Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1900-08-29
SERMON
na. DR.. caln'ase

Nv u. \"ill'"S>
sobjeci: Spiritual values-Earthlv Richie,
Are TraMsitory, But the Giories o
Heaven Are EverlastinE-Cosnp pares the
Priceless Soul with tho valueless Body
tCopyriRht lsoaI
WASHINGTON, d. c. From Berlin,
where he preached in the American church
to congregation comprising many of his
who are travelling through
Europe, DR.. Talmage sends this discourse,
in which, by original methods, he calcu
lates spiritual values and urges higher ap-
probation of things religious. The text
is Mark viii, SO: What shall it profit q
man if he shall gain the whole world and
lose his own soul?"
Men of all OCCUPATIONS are to be found
In the assemblies of the house of God, but
IN these days of extensive business opera
t.ons large proportion are engaged from
Monday morning to Saturday night in bar
gain making. In many of the families
across the breakfast table and the tea
table are discussed questions of loss and
gain. You are every day asking yourself:
"What is the value of this? What is the
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
for s.. If you had property that was
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 His instruc-
tions to the circumstances of those to
whom He spoke. When He talked to
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.
bic 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 il
profit man if he shall gain the whole
world and lose his own soul?"
1 propose, as far as possible, to estimate
and compare the value of the two proper
ties.
First, 1 have to say that the world is a
very grand prorerty. Its flowers are
Gods thoughts in bloom. Its rocks are
Gods thoughts in stone. Its dewdrops
are Gods thoughts in pearl. This world
it has wandered off through the heavens
But about 1901 years ago, one Christina:
night. God sent out a sister world to cal
that wanderer back, and it hung ovel
Bethlehem only long enough to get the
promise of the wanderers return, anG
now that lost world, with soft feet o.
light, comes treading 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 eacl
other in tears after the storm is over
How nimble the feet of lamplighters thai
in a few minutes set all the dome of thu
night ablaze with brackets of fire! How
bright the oar of the saffron cloud thai
rows across the deep sea of heaven! How
beautiful the spring, with bridal blossoms
in her hair! wonder who it is that beat
time on June morning for the bird or
chestra. How gently the harebell tolls it
fragrance on the air! There may b
grander worlds, larIer worlds than this
sss seisa ssss shis 2. = 4. noss Ssso sz9ss,s
mensity! e6k 3 5ou say, take No soul
give me that world! l am fswilling to talk
It in exchange am ready now for tn
bargain. It is SO beautiful a world, 81
sweet world, so grand world!"
But let US look NOR. minutely into th
value of this world. You will not bu!
property unless you can get a good title t,
and found out that it suits you you sen,
an attorney to the public office, and h,
Examines the book of deeds and the bool
pf mortgages ana the book of Judgment
knd the book of liens, and he decide
whether the title is good before you will
fiave anything to do with it. There nigh
be splendid property and in every wa.
Exactly suited to your want, but II yo'
tannot get good title you will not TAX
it. Now, l am here to say that it is i'm
possible to get a good title to this world
Ii l settle down unon 1t, In the very yea
/ so settle down upon it as a permalfen
possession, l may be driven away from it
Aye, in five minutes afterward l give VI
my soul for the world | may have to par
with the world, anu what kind of a it'll
do you call that! There is only one wa!
in which l can hold an earthly possession
and that is through the senses. All beau
tiful sights through the eye, but the ey,
may be bloI,ed out; all captivating sounds
through the ear, but my ear may be deaf
ened; all lusciousness of fruits and viand
through my taste but my taste may be de
stroyed; all appreciation of culture and o
art through my mind, but l may lose m!
mind. What a frail hold, then, | hav'
upon anv earthly possession!
In courts of law, if you want to get ;
man of property you must serve upoi
him writ OF ejectment, giving him Ger
tain time to vacate the premises, bu
when death comes to us and serves a WI
of ejectment he does not give us one sec
ond of forewarning. He says: ''Off of th;
place! You have no right any longer t,
the possession" We might cry out, g
gave you 100000 for that property" tn,
plea would be of no avail. We might say
I'VE have a warrantee deed for that prop
erty;" the plea would be of no avail
We might say, 1--WE have a lien on thai
Death is blind, and he cannot see a sea
and cannot read an indenture. So that
when you propose that l give up my sou
first and last, l want to tell you that
for the world you cannot give me the first
item of title.
Having examines the title of property
your next Ques,,on is about insurance lou
would not be silly enough to buy large
warehouse that could not possibly be in
sured. You would not have anything tc
do with such property. Now, l ask yor
what assurance can you give me that tins
world is not going to be burned up;
Absolutely none. biologists tell us that
it Is already on fire; that the heart of the
world is onc great living coal; that it is
Just like a ship on fire at sea, the flames
not bursting out because the matches are
kept down. And yet you propose to palm
off on me, in return for my soul, world
for which, in the first place, you give nc
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 infiammable elements
in the water, hydrogen and oxygen. Cal
off the hydrogen, and then the Atlantic
and the Pacific oceans would blaze like
heaps of shavings. You want me to take
this world, for which you can give no pos
sible insurance.
Astronomers have swept their telescopes
through the sky and have found ont that
there have been fifteen worlds, in the last
two centuries, that have disappeared. A,
first they looked just like other worlds
Then they got deeply red-they were on
fire. Then they got ashen, showing they
were burned down. Then they disap
peared, showing that even the ashes were
scattered. And, if the geoiogist be right
in his prophecy, then our world is to go in
the same way. And yet you want me to
exchange my soul tor 1t. All, no; it is a
world mat is burning now. Suppose you
brought an insurance agent to look at
vour Dronerty for the DurpOse of giving