The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1900-08-24
DIR. TALMAGES SERMON.
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE sY THE NOTED
DIVINE.
Subject; Spiritual Vaiues-Lsrihiv Riches
Are rransitory, But the Giories Of
Heaven'Are EverisstinE-Compar the
Priceless soul with the yalueiess Body

heaven Are
Priceless Soul with the valueiess Body
lcopyrisht lsO0l
WASHINGTON, ID. c. - From Berlin.
where he preached in the American church
20 a congregation comprising many O. his
eountrymen who are travelling through
Eurone. DR.. Talmage sends this discourse,
in which. BY original methods, he oalcu-
lates spiritual values and urges higher APP
preciSISon Of things religious. The text
is Mark viii 90: What shall lt profit
man If he shall gain the whole world and
lose his own soult'
Men OF III OCCUPATIONS are 10 be found
in the assemblies of the house Of God, but
IN these days OF extensive business opera
tions large proportion are engaged from
Monday morning 10 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 dav asking yourself:
"What IS. the value of this! What rs the
value of Shat| You would not think Of
giving something OF greater value for that
which is OF lesser value You would not
think Of selling tha, which cost YOU $40
for 81. Ii YOU had a property that was
worth $4,000, YOU would not sell II for
$4,000. You are intelligent in all matters
OF bargain making. Are YOU as wise in
the things that pertain 10 the matters of
the souly Christ adapted His instruc-
tlons 10 the circumstances OF those 10
whom He spoke. When He talked 10
fishermen. He spoke of the gospel net.
When He talked 10 the farmers. He said:
"A sower went forth 20 sow When He
talked to the shepherds. He told the para
bic OF the lost sheep. And am | not right
when speaking 10 an audience made up Of
bargain makers that ] address them in the
words of my text, asking, What shall II
profit man If he shall gain the whole
world and lose his own soul;'
] propose, as far as possible, 10 estimate
and -ompare the value of the two proper
ties.
First, have 10 say that the world is a
very grand property It's flowers are
Gods thoughts In bloom It's rocks are
Gods thoughts in stone. Its dewdrops
are Gods thoughts in pearl. This world
Is Gods chlld-a wavward child, indeed;
II has wandered off through the heavens.
But about leol years ago. one Christmas
night. God sent out a sister world TO call
that wanderer back, and IL hung over
Betheh IN only long enough TO get the
promise OF the wanderers return, and
now that lost world, with soft feet of
light, comes treadng back through the
heavens. The hills, how beautiful they
bilow 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 20 each
other in tears after the storm is Overt
How nimble the feet of lamplighters that
In a few minutes set all the dome of the
night ablaze with brackets OF fire. How
bright the oar of the saffron cloud that
rows across the deep sea OF hcavenl How
beautiful the spring. with bridal blossoms
in her haiTi | wonder who II is that beats
time on a June morning for the bird or
chestra How gently the harebell tolls its
fragrance on the air, There may he
4 l. l., - l. e
but | think that this is n most exquisite
world-a mignonette on the bosom of inn
menslty! oh" you say, take my soul;
give me that world, ] am willing 10 take
u in exchange. | am ready now for the
bargain. 1t is 50 beautiful a world, so
sweet a world. so grand a world!'
But let us look more minutcly into the
value of this wc~ld. 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 ana the book of judgments
and the book OF liens, and he decides
whether the title is good before you will
have anything to do with 1t. There might
be splendid property and in every way
exactly suited to your want, but If you
cannot get a good title YOU will not take
It. Now, / am here 20 say that II is inn
possible TO get a good title TO this world.
II ! settle down unon il, IN the very year
i so settle down upon II as a permanent
possession, ] may be driven away from It.
Aye, IN five minutes afterward ] give up
my soul for the world | may have 20 part
with the world, anu what kind of a title
do you call that; There is only one way
in which | can hold an earthly possession,
and that Is through the senses. All beau
tiful sights through the eye, but the eve
may be bloItod out; all captivating sounds
through the ear, but my ear may be deaf
encd, all lusclOusness OF fruits and vands
through my taste. lut my taste may be de
strOyed; all appreciation of culture and of
art through my mind but | may lose ny
mind. What frail hold then, | have
upon anv earthly possession
In courts OF law, If you want TO get a
man of a property you must serve upon
him a writ OF CJcctment giving him n GER
tain time 20 vacate the premises but
when death comes 20 US and serves a writ
OF eJcctment ne does not give Us one sec
ond OF forewarning He says: "Off OF this
place You have no right any longer 20
the possession" We might cry out. 81
gave you 100000 fo- that property the
plea would be OF no avail. We might say
I'VE have a warrantec deed for that prop
erty;' the plea would be OF no avail
We might say, I'VE have lien on that
storehouse;' that would do US no good
u
and cannot read an ndenturc. So that,
when YOU propose that ] give up my soul
first and last, ! want TO tell you that
Tor the world you cannot give me the first
item Of title.
Having examined the title Of a property
your next question Is about insurance You
would not be silly enough to buy a large
warehouse that could not possibly be IN
sured. You would not have anything 10
do with such a property. Now, ] ask you
what assurance can you give me that this
world Is not going 10 be burned up!
Absolutely none Geologists tell US that
It Is already on fire; that the heart Of the
world Is one great living coal that u Is
just like a ship on fire az sea, the flames
not bursting out because the matches are
kept down. And yet you propose 20 palm
of on me, IN return for my soul, a world
for which. IN the first place, you give no
title and, in the second place, for which
YOU can give no insurance. Oh you
say, the water OF the oceans VIII wash
over all the land and put out the fire"
Oh. no. There are inhammab.e elements
IN the water. hydrogen and oxygen Call
of the hydrogen, and then the Atlantic
and the Pacific oceans would blaze Ike
heaps OF shaving- You want me % take
this world, for which you can give no poe
slble insurance.
Astronomers have swept their telescopes
through the sky and have found ont that
there have been fifteen worlds m the last
two centuries. that have disappeared. At
first they looked Just like other worlds.
Then they got deeply red-they were on
hre. Then they got ashen, showing they
were burned down. Then they disap.
peared. showing that even the ashes were
scattered And. u the geoiogIst be night
in he prophecy, then our world u 70 90 IN