Marshall County independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1897-1902, 1900-08-24
TALMAGES SERMON.
COMPARES EARTHLY VALUES
WITH HEAVENLY RICHES.
Higher Appreciation of Things Relig-
ious Urged-The Inestimable Value of
Human Soul Christs Vicarious
Sacrifice.

from Berlin, Wler6 he preac NED IN
the American church to a great con-
gregation, comprising many of his
countrymen who are travelling through
Europe, Dr. Talmage sends this dis
course. in which, by original methods,
he calculates spiritual values and
urges higher appreciation of things re-
ligious. The text is Mark viii, 80,
What shall it profit man if he shall
gain the whole world and lose his own
soul?'
First, | have to say that the world
is very grand property. Its flowers
are Gods thought in bloom; its rocks
are Gods thoughts in stone; its dew
drops are Gods thoughts in pearl.
This world is Gods child-a hayward
child. indeed. 1t has wandered off
through the heavens. But about l 900
years ago, one Christmas night, God
sent out a sister world to call that
wanderer back, and it hung over Beth
lehem only long enough TO get the
promise of the wanderers return, and
now that lost world, with soft feet of
light, comes reading back through the
heavens. The hills-how beautiful
they billOw up the edge of the wave
white with the foam of crocuses! How
beautiful the rainbow, the arched
bridge on which heaven and earth
come and talk TO each other in tears
after the storm is over, How nimble
the feet of the lamp-lighters that in a
q ~ inn hn of 1n
night ablaze with brackets of fire,
How bright the oar of the saffron
cloud that rows across the deep sea of
heaven. How beautiful the spring,
with bridal blossoms in her hair, /
wonder who it is that beats time on
June morning for the bird orchestra?
How gently the harebell tolls its frag-
rance On the air, There may be grand
er worlds than this. but l think that
this is most exquisite world, mig
nonette on the bosom of immensely.
oh" you say, take my soul, Give
me that world ! am willing TO take
it in exchange. l am ready now for
the bargain. 1t is SO beautiful world,
so sweet a world, so grand a world"
The Value of the World.
But let us look more infinitely into
the value of this world. You will not
buy property unless you can get good
title TO it. After you have looked at
the property and found out that it
suits you. you send an attorney TO the
public Office, and ne examines the book
of of fr.tc
the book of judgments and the book
of liens and he decides whether the
title is good before you will have any
thing to do with it, There might be a
splendid property, and in every way
exactly suited to your want but if you
cannot get a good title you will not
take it, Now, am here to say that it is
impossible TO get good title to this
world. If | settle down upon it, in
the very year | so settle down upon it
as a permanent possession. | may be
driven away from it. Aye, in five min
utes after | give up my soul for the
world, | may have to part with the
world. and what kind of a title do you
call that? There is only one way in
which l can hold an earthly posses
sion, and that is through the senses.
All beautiful sights through the eye.
but the eye may be blotted out; all
captivating sounds through the ear. but
my ear may be deafened: ali luscious
ness of fruits and viands through ny
taste. but my taste may be destroyed:
all appreciation of culture and of art
through my mind, but | may lose my
mind. What a frail hold. then, | have
upon any earthly possession,
In courts of law. if you want to get a
man off a property you must serve
upon him writ of eiectment. giving
him a certain time to vacate the prem
ises, but when death comes to us and
serves a writ of ejectment. he does not
give us one second of fOrewarnins.
He says: OF of this place, You have
no right any longer TO the possession" |
We might cry out, Il gave you hun
dred thousand dollars for that prop
erty;" the plea would be of no avail. |
We might say. we have WARRANTED
deed for that property" the plea |
would be of no avail. We might say.
We have a lien on that storehouse;" /
that would do us no good. Death is
blind, and he cannot see a seal and |
cannot read an indenture So that. |
first and last. | want to tell YOU that |
when you propose that | give up my
soul for the world you cannot give me
the first item of title.
Question of Insurance.
Having examined the title of d prom
erty. your next question is about in
surance You would not be silly !
enough TO buy large warehouse that !
could not possibly be insured You |
would not have anything to do with |
such a property. Now | ask you what |
assurance can you give me that this |
world IS not going to be burned up? |
none. Biologists tell rs |
that 1t is already on fire: that the
heart of the world is one great living /
coal; that 1t is just like a shin on fire |
al sea, the flames not bursting out be-
cause the matches are kept down. And !
yet you propose to palm off on me. in
return for my soul, a world for which |
IN the first place, you give no title, and /
IN the second place, for which you can
give no insurance oh" you say, |
the water of the oceans will wash |
over all the land and put out the fire.
Oh, no. There are infammable ele-
ments In the water. hydrogen and Oxy-
gen. Call off the hydrogen. and then
the Atlantic and Pacific oceans would |