The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-09-05
DIR. TALMAGE'S SERMON.
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE NOTED
" DIVINE.
Subject: Spiritual yaIues-Enrthlv Riches
Are Trans,tory, But the Glorias OF
Heaven'Are EverIasting-Compar the
Priceless Soul With the yalueless Body
Copyright 1901.


where he preached in the American church
! to a congregation comprising many OF his
/ countrymen who are travelling through
Europe, DR.. Talmage sends this discourse,
in which, by original methods, he calcu-
lates spiritual values and urges higher ap-
probation of things religious The text
is Mark viii, SO: "What shall 1t profit a
man if he shall gain the whole world and
lose his own soul?'
Men of all occunations are to 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 to 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 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 selling thai which cost you $40
for S.. If you had a property that was
$4,000. You are intelligent in all matters
OF bargain making. Are you as wise in
the things that pertain to the matters of
the soul? Christ adapted His instruc-
tions to the circumstances Of those to
whom He spoke. When He talked to
fishermen, He spoke of the gosnel net.
When He talked to the farmers, He said:
GA aower went forth to SOW" When He
talked to the shepherds, He told the para
ible of Che lost sheep. And am 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 a man if he shall gain the whole
world and lose his own soul ?"
T propocn os far DOseIbe TO estimate
and compare the value Of the two proper
ties.
First, have to say that the world is
very grand property. Its flowers are
Gods thoughts in bloom. It's rocks are
Gods thoughts in stone. Its dewdropss
are Gods thoughts in pearl. This world
is Gods cnlld-a wayward child indeed;
it has wandered off through the heavens.
But about 1907 years ago, one Christmas
night God sent out sister world to call
that wanderer back, and it hung over
Bethleh I'm only long enough to get the
promise of the wanderers return, and
light, comes treadng back through the
heavens. The hills, how beautiful they
billow up. the edge of the wave white;
with the foam of crocuses! How Beautifully
the rainbow, the arched bridge. on which
heaven and earth come and talk to each
other in tears after the storm is overI.
How nimble the feet of lamplighters the
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 heaven! How
in her hair! wonder who it is, that beats
time on June morning for the bird or
chestra. How gently the harebell tolls it's
fragrance on the air! There. may be
grander worlds, larfer worlds than this,
but T think that this is most exquisite
world-a mignonette on the bosom of i'm
mensity! "Oh," you say, "take my soul;
give me that world! am willing to take
it in exchange. I am ready now for the
bargain. It is 80 beautiful a world, 80
sweet world, 30 grand world!'. :,
But let us look more minutely into the
value of this world You will not buy
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 will
have anything to do with it. There might
be splendid property and. in every way
exactly suited to your want, but If you
cannot get good title you will not take
it. Now, I am here TO say that it is i'm
possible to get good Title to this world.
If I settle down upon it, in the very year
l 80 settle down upon it as permanent
possession, may be driven away from it.
Aye, in five minutes afterward give up,
my soul for the world / may have to part
with the world, anu 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. ALI beau
tiful sights through the eye, but the eye
may be blotveu out; all captivating sounds
through the ear, but my ear may be deaf.
ened; all lusciousness of fruits .and viands
through my taste, Lut my taste may be de.
stroyed; all appreciation of culture and Of
art through my mind, but l may lose my
mind. What frail hold, then, have
upon anv earthly possession!
In courts of law, if you want to get a
man off property you must serve upon
him writ of ejectment, giving him Ger,
tain time to vacate the premises, but
of ejectment he does not give us one sec
ond of forewarning. He says: "Of OF this
place! You have no right any longer to
Che possession" We might cry out, II
gave you 100000 for that property" the
plea would be of no avail. We might say,
1--WE have a warrantee deed for that prop
erty;" the plea would be Of no avail.
We might say, ave have lien on that
storchouse;" that would do us no good.
Death is blind, and he cannot see seal
and cannot read an inde1ture. So that,
when you propose that l give up my soul
first and last, l want to tell you that
for the world you cannot give me the first
item of title.
II. 1l,o &c
your next question is about insurance. You
would not be silly enough to buy large
warehouse that could not possibly be in
sured. You would not have anything to
do with such property. Now, ask you
what assurance can you give me that this
world is not going to be burned up!
Absolutely none. Gcologists tell us that
it Is already on fire; that the heart of the
world is one great living coal; that, 1t is
just like ship on fire at sea, the. tiames
not bursting out because the matches are
kept down. And yet you propose to palm
off on me, in return for my soul, world
title, and, in the second place, for which
you can give no insurance. "Ob," you
say, "the water of the oceans will wash
over all the land and put out the fire"
Oh, no. There are inflammable elements
in the water, hydrogen and oxygen. Call
off the hydrogen, and then the Atlantic
and the Pacific oceans woud blaze like
heaps of shavings. You want me to take
this world, for which you can give no pos
sible insurance.
Astronomers have swept their telescopes
through the sky and have found out that
there have been fifteen worlds, in the last
two centuries, that have disappeared. At
first they looked just like other worlds:
fire. Then they got ashen, showing they