The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-02-28
IALMAGEb SERMON.
MARKS OF THE LORD JESUS
CHRIST.
On Christian Hcroi. m-The Great Re
ward hat Comes to the Faithful
So Ger of the Cross-Heroes and Mar
tyrs OF Everyday Life.


Copyright, 1901, by Louis klopsch.)
Washington, Eco. Pain this dis
course DR.. Talmage praises Christian
aeroism and tells Of great rewards. The
text is Galatians vi, II, II bear in my
body the marks of the Lord Jesus"
We hear much about crowns, thrones,
victories, but l now tell the more quiet
story of scars, honorable and dishonor-
able. There are in all parts OF the
world people bearing dishonorable
scars. They vent into the battle OF
sin and were worsted and to their dy-
ing day they will have a specification
of body or mind or soul. 1t cannot be
hidden. There are tens Of thousands
of men and women now consecrated
to God and living holy lives who were
once corrupt; but they have been re-
generated, and they are no more what
they once were than rubescence is ema-
citation, than balm is vitrol, than noon
day is midnight. But in their de-
pleted physical health or mental twist
or style of temptation they are ever
and anon reminded of the obnoxious
past. They have a memory that is de-
plorable. In some 'twinge of pain or
some tendency to surrender to the
wrong which they must perpetually re-
sist they have an unwholesome remin-
iscence. They carry scars, deep scars,
ignoble
But Paul in my text shows us a scar
iication which is a badge OF honorable
and self-sacriicing service. He had in
his weak eyes the result OF too much
study and in his body, bent and worn,
the signature of scourgings and ship
wrecks and maltreatment by mo5s. In
my text he shows those scars as he de-
claros, II bear in my body the marks of
the Lord Jesus" Notice that it is not
wounds, but scars, and a scar is a heal
ed wound. Before the car is we'll de-
fined upon the flesh the Inflammation
must have departed and right circula-
ton must have been restored and new
tissue must have been formed. 1t is a
permanent indentation Of the f1esh-a
cicatrix. Paul did we'll to show those
scars. They were positive and indispu-
table proof that with all his body, mind
and soul he@believed what he said.
They were his diploma, showing that
he had graduated from the school of
hardship for Christ. They were ere
dentials proving his right to lead in the
worlds evangelization.
Not Ashamed of Scars.
Mensare not ashamed of scars got in
battle for their country. No American
is embarrassed when you ask him,
Where did you get that cash across
your f%orehead?" and he can answer,
That was from a saber cut at San
JUAN When you ask some German,
Where did you lose your right arm?'
he is not ashamed to say, Il lost it at
Sedan" When you ask an Italian,
Where did you lose your eye?" he is
not annoyed when he can answer, Il
suffered that in the last battle under
our glorious General Garibaldi." But l
remind you of the fact that there are
scars not got in war which are just as
illustrious. We had in this country
years ago an eminent advocate who
was called into the presidential cabi-
net at attorney general. In mid-life
he was in a Philadelphia courtroom en-
Gagged in an important trial. The at
torney On the opposite side Of the case
got irritated and angry and in a most
brutal manner referred to the distin-
guished attorneys disfgured face, a
face more deeply Scared than any face
| ever saw. The legal hero of whom ]
am speaking in his closing argument
said: Gentlemen of the jury, when ]
4 was a little child I was playing with
my sister in the nursery, and her
clothes caught fire, and l ran to her
Y to put out the fire. l succeeded, but !
myself took fire, and before it was ex-
tinguished my face was awfully burn
ed and as black as the heart of the
scoundrelly counsel who on the other
side of the case has referred to my
misfortune" The eminent attorney OF
whom l speak carried all his life the
honorable scar of his sisters rescue.
Rearing a Family.
But why do we go SO far for illustra-
ton, when l could take right out of the
memories of some whom | address in
stances just as appropriate? To rear
Alright for God and heaven a large fam
lily of children in that country home
was a mighty undertaking. Far away
from the village DOCTOR the garre. must
contain the herbs for the cure of all
/ kinds of disorders. Through all infan-
tile complaints the children of that
family went. They missed nothing in
the way of childish disorders. Busy
all day was the mother in every form
of housework and twenty times a night
called up by the children all down at
the same time with the same conta-
gion. Her hair is white a long while
before it is time for snow. Her shoul-
ders are bent long before the %appropri-
ate time for STOPPING. Spectacles are
adjusted, some for close by and some
for far off, years before you would
have supposed her eyes would need re-
enforcement. Here and there is a short
grave in her pathway, this %headstone
bearing the name of this child and an
other headstone bearing the name of
another child. Hardly. one bereavement
lifts its shadow than another bereave-
ment drops one. After thirty years of
wifehood n motherhood the paths
turns toward the setting sun. She
cannot walk SO far as she used to.
Colds caught hang on longer than for
merly. Some of the children are in
the heavenly world, for which they