The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1900-08-24
SPIRITUAL VALUES.
DR.. Talmage Urges a Higher Ap-
probation of Things Religious.
Earthly and Heavenly Riches Com
Psred-The InestImable Value of
q Human SOuI--Christ's Vi
cariOus Sacrifice.
copyright, 1900. by Louis Klopsch.1
Washington,

From Berlin, where he preached in
| the American church to a great con-
gregation, comprising many of his
| countrymen who are travelling
| through Europe, DIR. Talmage sends
| this discourse, in which, by original
| methods, he calculates spiritual values
and urges higher appreciation of
| things religious. The text is Mark
s:36: 'What shall it profit a 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 operations a large proper
tion are engaged from Monday morn
ing to Saturday night in bargain max
| ing. 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 your
self: 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
for five dollars. If you had property
that was worth $4,000, you would
not sell it for $4,000. You are intelli-
gent in all matters of bargain max
ing. Are you as wise in the things
that pertain to the matters of the
| soul? Christ adapted His instructions
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 parable of the lost sheep.
And am I 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?"
propose, as far as possible, to esti-
mate and compare the value of the
two properties.
First, l have to say that the world
is a very grand property. It's flowers
are Gods thoughts in bloom; its rocks
are Gods thoughts in stone; it's dew
drops are Gods thoughts in pearl.
This world is Gods child-a wayward
child, indeed. 1t has wandered off
through the heavens. But about
1000 years ago, one Christmas night,
God sent out a 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 light, comes treading back
through the heavens. The hills-how
beautiful they billow up the edge of
the wave white with the foam of
crocusesi 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 the lamplighters
that in few minutes set all the dome
of the night ablaze with brackets of
frei How bright the oar of the SAT-
from cloud that rows across the deep
sea of heaven! How beautiful the
spring, with bridal blossoms in her
hair! 1 wonder who it is that beats
time on a June morning for the bird
orchestra? How gently the harebeH
tolls its fragrance on the air! There
may be grander worlds, swarthier
worlds, larger worlds, than this, but /
think that this is a most exquisite
world, mignonette on the bosom of
immensity. "Oh," you say, take my
soul! Give me that world! l am will
ing to take it in exchange. am
ready now for the bargain. It is so
beautiful world, so sweet a world.
so grand n world!"
But let us look more minutely into
the value of this world. You will not
buy property unless you can get a
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 and the book of judgments
and the book of liens, and he decides
whether the title is good before you
willhave anything to do with it. There
might be a splendid property, and in
everyway exactly suited to your want,
but if you cannot get a good title
you will not take it. Now, I am here
to say that it is impossible TO get
a good title to this world. If set
tie down upon it, in the very year
so settle down upon it as a perma-
nent possession, may be driven away
from it. Aye, in five minutes after 1
give up my soul for the world. may
have to part with the world, and
what kind of title do you call that?
There is only one way in which I can
hold an earthly possession, and that
is through the senses. All beautiful
sights through the eye, but the eye
may be blotted out; all captivating
sounds through the ear, but my ear
may be deafened; all lusciousness of
fruits and viands through my taste.
but my taste may be destroyed; all
appreciation of culture and of art
through my mind, but I may lose my
mind. What frail hold, then, /
have upon any earthly possession!
In courts of law, if you want to get
a man off a property, you must serve
upon him a writ of ejectment, giving
him certain time to vacate the prem
ises, but when Death comes to us and
serves a writ of ejectment, he does
not give US one second of forewarJl-
ing. He says: ''Of of this place.
You have no right my longer to the