The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1900-04-28
TALMAGE ON CREEDS.
Preacher Would Rid Humanity Of
Eoclesiasd IDEAL Dogma.
Moves for q Creed Coz All Denomiaa-
uOns made oat Of Scripture Gao
tations-ThinEs That Ham,
per Christiahs.
Icopyright. 100 by Louis Klopsoh.l
nahinnann I'm q


At a time when the old discussion Of
creeds is being vigorously and m
what bitterly revived this discourse
Of Dr.. Talmage has a special interest.
The text is John HI, ~: Loose him
and let him 60"
Ny Bible Is at the place of this text
written all over with lead pencil
marks made at Bethany on the ruins
Of the house Of Mary and Martha and
Lazarus. We dismounted from our
horses on the way up from Jordan to
the Dead sea Bethany was the sum
me evening retreat of JesuL After
spending the day in the hot city Of
Jerusalem he would come out there al
most every evening to the house Of
his three friends I think the occu-
pants OF that house were orphans,
for the father and mother are not
mentioned. But the son and two
daughters must have inherited prop
eSey, for il must have been, judging
from what l saw Of the foundations
and the size OF the rooms an opulent
home. Lazarus. the brother, was now
at the head of the household, and his
sisters depended on him and were
proud Of him, for he wa very popular.
and everybody liked him, and these
girls were splendid girls-Msrtha, a
arst-rate housekeeper, and Mary, a
spintpeYle, somewhat dreamy, but af-
f~ectionate and as good a girl as could
be found In all Palestine. But one
day Lazarus got Eick. The sisters
were In CONSERVATION. Father gone,
and mother gone, they felt very nerv-
Gus lest they lose their brother also.
Disease did its quick work how the
girls hung owe his pillow! Not much
LeeP about that house-no sleep at
an.
From the characteristics otherwise
deIeloped, 1 Judge that Martha pre-
pared the medicines and made tempt
Ing dishes Of food for the poor aDpe-
lite Of the sufferer, but Mary prayed
and sobbed. Worse and worse gets
Lazarus until the doctor
that he can do no more. The shrek
that went up from that household
whom the last breath had been drawn
and the two sisters were being led
by sympsthisers into the adjoining
room all those Of us can imagine who
have had our own hearts broken. But
why was not Jesus there as He had so
often teen? Far away in the country
districts. preaching. healing other
nick, how unfortunate that this om-
nipotent Doctor had not been at that
domestic crisis in Bethany. When
at lAst Jesus arrived in Bethany, Laz-
srus bad been buried four days and
dissolution had taken place. In that
climate the bresthless body didn-
tegrstes more rapidly than in our
II. Immediately after decease, the
body had been awakened into life, IN
believers might have said he was only
In . comatoss state or In a sort Of
trance and by some vigorous manipu-
lation or powerful stimulant vitality
Rad been renewed. MOI Four days
dead.
AT the door of the sepulcher is .
crowd OF people. but the three most
memorable are Jesus, who was the
family friend, and the two bereft Sis
ters. We went into the traditional
tomb one December day, and II is deep
down and dark. and with torches we
explored 1t. We found 1t all quiet
that afternoon OF our visit, but the
day spoken of in the Bible there was
present an excited multitude. l won
der what Jesus will do? He orders
the door of the grave removed, and
then he begins to descend the steps,
Mary and Martha close after him, and
the crowd after them. Deeper down
into the shadows and deeper! The
hot tears Of Jesus roll over his cheeks
and plash upon the back OF His
hands. We're ever 80 many sorrows
compressed into so small a space a.
in that group pressing on down after
Christ. all the time bemoaning that
He had not come before?
Now all the whispering and all the
crying and all the sounds of shut.
fling feet are stopped. II is the ST.
lence Of expectancy. Death had CON
quered, but now the vanquisher Of
death confronted the scene. Amid the
awful hush Of the tomb, the familiar
name which Christ bad often had
upon His lips in the Inequalities Of
the village home came back to His
tongue, and with pathos and an al
mightines OF which the resurrection
Of the last day shall only be an echo,
He cries: Lazarus come forth!'
The eyes Of the slumbsrer open, and
he rises and comes TO the foot Of the
steps and with great difficulty begins
to ascend for the eerements Of the
tomb are yet on him, and his feet are
fast and his hands are fast and the
impediments TO all his movements are
% great that Jesus commands: Take
of these cerements. Remove these
hlndrencesi Unfasten these grave.
clothesi Loose him, aud let him go!"
oh. I am so glad that after the Lord
raised Lazarus He went on and com.
msnded the ~loosening Of the cords
thai bound his feet 80 that he could
walk and the breaking Of the cere.
ments that bound his hands 30 that
he could stretch out his arms In salu.
tation and the tearing of Of the band.
sgs from around his jaws so that he
could speak. What would resurrected
life haps been TO Lazarus II he had
not been freed from all those cripple,
menn Of his body2 / am glad tha,
Chrst commanded his complete eman.
cipAtion. saying; Loose him, and lei
him 60"
The unfortunate thing now is thai
% many Christians are only half-lib
Grated. They have been raised from
the death and burial Of sin into spirit
uAl life, but they yet have the grave
clothes on them. They are, like Lar
srls, hobbling up the stairs Of the
tomb bound hand aud foot, and tn,
object OF this ermon is TO help fret
their body and free their souls, ant
! shall try TO obey the Masters com
mand that comes 10 me and comes u
every minister Of religion: "Loos'
him, and lot him gol"
No.. -. Aa,,ul hnul .nA fa.N -