The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-10-24
Or. TALMAGES SERMON.
suNDAYs DISCOURSE sYTHE NOTED
DIVINE.
tubiect: ThickeEing Gloom - Growing
Old without Religion Dismal Pros-
pect-Consoling Suggestions to Those
Who Have Passed Life's Aeridian'
fCnnYripht l9UUl

the Orlental village, ana makes So: ,,l,o
solatory suggestions. The text Is unS munS
xiv, %. "Abide with us, for it is toWaro
evening" ,.,,d .L.;.
Two villagers, having concluded thelf
errand in Jerusalem, have star!eu oue az AZ
the city gate and are on their way 70
Emmaus, the place of their residence.
They 90 with a sad heart. Jesus, VINO
had been their admiration ana enelr Joy
had been basely massacred ano entom oeo.
AS, with sad face and broken nears, .nsy
pass or their way a, s!IanseI .s.;as aecosss osS
them. Thew tell Him tnen anieti1s tuiS. anu
! them m;sbt;lv eIpounding the Scriptures.
4 H. tbrnSs over them the fascination of
intelliUent conversation. They forget the
/. time and notice not the objects they pass
and before they are aware have come in
sront ~ ther house. They pause before
The entrance and attempt to persuade the
strancer to Garry with them. They press
rIssn Finn their ,hospitalities. Night is
coming on, and He may meet prowling
Wild beast. or be Obliged TO be unsheltered
from the dew BE cannot go much farther
now. Why mt stop there and continue
ISe;r pleasant conversation? They take
Him by the arm, and they insist upon His
,romire, In, addressing Him in the words.
SAbiiis with us. for It is toward evening"
The iarnps, are lighted, the table ia spread,
nleasant socialties are enkindled. They re-
3o;ce in The presence of this stranger guest
Hessks alblessipg upon the bread they eat,
andzHe hands piece of it to each. Sud
denly and with Overwhelming power the
Thought flashess6pon the astoupded peo-
ple-it is ths Lord! And as they sit in
breathless Bnder, looking upon the resmr-
rected beS of Jesus, He vanished The
intery;sS ended. He was gone 7ga
WitEnany of us it is bright sunshiny
sSdsyssf prosperity. There is,lpot a cloud
The sky, not leaf rustling m the foresh
pno chill in the air. But we cannot expect
all this to last. He is not an intel{kent
man who expects perpetual day1&ht of
Joy. The sun will after awhile near the
horizon: the shadows will lengthen.
While I speak many of US stand in the
very hour described in the text, 'For it is
toward evening"" The request of the text
Is appropriate for some in everys<esnllu-
nifty, for with them it is toward the even
ridian of life. They are sometimes atar-
tied to toiDl how, cid they are. they do
not, however, like others to remarK nnoT
it. If others suggest their approximation
toward venerable appearance, they say,
"Why, I am not so old after ALL" They
do. indeed, notice that they cannot lift
quite as much as onces they cannot walk
quite SO fast; they cannot read quite 50
well without spectacles; they cannot so
easily recover from a cough or any occa-
sional ailment: they haye lost their taste
quick passage of the wear: they say that it
only seems but a little while ago that they
= were boys; they are going little down
hill; there is something in their health,
something in their vision, something in
their walk, something in their changing
associations, something above, something
beneath. something within to remind them
that it is toward evening.
. The great want of all such is to have
Jesus abide with them. 1t is a dismal
thing to be getting old without the reju-
venating influence of religion; ,s When we
stop on the down grade of life and see
(, HAT it dips to the verge of the cold river,
we want to behold some one near who
will help US across it, When the sight
loses its power to glance and gather up,
we need the faith that can illumine. When
we feel the failure Of the ear, we need the
clear tones of that voice which in olden
times broke up the silence of the deaf
with cadences of mercy. When the AK.
men of death hew down whole forests OF
strength and beauty around us and we
divine mercy to sing in our branches.
When the shadows begin to fall and we
feel that the day is far spent, we need
most of all to supplicate the benehcent
Jesus in the prayer of the villagers.
"Abide with US. for it is toward evening"
The request of the text is an appropriate
exclamation for all those who are .ap-
preaching tn" gloomy hour of temptation:
There is nothing easier than. to be good
natured when everything pleases, or to be
humble when there is nothing to puff US
uD, or forgiving when we have not been
assailed, or honest when we have no in
ducement. to fraud. But you have telt the
grapple of some temptation. Your nature
at some time quaked and groaned under
the Internal power. You feel that the devil
was after you; You saw your Christian
graces retreating; you fea ed that you
would fail in the awful wrestle with sin
and be thrown into the dust. The gloom
thickened. The first indications cf the
night we're seen. In all the trembling OF
your soul, in all the Internal suggestions OF
Satan, in all the surging up Of tumultuous
$ passions and excitements, you felt with
awful emphasis that it was toward even
ing, In the tempted hour you need to ask
back the monster that would devour you;
y you can unhorse the sin that would ride
you down., you can sharpen the battleaX
b with which you split the head of helmeted
q abomination. Who helped Paul shake the
brazen gated heart of Felix? Who acted
like good sailor when all the crew howled
in the Mediterranean shipwreck? Who
helped the martyrs to be firm when one
! word of recantation would have unfastened
the withes of the stake and put out the
kindling fire?
B When the night of the soul came on
8 and all the denizenss of darkness came md
ing upon the winds of perdition, who
gave strength to the soul? Who gave
calmness to the heart? Who broke the
spell of internal enchantment? He who
with us, for it is toward evening" One
OF the forts of France was attacked, and
y the outworks were taken before night.
The besieging army lay down, thinking
= that there was but little to do in the
y morning, and that the soldiery in the fort
could be easily made to surrender. But
during the night, through a back stairs,
they escaped into the country. In the
morning the besieging army sprang upon
the battlements, but found that their prey
was gone. So when we are assaulted by
temptation there is always some secret
stair by which we mi ght get off. Goo
will not allow US to be tempted above
what we are able, but with every tempta-
tion will bSing a way of escape thai we
may be able to Lear it.
The prayer of the text is appropriate
for all who are anticipating sorrow. The
greatest folly that ever grew on this
planet is the tendency to borrow trouble
but there are times when approaching
sorrow is so evident that we need to be
making especial preparations for it's com
ing. One OF your children has lately be-
come favorite. The cry Of that child