Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1900-06-21
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
ANXIETY AND WORRIMENT LAST
SUNDAYS SUBJECT.
The Conduct of the Disciples Com
mendcd-The Board of Invitation -
Power of Temptation-Bsarers of the
Cross of Persecution.

Copyright, 1900. by Louis Klopsch)
The text is Matthew xiv. IL, And
his disciples went and told Jesus"
An outrageous assassination had just
taken place. To appease revengeful
woman King Herod ordered the death
Of that noble, self-sacrificing prophet,
John the Baptist. The group Of the
disciples were thrown into grief and
dismay. They felt themselves utterly
defenseless. There was no authority
to which they could appeal. and yet
grief must always find expression. IL
there be no human ear to hear it, then
the agonized soul will cry it aloud to
the winds and the woods and the wat
ers. But there was an ear that was
willing to listen. There is a tender
pathos and at the same time a most
admirable picture in the words of my
text, They went and told Jesus" He
could understand all their grief, and
he Immediately soothed 1t. Our bur-
dens are not more than half so heavy
to carry if another shoulder is put
under the other end of them. Here
We find Christ, his brow Swallowed with
grief, standing amid the group of dis
ciples, who, with tears and violent
gesticulations and wringing of hands
and cutlery of bereavement, are ex-
pressing their woe. Raphael, with his
skillful brush putting upon the wall
OF palace some scene of sacred story,
gave not so skillful stroke as when
the plain hand Of the evangelist
writes, They went and told Jesus"
The old Goths and Vandals once
came down upon Italy from the north
Of Europe, and they upset the gardens.
and they broke down the statues, ana
swept away everything that was good
and beautiful. So there Is ever and
anon in the history of all the sons and
daughters Of our race an incursion of
rough handed troubles that come to
plumber and ransack and put to the
torch all that men highly prize. There
is no cave SO deeply cleft into the
mountains as to afford us shelter. and
the foot OF fieetest courser cannot bear
us beyond the quick pursuit The ar
rows they put to the string fly with
unerring dart until we fall pierced and
stunned.
| feel that bring to you a most ap-
propriate message. | mean to bind up
all your griefs into bundle and set
them on fire with a spark from Gods
altar. The prescription that cured the
sorrow OF the disciples will cure all
your heartaches. | have read that
when Godfrey and his army marched
out to capture Jerusalem, as they came
over the hills, at the first flash of the
pinnacles of that beautiful city, the
army that had marched in silence
lifted shout that made the earth
tremble. Oh, you soldiers of Jesus
Christ marching on toward heaven,
would that today. by some CLEAN from
the palace of Gods mercy and Gods
strength, you might be lifted into great
rejoicing. and that as the prospect of
its peace breaks on your enraptured
gaze you might raise one glad hosan-
ma to the Lord!
Disciples Conduct Commended.
In the first place, | commend the be-
havior OF these disciples to all burden
ed souls who are unpardoned. There
comes a time in almost every mans
history when he feels from some
source that he has an erring nature.
The thought may not have such heft
as to fell him. II may be only like the
flash in an evening cloud just after a
very hot summer day. One man to
get rid Of that impression will go to
prayer. another will stimulate himself
by ardent spirits and another man will
dive deeper in secularities. But some
times a man cannot get rid of these
impressions. The fact is, when a man
finds out that his eternity is poised
upon perfect uncertainty and that
the next moment his foot may slip. he
must do something violent to make
himself forget where he stands or else
fly for refuge.
Some of you crouch under yoke,
and you bite the dust, when this mo-
ment you might rise up crowned
conqueror. Driven and perplexed as
yOu udNS pcch W Sih' 81 anu tell Je-
sus. To relax the grip of death from
your soul and plant your unshackled
feet upon the golden throne. Christ let
the tortures Of the bloody mount
transfix him. With the beam of his
own cross he will break down the door
of your dungeon. From the thorns Of
his own crown he will pick enough
gems to make your brow blaze with
eternal victory. In every tear on his
wet cheek, in every cash Of his side,
In every long. blackening mark OF
laceration from shoulder to shoulder,
in the grave shattering. heaven storm
ing death groan, hear him say, Him
that cometh unto me / will in nowise
cast out"
oh" but you say. instead OF cur
ing my wound. you want to make an
other wound-namely, that Of convic-
toni" Have you never known a sur
geon to come and find chronic dis
ease and then with sharp caustic burn
it all out? So the grace of God comes
to the old sore of sin. 1t has long been
ranking there. but by divine grace It
is burned out through these fires of
conviction, the flesh coming again
as the flesh Of little child" where
sin abounded, grace much more
aboundeth. With the 10000 unpar-
doned sins OF your life. go and tell