase. and flame of jacinth. All the
loveliness of landscape in foliage, and
river, and rill, and all enchantment aqua
marine the sea of glass mingled with fire
as when the sun sinks in the Medter-
ranean. All the thrill of music. instru-
mental and vocal harps, trumpets, doXo-
ogies. There stood the prince, surrounded
by those who had under their wings the We
locity of millions of miles in a second him
self rich in love, rich In alteration. rich IN
power, rich in worship. rich in holiness.
Tigh in "al the fulness of the Godhead
bodily"
But one day there was big disaster IN