The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1899-04-01
BOUND IN A BUNDLE.
DR.. Talmage Chooses a Familiar
Smile for a Text.
The Precious Bundle of Life and
the Care 1t Should Receive-Things
of Earthly and Heavenly
Existence.
eva shington
Copyright 1892

CWashington Copyright 1897
Under the familiar image of bundle
DR.. Talmage shows in this sermon the
things which go to make up mans
earthly and heavenly life; text, Samuel
$500. 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, ad-
| dressed David the warrior in the words
of the text. She suggests that his life,
physically and intellectually and spirit
ually, is 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 repetitions, 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 Evolutionary 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 a
Bible phrase.
Now. the more I 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
grandiloquencei in 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
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 preciou:
stones flung under the feet of swine
and the shifting sand that let's dowr
the house with great crash and heal
the comparison of the text, the mos
unpoetical thing we can think Of
bundle. Ordinarily it is something
tossed about, something thrown undel
the table, some thing that suggests gar
rets or something on the shoulder o
poor wayfarer But there are bun
dies of great value, bundles put up will
> great caution. bundles the loss of which
means CONSERVATION and despair, ant
there have been bundles representing
the worth of a kingdom.
During the last spell of cold weathe
), there were bundles that attracted tn
attention and the plaudits of the higl
heavens-bundles of clothing on tn
way from comfortable homes to tn
door of the mission-room, and Chris
y stood in the snowbanks and said as tn
bundles passed: NAKED, and y
! clothed me. Inasmuch as ye have don
'' it unto one of the least of these, m
!, 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!
II With what beautiful aptitude did Abb
s. gail, in my text, speak of the bundle @
/ life! Oh, what a precious bundle
life! Bundle of memories, bundle {
II hopes, bundle of ambitions, bundle G
destinies! Once in awhile man write
- his autobiography, and it is of thrill
Is ing interest. The story of his brit
place, the story of his struggles, tn
le story of his sufferings, the story of h
a. triumphs! But if the autobiography {
the most eventful life were we'll write
% it would make many Chapters of advel
l. ture. of tragedy, of comedy, and thel
L. would not be an uninteresting ste
L. from cradle to grave.
Bundle of memories are you! Bo.
IL heod memories. with all it's injustice
y from playmates, with all its games wit
ball and bat and kite and sled. MAJ
y hood memories. with all your struggle
y in starting-obstacles, oppositions, a
VI cidents, misfortunes, losses, successe
H. Memories of. the first marriage you ev'
~ saw solemnized, of the first grave yc
u ever saw opened, of the first might
Sc wrong you ever suffered, of the fir
victory you ever gained Memory I
H. the hour when you were Alliance
o. memory of the first advent in yo1
~ home. memory of the roseate chez
faded and of blue eyes closed in Il
at last sleep, memory of anthem and
C. dirge. memory of great pain and
n slow convalescence, memory of tim
he when all things were against you, mel
lg DRY of properties that came in like Il
Ill full tide of the sea. memories of a lii
1g time. What bundle!
g / lit that bundle to-day and unloo
eo the cord that binds it, and for a m
ne ment you look in and see tears al
ca smiles and laughter and groans al
mondays and midnights of experient
se and then I tie again the bundle wi
es heartstrings that have some tir
sn vibrated with joy and anon be
ne thrummed by fingers of woe.
lie Bundle of hopes and ambitions al
ed is almost every man and woman, I
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