Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1899-12-07
Dr.TALMAGE SERMON
rnp GREAT DIVINE'S ELOQUENT
MESSAGE.
Subject: The Coming Sermon-Inspirafion
For the Future Religious Exhortatioh
WIN BE Drawn From the Living Ihria'
Theology Must Take n Back Seat.

modes o. reaching The gospel IN the iutOre;
text, I0mans xii, !, "Or ministry, let Us
wait IN oEr minietaring.'
WIFI. ! was seated on a piazza o. q hotei
at Lexington, Ky, one summer e"eaing a |
gentleman asked me-. What DO you think
Of the coming sermon" supposed he was
askins ne IN regard TO some new discourse
al Dr. C.mming OF London, who isome-
tiu,r- rteaehed startling aermons and !
reilieI. i have not seen it But | found
on, 4~ttrrWarl that ne meant 70 ask what l
thought would le tho characteristics OF
the e9mlng ~ernon of the world. the ser
moa4 II tie fatGre. the word Cumming
az a !.oun pronounced the same as the
wor! couing' as an adjective. But my
nt,.,.hc sIggested t. N" Il very in portant
and ~: ,ical theme, Tho Coming Ser
mon
Nofarc -hn worId i. converted the style II
religious discourse will have TO be con-
vertrI. Iou might a we'll 90 into tie
fno!r-n sedan or Gettysburg with bows
AMI a.rowa. instead OF rifles and bombshells
ana Jnrks II artillery. rs 70 expect to COLI
qurr this world for God by the old styles
or cxhortati0nr and sermonOlOgy. J0na-
chan Edwar1- preached the sermons most
adnr:el 70 the ago in which he lived. but
frth1-c sermons were preached now they
woull divide an audience into two classes
those sound asleep and those wanting TO
20 home.
But there i. a discourse Of the future.
who will trench 1t | have no idea. In what
part nf the EARTH It will be born | have no
td.a In which denomination OF Christians
il viii be- delivered l cannot guess. That
lis .GIr-e Of "xhortatiOn may be born in
tha country Meeting house on the banks OF
the st. Lawrence or tho Oregon or the Ohio
or .hn T0mbigbeo or the Alabama. The
person who shall deliver It may this no.
incnt ie in n cradle under the shadow Of
I'll. sierra NeyadaS or In n New England
farmhouse or amid the ricenelds OF South
n,I - chit ynr pna ~ J. ~ M a ~ la
eolue yoINE man In ono Of our theological
atmtnarie-, III the junior or middle or SEN
~ niAe-. shaping that weapon OF power,
or there may be coming some new baptism
ot -.r Holy Ghost on the churches, SO that
some II ~ who now stand in the watch
tower of Zion, waking to Il realization Of
our present efficiency. may preach 1t our
selves. That coming discourse may not he
hftv year. of. And let Us pray God that
its arrival may be hastened while | an
nouLeo to you what think will be the chef
characteristics OF that discourse or exhor-
fatiDu when 1T does arrive, and | want to
max" my remarks appropriate and sug-
gcstive to all classes OF Christian workers.
First ~ all, | remark that that future re-
ijcidus discourse will be fall OF a living
christ fl contrudistinction to- didactic
t. huicallties. A DISCOURSE may te full Of
Christ though hardly mentioning His name,
and sermon may be empty Of Christ while
every sentence liz repetitiouS OF Ellis titles.
The world wants a living Christ, not q
Christ standing at the head OF q formal sys-
tenn Of theology. but II Christ who means
pardon and sympathy and coincidence and
brotherhood and life and heaven, u poor
mau Christ, y rich mans Christ. al over
worked mans Christ, an invalid Christ, n
farmers Christ, n merchants Christ, an ar
tis0n's Christ, an every man's Christ.
A eymmctrical and lne worded system OF
theology IL woli enough for the theological
Glasses. but It has no more business In n
pulpit than have the technical phrases OF
an ana'omist or a psychologist or a physi'
elan In the sickrOom OF II patient. The
world wants help, Immediate and world
uplifting, and It will come through u dis,
course III which Christ shall walk right
down into The immortal soul and take ever
lasting possession Of it. filling it as full Of
light as Is this MONDAY ARMAMENT.
That sermon Of exh0rtation Of the future
Will not deal with men in the threAdbart
substitution. OF Jesus Christ. In that com
inc address thorc will be instances o.
vi'tliou@ suffering taken right out o
everyday Iife. for there is not a day wheI
somebody is notifying for others-a5 TIE
physician saving his diphtheritic patien
hy sacrificing his own life; as the ship cap
tain going down with his vessel while Il,
i getting ..is passengers into the lifebOat
az tt" iiyoman consuming in the burnins
h',iliing while he is taking a child out of
fourth story window; ns In summer tht
sZ - - fFA''' ~ t-'E' Attb l'NtIt ~ JI'ar
iIr1n"i} OF Cape May or Lake George him
S"lf ftri>Noi trying to rescue the drown
iuE. rs the newspaper boy one summer
supporting his mother for some years, hi
invalid mother, whom offered by Il gentle
uiaa !itN cents To get some special paper
and n got it and rushed uu In bis anxiet'
- deliver it and was crushed under IL,
wheels Of the train and lay on the graz,
with only strength enough to say, "Ol
w2af will become OF my poor, sick mothe
~ . - ~ tta -crt n -, tIA ,.A- I +.
fuii " il, An engineer said to ma on
locomotive ia Dakota: "Wa men seem +
ha coming 10 y better appreciation tina
W. used t.. Did you see that account tt
other day Of mn engineer who 10 save hi
passengers stuck t. his post and when l.
was founl dead in the locomotive whfc
waeUqsiic down, Re was found still smi.
ing, his hand on the air-brakeE' And q
tac engineer said It - me he put his han
On III" air-brakc to illustrate his meanina
an! looked ut ne and thought: .Yo
would he Just rs much a hero in the sam
PriaI~. -
Oh. in that religious Discourse az Il
3utur" there viii t" living Illustration
1aken ont from everyday life Of ~vicariol
suffering illustrations that Will crins I
mind tha chastlier sacrifice OF HIM. who
the high places 81 III" field. on the eros
ought cur battles. and endured our strul
Gtr and iiet our teath. A German sculI
S1r made m imac" q Christ, and he askt
His litti" child two wears OIL. who it wa
and -he said. That must be some vel
great man" Fhe sculptor was disp.ease
with II" criticism - he got another bloc
~ Marco aud chi-e,ed away on il two !
<hrer years ait then he brought in h
little chiii. tuHr or Ave years o. age, al
said 10 her, Who do you think that Is
She said, "Tna. must be the one who to,
littl" children III His arms and bless
them Then tao-sculptur wa. satisne
Oh, my friends. what the world wants