Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1899-12-07
DIR. TALMAGES SERMON.
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE NOTED
DIVINE.

Subject: Tho Coming Sermon-Inspiration
For the Future Religious Elaboration
Will Be Drawn From the Living Christ
Theology Must Take a Back Sent.
Copyright. Louis Klopsch 1885,,
WASHINGTON, D. C.-In this discourse DIR.
Talmage addresses all Christian workers
and describes what he thinks will be the
modes Of preaching the gospel In the future;
wait on our ministerlng."
While was seated on piazza Of hotel
at Lexington, KY, ono summer evening a
gentleman asked me, "What do you think
OF the coming sermon?" supposed he was
asking me In regard to some new discourse
Of DR.. Cumming OF London, who some
times preached startling sermons, and
replied, II have not seen It," But found
out afterward that he meant to ask what
thought would be the characteristics Of
mons OF the future, the word "Cumning"
ns noun pronounced the same as the
word Coming" as IN adjective. But nv
mistake suggested to me very important
and practical theme, "The Coming Ser.
mon."
Before the world is converted the stvle Of
religious discourse will have to be con-
verted. You might as we'll go into the
modern Sedan or Gettysburg with bows
and arrows, instead Of rifles and BON bshelIs
and parks OF artillery, as to expect to con-
quer this world for God by the old styles
OF exhortation and sermonology. Jona-
than Edwards preached the sermons m ost
adapted to the age In which he lived. but
IL those sermons were preached now they
would divide an audience into two Glasses
those sound asleep and those wanting to
60 home.
But there is a discourse of the future.
Who will preach 1t have no idea. In what
part OF the earth 1t will be born have no
1dea. In which denomination OF Christians
1t will be delivered cannot guess. That
discourse OF exhortation may be born in
the country meeting house on the banks of
the st. Lawrence orthe Oregon or the Ohio
or the Tombigbee or the Alabama. The
person who shall deliver 1t may this mo-
ment be In cradle under the shadow Of
the Sierra Nevadas or in New England
farmhouse or amid the riceflelds of South
ern savannas, or this moment there may be
some young man In one OF our theological
semiparies, in the junior or middle or sem
ior class. shaping that weapon OF power,
or there may be coming some new baptism
OF the Holy Ghost on tho churches, SO that
some OF MS who now stand in the watch
towers OF Zion, waking to a realization OF
our present efliciency, may preach 1t our
selves. That coming discourse may not be
fifty years off. And let us pray GOD that
Its arrival may be hastened while 1 an
nounce to you what Lthink will be the chief
characteristics Of that discourse or exhor-
tation when 1t docs arrive, and / want to
make my remarks appropriate and sug-
gestive to all classes of Christian workers
First Of all. remark that that future re-
ligLous discourse will be full OF u living
Christ in contradistinction to didactic
techpicalities. discourse may be full OF
Christ though hardly mentioning His name
and sermon may be empty OF Christ while
every sentence is repettious Of His titles
The world wants a living Christ, not u
Hhr{of cka, 1tn<r rpk hnl \ -. pz-
tenn OF theology. but q Christ who means
pardon and sympathy and coincidence and
brotherhood and life and heaven, poor
mans Christ, rich mans Christ, an over
worked mans Christ, an invalid's Christ, a
farmers Christ, q merchants Christ, an ar
tisan's Christ, an every mans Christ.
A symmetrical and fine worded system OF
theology is we'll enough for the theological
ciasseS, but II has no more business in a
pulpit than have the technical phrases OF
an anatomist or psychologist or physl-
clan IN the slckroom OF patient. The
world wants help, immediate and world
uplifting, and 1t will come through dis
course In which Christ shall walk right
down into the imm ortal soul and take ever
lasting possession OF 1t. filling 1t as full OF
light as Is this MONDAY armament
That sermon of exhortation of the future
will not deal with men in the threadbare
illustrations OF Jesus Christ. In that COM
ing address there will be Instances OF
vicarious suffering taken right out OF
everyday life, for there is not day when
somebody is not dying for others-as the
physician saving his diphtheritic patient
sly sacrificing his own life as the ship cap
tain going down with his vessel while he
is getting Ais passengers into the lifeboat;
as the fireman consuming In the burning
building while he Is taking child out Of
fourth story window; as in summer the
strong swimmer at East Hampton or Long
Branch or Cape May or Lake George him
self perished trying to rescue the drown
ing; as the newspaper boy one summer,
supporting his mother for some years, his
Invalid mother, when offered by a gentle-
man nifty cents to get some special paper,
and he got II and rushed up In his anxiety
to deliver 1t and was crushed under the
wheels OF the train anl lay on tho grass
with only strength enough to say. "Oh,
what will become OF my poor, sick mother
now?" Vicurlous suffering-the world is
full OF it. An engineer said to mo on
locomotive In Dakota: "We men seem to
be coming to better appreciation than
we used to. Did you see that account the
other day OF On engineer who to save his
passengers stuck to his post, and when he
was found dead in the locomotive which
ing, his hand on the air-brake?" And as
the engineer said 1t to me he put his hand
on the air brake to illustrate his meaning,
and looked at me and thought: "You
would be just as much hero In the same
crisls.''
Oh, in that religious discourse OF the
future there will be living illustrations
taken out from everyday life OF vicarlous
uffering-illustrations that will ering to
mind the ghastlier sacrifice OF Him, who in
the high places OF thesfleld, on the cross,
fought our battles, and endured our strug-
gle and died our death. A German sculp-
tor made an image OF Christ, ana he asked
his little child, two years old, who 1t was,
and she said, THAT must be some very
great man." The sculptor was displeased
with the criticism, 80 he got another block
OF marble and chiseled away on It two or
three years, and then he brought In his
little child, fonr or five years of age, and
said to her, VINO do you think that is?''
She said, "That must be the One who took
little children In His arms and blessed
them." Then the sculptor was satisfied.
Oh, my friends, what the world wants is
not cold Christ, not an intellectual
Christ, not severely magisterial Christ,
but IL loving Christ, spreading out Hts
arms Of sympathy to press the whole world
to His loving heart.
But ! remark again that the religious
dtsc0urea of the futura will hava IN ba