Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1900-08-30
[Copyright 1900. |


[copyriaht 1901
WASHINGTON, d. c. From Berlin,
where he preached in the American
to congregation comprising manyI
countrymen who are travelling tn
Europe, DR.. Talmage sends this disc
in which, by original methods, he
lates spiritual values and urges high,
is Mark viii, SO: ''What shall it prol
man if he shall gain the whole world
lose his own soul!"
Men of all occupations are to be g
in the assemblies of the house of God
in these days of extensive business oi
tions large proportion are engaged
Monday morning to Saturday night in
across the breakfast table and the
table are discussed questions OF loss
gain. You are every day asking yourS
"What is the value of this! What is t.4-
value of that" You would not think of
giving something OF greater value for that
which is OF lesser value. You would not
think of selling that which cost you $40
worth $4,000, you would not sell it for
$4,000 You are intelligent in all matters
of bargain making Are YOU as wise in
the things that pertain to the matters OF
the soul: Christ adapted Ills instruc-
tions to the circumstances OF those to
WnOin lie SpOke. Wneu lie Idikeu W
fishermen, He spoke of the gospel net
When He talked to the farmers, He said:
a sower went forth to SOW" When He
talked to the shepherds. He told the para
BILE of the lost sheep. And am | not right
when speaking to an audience made up of
bargain makers that | address them in the
words of my text, asking, What shall it
profit man if he shall gain the whole
world and lose his own soul"
| DrODOse ne far as pOSSiblp to estimate
and compare the value of the two proper
ties.
First, I have to say that the world is a
very grand property. Its flowers are
Gods thoughts in bloom Its rocks are
Gods thoughts in Stone. Its dewdrops
is Gods cnlld-a wayward child, indeed; !;
it has wandered off through the heavens.
But about 1909 years ago, one Christmas
night God sent out sister world to call
that wanderer back. and it hung over
Bethlehem only long enough to get the
promise of the wanderers return, and
now that lost world, with soft feet of
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 lamplighters that
in a few minutes set all the dome of the
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 or
chestra. How gently the harebell tolls its
fragrance on the air! There may be
grander worlds. larger worlds than this.
httt l hat ~ fa
world-a mignonette on the bosom of inn
mensty. Oh you say, take my soul /;
give me that world! / am willing to take
it in exchange. | am ready now for the
bargain. 1t is so beautiful world, so
sweet world so grand world!'
But let us look more minutely 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 he
examines the book OF deeds and the book
of mortgages ana the book of judgments
and the book OF liens. and he decides
whether the title is good before you will
have anything to do with it. There might
be splendid property and in every way
exactly suited to your want, but il you
cannot get good title you will not take
it, Now, | am here to say that it is i'm
possible to get good title to this world.
1t l 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 minutes afterward | give up
my soul for the world | may have to part
with the world ana what kind of a title
lc YOU call that? There is only one way
i'll which can hold an earthly possession,
and that is through the senses. All beau
tiful sights through the eye, but the eye
may he blot,ea out; all captivating sounds
through the ear, hut my ear may be deaf
ened; all msciousness of fruits and viands
stroyed; all appreciation OF culture and OF
art through my mind, but | may lose my
mind. What frail hold. then, | have
upon anv earthly possession
In courts of law, If you want to get a
man off property you must serve upon
! him writ OF ejectment, giving him GER
tain time TO vacate the premises, but
when death comes To us and serves a writ
OF ejectment he does not give us one sec
ond OF forcwarning. lie says: "Off OF this
place. You have no right any longer to
the possession We might cry out, #
gave you 100000 for that property" the
plea would he OF no avail. We might say.
I'VE have warrantee deed for that prop
crty," the plea would be of no avail.
We might say, We have 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.
when you propose that | give up my soul
first and last, | want to tell you that
Tor the world you cannot give me the first
item OF title
Having examined the title OF a property
your next question Is about insurance. You
would not he silly enough to buy large
warehouse that could not possibly he in
sured. Yon would not have anything to
do with such Il property. Now, ask you
what assurance can YOU give me that tins
world u not going to be burned up:
Absolutely none. biologists tell us that
II is already on fire; that the heart of the
world Is one great living coal that II Is
just like a ship on fire at sea. the flames
not bursting out because the hatches are
kept down. And yet YOU propose to palin
oil ON me, ~ return for my SOUL a world
Tor which. in the first place, you give no
title, and, ia the second place ior 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 inilammabe elements
IA the water, hydrogen and oxygen, Call
oil the hydrogen, and then the Atlantic
and the Pacific oceans would blaze like
heaps of shavings You want me to take
this world. lor which You can give no pos
sible insurance.