Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1899-04-14
BOUND IN A BUNDLE.
DR.. Talmage Chooses a Familiar
Smile for a Text.
The Precious bundle of Life and
the Care II should Recelve-1hIngs
of Earthly ana Heavenly
Existence.
Copyrlght 1899


DR.. Talmage shows in this sermon the
things which go to make up mans
earthly and heavenly life; text, ! Samuel
25:29. The soul of my Lord shall be
bound in the bundle of life with the
Lord thy God"
Beautiful Abigail, in her rhythmic
plea for the rescue of her inebriate hus-
band, who died within ten days, adj
dressed David the warrior in the words
of the text. She suggests that his life,
physically and intellectually and spirit
ually, is a valuable package or bundle,
divinely bound up and to be divinely
protected
That phrase "bundle of life" / heard
many times in my fathers family
prayers, Family prayers, you know,
have frequent repetitons, because day
by day they acknowledge about the
same blessings and sympathize with
about the same misfortunes, and do
not know why those who lead at house
hold devotions should seek variety of
composition. That familiar prayer be-
comes the household liturgy. | would
not give one of my old fathers prayers
for so elocutonary applications,
Again and again, in the morning and
evening prayer, | heard the request
that we might all be bound up in the
bundle of life, but did not know until
few days ago that the phrase was
Bible phrase.
Now, the more think OF it the better
/ like it. Bundle of life! 1t is such a
simple and unpretending, yet express
sive comparison. There is nothing like
grandiloquencein the Scriptures. While
there are many sublime passages in
Holy Writ, there are more passages
homely and drawing illustrations from
common observation and everyday life.
In Christ's great sermons you hear a
hen clucking her chickens together and
see the photographs of hypocrites with
a sad countenance and hear of the grass
of the field, and the black crows which
our Heavenly Father feeds, and the salt
that is worthless, and the precious
stones flung under the feet Of swine,
and the shifting sand that let's down
the house with great crash and hear
the comparison of the text, the most
unpoetical thing we can think OLA
bundle. Ordinarily il is something
tossed about, something thrown under
the table, something that suggests gar
rets or something on the shoulder of
poor wayfarer. But there are bun
dies of great value, bundles put up with
great caution, bundles the loss of which
means CONSERVATION and despair, and
there have been bundles representing
the worth of a kingdom.
During the last spell Of cold weather
there were bundles that attracted the
attention and the plaudits of the high
heavens-bundles of clothing on the
way from comfortable homes 10 the
dooJ of the mission-room, and Christ
stood in the snowbanks and said as the
bundles passed: Naked, and ye
clothed me. Inasmuch as We have done
1t unto one of the least of these, my
brethren, We have done it unto me-"
Those bundles are multiplying. Bless
ings on those who pack them! Bless
ings on those who distribute them!
Blessings on those who receive them!
With what beautiful aptitude did Abb
gail, in my text, speak Of the bundle of
life! Oh, what precious bundle is
| life! Bundle of memories, bundle of
hopes, bupde of ambitions, bundle of
destinies! Once in awhile man writes
his autobiography, and it is of thrill
ing interest The story of his birth
place, the story of his struggles, the
story of his sutferings, the story of his
triumphs! But if the autobiography of
the most eventful life were well written
it would make many chapters of advcn-
turc, of tragedy, of comedy, and there
would not be an uninteresting step
from cradle to grave.
Bundle Of memories are you. Boy
hood memories, with all its injustices
from paymates, with all its games with
ball and bat and kite and sled. Man
hood memories. with all your struggles
in starting-obstaclcs, oppositions, ac-
cidents, misfortunes, losses, successes.
Memories of the first marriage you ever
saw solemnized, of the first grave you
ever saw opened, Of the first mighty
wrong you ever suffered, of the first
victory you ever gained. Memory of
the hour when you were aflianced
memory Of the first advent in your
home, memory of the roseate cheek
faded and of blue eyes closed in the
last sleep, memory of anthem and OF
dirge, memory of great pain and OF
slow convalescence, memory of times
when all things were against you, mem
DRY Of properties that came Ia Ike fhc
| full tide of the sea- memories of life.
time. What a bundle!
I lift that bundle to-day and unloose
the cord that binds it, and for n mo
ment you look in and see tears and
smiles and laughter and groans and
mondays and midnights Of experience
and then | tic again the bundle Will
heartstrings that have some time
vibrated with JOY ard anon beer
thrummcd by fingers OF woe.
bundle Of hopes and ambitions also
is almost every man and woman, es
pecially at Eve starting. What gains
he will harvest, OF what reputation be
will achieve, or what bliss he will reach
or what love he will win. What makes
college commencement day so entranc
ing 10 all of us as we see the students
receive their diplomas and take up thu
garlands thrown to their feet. They
will be Faradays in science; they vii
be Tennysons in poesy; they will be
Willard Parkers in surgery; they vii
be Alexander Hamitous in national
fnansas they will be Horace Greeley'