The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1899-12-06
DIR, TALMAGES SERMON.
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE Blythe NOTED
DIVINE.

Dlp!NEs
Subject: The Coming Sermon-InspiratIon
For the Future Religious Exhortation
Will Be Drawn From the Living Christ
Theology Must Take q Back Seat.
copyright, Louis Klopsch. 1891
WASHINGTON, D. C.-In this discourse DR..
Taimage addresses all Christian workers
aid describes what he thinks will be the
modes Of preaching the gospel in the future;
text, Romans XIII, 7, "Or ministry, let US
wait on our ministering."
While was seated on piazza OF hotel
at Lexington, KY, one summer evening a
Of the coming sermon2" supposed he was
asking me In regard to some new discourse
Of DR.. Cumming Of London, who some.
times preached startling sermons, and
replied, 81 have not seen It," But found
out afterward that he meant to ask what
thought would be the characteristics oi
the coming sermon OF the world, the ser.
mons OF the future, the word "Cumning'
as noun pronounced the same as the
word "coming" as an adjective. But my
mistake suggested to me very important
and practical theme, 1.-THE Coming Ser
mon.'
Before the world Is converted the style oil
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 bombshells
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 sermo ons most
adapted to the age In which he lived, but
II those sermons were preached now they
would divide an audience into two classes
those sound asleep and those wanting to
60 home.
But therc is a discourse OF the fu ture.
part OF the earth It will be born have no
idea. In which denomination OF Christians
1t will be delivered I cannot guess. That
discourse OF exhortatlon may be born in
the country meeting house on the banks Of
the st. Lawrence or the Oregon or the Ohio
or the Tombigbee or the Alabama. The
person who shall deliver It may this mo-
ment be in cradle under the shadow Of
the Sierra Nevadas or in O New England
farmhouse or amid the rlcefelds 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
some OF us who now stand In the watoh-
towers OF Zion, waking to realization OF
our present efficiency. may preach 1t our
selves. That coming discourse may not be
fifty years off. And let US pray God that
its nrrivel may be hastened while an
nounce to you what 4think will be the chief
characteristics of that discourse or eIhor-
tation when 1t does arrive, and I want to
make my remarks appropriate and sug-
gestive to all classes OF Christian workers.
First Of all, remark that that future re-
Christ IN contradlstinction to didactic
technfcalities. A discourse may be full Of
Christthough hardly mentioning His name,
and u sermon may beempty OF Christ while
every sentence is repetitious OF His titles.
The world wants a living Christ, not o
Christ standing at the head OF q formal sys-
tenn OF theology, but Christ who means
pardon and sympathy and coincidence and
brotherhood and life and heaven, q poor
mans Christ, rich nuns Christ, an over
worked mans Christ, an invtlid's Christ, a
farmers Christ, O merchants Christ, an ar
tisan's Christ, an every mans Christ.
theology Ia we'll enough for the theological
classes, but 1t has no more business In q
pulpit than have the technical phrases OF
an anaromist or a psychologist or q pbysi-
clan in the sickroom OF patient. The
world wants help, Immediate and world
uplifting, and II will como through dis.
course In which Christ shall walk right
down into the immortal soul and take ever.
lasting possession OF 1t, filling 1t as full Of
light ns 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 a day when
somebody is not dying for others-as the
physician saving his diphtheritic patient
by sacrificing his own life; as ths ship cap
tain going down with his vessel while he
is getting us passengers into the lifeboat;
as the fireman consuming In the burning
building while he Is taking child out OF 8
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 gentle
man fifty cents to get some special paper,
and he got It and rushed up in his anxiety
to deliver 1t and WAS crushed under the
wheels OF the train and lay on the grass
with only strength enough to say, "Oh,
what will become OF my poor, sick mother
now2" Yicarious suffering-the world Is
full OF It. An engineer said to- me- on q
locomotive In Dakota: "We men seem to
be coming to better appreciation than
we used to. Did you see TINT account the
other day OF an engineer who to save his
passengers stuck to his post, and when he
was found dead In the locomotive which
was upside down. he was found still smil-
ing, his hand on the air-brake?" And as
the engineer said 1t to me lie put his hand
on the air.brake to illustrate his meaning,
and looked Mt me and thought: "You
would be Just rs much Il hero In the same
crisls.''
Oh, in that religious discourse OF the
future there will be living iilu stratlons
taken out from everyday life Of vi carious
suffering-ilIu that will ering to
mind the ghastlier sacrifice OF Him, who In
the high places OF the field, on the cross,
fought our battles, and endured our strug-
gle and died our death. A German sculp-
tor made an image OF Christ, and 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 1t two or
three years, and then he brought In his
little child, four or five years OF age, and
said to her, who do you think that is3"
She said, 'That must be the One who took
little children in His arms and blessed
them." Then the sculptor was satisfied.
Oh, nv friends, what the world wants Is
not cold Christ, not an intellectual
Christ, not q severely magisterlal Christ,
hut n loving Christ, spreading out His
arms Of sympathy to press the whole world
to His loving heart.
But remark again that the religious
discourse Of the future will hnve to be
short. Condensation - demanded by the
age In which We live. No more need OF
long introductions and long applications
and 30 many divisions to discourse that
1t may be said to be hydra headed. In
other days men got all their information
from the pulpit. There were few books.
and there were no newspapers, nnd there