The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1900-11-10
Copyright 1904. !

downright 1900
WASHINGTON. y. c. In this sermon
DR.. Talmage discourses upon the invita-
ton given to Christ to stay overnight II
the Oriental village, and makes some con
solatorv suggestions The text is LUX
xxiy. %. abide with us, for it is towart
evening"
Two villagers, having concluded thei
errand in Jerusalem. have started ont a
the city gate and are on their way t.
Emmaus. the place OF their residence
They 60 with a sad heart. .Iesus. wht
had been their admiration and their JOY
had boon haselv massacred and entOmbed
IA. with sad face and broken heart, the,
r7ss their w'v a stranger accoSt'
them. They tell Him their anxeties and
bitterness of soul He in turn talks t.
them. nightly expounding the Scriptures
He throws over them the fascination o.
intelligent conversations They forget the
tine ard notice not the objects they pass
End before thew are aware have come in
front Of their house They pause before
The entrance and attempt to persuade the
stranger to tarrv with them. They press
coming ~. and He NAV meet a prowlins
wild beast or be obliged to be unsheltered
from the dew. He cannot 60 much farther
now Why not stop there and continue
their pleasant conversation? They take
Him by the arm, and they insist upon His
coming in addressing Him in the words.
"Aoide with US. for it is toward evening"
The lamps are lighted. the table il spread,
pleasant socialties are enkindled. They re-
ioce in the presence of this stranger guest.
He asks blessing upon the bread they eat.
and He hands piece of it to each. Sud.
denly and with overwhelming power the
thought flashes upon the astounded peo.
nle-it is the Lord! And as they sit in
hreathless wonder. looking upon the resur-
rected body Of Jesus. He vanished. The
interview ended. He was gone.
With many of us it is bright sunshinv
day of prosperity. There is not a cloud
in the sky. not leaf rustling in the forest.
no chill in the air But we cannot expect
all this, to last. He is not an intelligent
man who expects perpetual daylight OF
horizon: the shadows will lengthen.
While I speak manv of liz stand in the
very hour described in the text, "For it is
toward evening" The request Of the text
is apWonrate for some in every commu-
nifty, for with them it is toward the even.
ing of old age. They have passed the me.
Iidan Of life. They are sometimes star
tied to lin'1 how old ther are. They do
not, however. like others to remark uno-l
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 once: they cannot walk
quite so fast; they cannot read quite so
well without spectacles; they cannot go
easily recover from a cough or any occa-
sional ai'ment: they have lost their taste
for merriment: they are surprised at the
quick passage of the year; they say that it
l,-- bod -
were boys; they are going a 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. It is a dismal
thing to be getting old without the reju.
venating influence of religion. When we
stop on the down grade of life and see
vat 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 mower 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 az
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 benefcent
Jesus in the prayer of the villagers.
abide with us. for it is toward evening""
The request of the text is an appropriate
eSc'amation, for all those who are ap-
preaching thc gloomy hour of temptation
There is nothing easier than to be good
humble when there is nothing to puff us
IN. or forgiying when we have not been
assailed. or honest when we have no in
ducement to fraud. But you have felt the
erapple OF some temptation. Your nature
Mt some time quaked and groaned under
the internal power. You feel that the devil
was after you; you saw your Christian
graces retreating; You feu ed that you
would fail in the awful wrestle with sin
ana be thrown into the dust. The gloom
th'ckened. The first indications Of the
night were seen. In all the trembling of
your soul, in all the internal suggestions Of
satan. IN all the surging IN of tumultuous
passions and excitements. YOU felt with
awful emphasis that it was toward even.
ing. In the tempted hour you need to ask
Jesus to abide with YOU You can beat
Back the monster that would devour YOU;
you can unhorse the sin that would ride |
You down: you can sharpen tho batt!eax
with which you split the head of kelmeted |
abomina.ion. Who helped Paul shake the |
hrazen 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 oe recantation would have unfastened |
the withes of the stake and put out the |
kindling fire?
When the night of the soul came on
and all the denizens Of darkness came rid. |
my upon tue wlnus OF peralrlon, VINO |
gave strength to the souls Who gave |
caimness to the heart? Who broke the |
sspeli OF internal enchantment? He who |
ftard the request of the villagers. "Ahide |
WIZ, lis. Tor It is toward evening"" One
OF the forts OF France was attacked. and |
"a, 1he outworks were taken before night, |
Inc besieglng army lay down, thinking
that there was but little to do in tie
and that the soldiery in the fort
could be easily made to surrender. Rut
during the night, through a hack stairs
hey escaped into the country. In the
.lorning the besieging army sprang upon
me battlements, but found that their prev
vas gone. So when we are assaulted by
there is always some secret
tar by which we might get off. God
viii not allow us to be tempted above
rbat We are able, but with every tempta.
ION viii bring a way OF escape that we
A. Is be Gt.e 10 bear it.
The prayer of the text is appropriate
or all WHO are anticipating sorrow. The
ttatest folly that ever grew on this