The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1901-11-06
DR.. TALMAGES SERMON
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE NOTED
DIVINE.


DIVINE.
Subject: The Persuasive Word 1t Calls
All People to Gladness - What We
| Most Need-The Star of Faith-Ihere
is Pardon For All.
Copyright. 1sdl.l
WASHINGTON. D. Gin this discourse
DR.. Talmage calls all people to gladness
and opens all the doors of expectancy;
texts, Genesis vi; Is, Gomez" Revelation
Imperial. tender and all persuasive is
the word Come" Six hundred and sew
enty-eight times is it found IN the Scrip
lures. It stands at the front gate OF the
Bible, as in my first text, inviting ante
diluvians into Noah's ark. and it stands
at the other gate of the Bible: as in my,
second text, inviting the postdil9yians OF
all later ages into the ark OF Saviour
mercy. "Come" is only word Of four
letters, but it is the queen Of words. and
nearly the entire nation of English Vo-
cabulary bows to its sceptre. 1t ls an
ocean into which empties ten thousand
rivers of meaning. Other words drive,
but this beckons. All moods Of feeling
hath that word "come." Sometimes 1t
weeps and sometimes it laughs. Some;
times it prays, sometimes it tempts and
sometimes it destroys. 1t sounds from
raglios of sin, from tie gates OF heaven
and the gates of hell. 1t is continent
and accrescent Of all power. 1t IS the
heiress of most of the future, Come"
You may pronounce it so that all the
heavens will be heard in its cadences or
! pronounce it so that ali the woes of time
and eternity shall reverherate in its one
syllable It is on the lip of saint and
prohicate. 1t is the mightiest of all 80
licitants either for good or bad. =,
To-day I weigh anchor and haul in the
| although am sure I will not be able to
reach the farther shore. I will let down
the fathoming line into this sea and try
to measure it's dcpths, and, though ! tie
together all the cables and cordage ] have
on board I will not be able to touch bot
tom. All the power of the Christian rell-
gion is in that word "come." The dicta-
forial and commendatory in religion are
Of no avail. The imperative mood ls not
the appropriate mood when we would
have people savingly impressed; They
en-. Our hearts are like our homes-at a
friendly knock the door will be opened,
but an attempt to force open our door
would land the assailant in prison. Our
theological seminaries which keen young
men three years in their curriculum be-
fore launching them into the ministry,
will do we'll if in so short time they can
teach. the candidates for the holy, office
how to say with great emphasis and into,
nation and power that one word come:
That man who has such efficiency in
Christian work, and that woman who mas
such power to persuade people to quit
the wrong and begin the right went
through a series of losses, bereavements,
prosecutions and the trials of twenty or
, thirty wears before they could make it a
triumph of grace every time they uttered
the word "come."
You muat remember that IN many cases
our "comc" has mightier come" to
conquer before it has any effect at all.
just give me the accurate census, the sta
tistics of how many are down in fraud, IN
in vice of any sort, and will give you
the accurate census OF statistics of how
many have been slain by the word
"come." "Come and click wine glasses
with me at this ivory bar" "Come and
see what we can win at this gaming ta-
ble." "Come, enter with me this doubt.
! full speculation" "Cone with me and
read those infdel tracts on Christianity" :"
"Come with me to place of bad amuse,,
ment" "Come with me in 9. gay bout
through the underground life Of the
are down in moral character. then 10000
fell under the power OF the word ."come.",
! I was reading of a wife whose husband
had been overthrown by strong drink,
and she went to the saloon where he was
ruined, and she said, "Give me back my
husband" And the bartender, pointing
to a maudin and battered man drowsins
in the corner of the barroom, said:
"There he is. jim, wake up, Here's
an said: "Do YOU call that my husband?
What have you been doing with him? Is
that the manly brow, is that the clear
eve. is that the noble heart that I mar
ried? What vile drug have you given
him that has turned him into fiend?;
Take your tiger claws off Of him. Uncoil
those serpent folds of evil habit that are
crushing him. Give me back my hus-
band, the one with whom 1 stood at the
me-" Victim was he, as millions of 9TH
ers have been, of the word come"
Now, we want all the world over to
harness this word for good as others
have harnessed it for evil. and it will
draw the five continents and the seas be-
tween them-yes, it will draw the whole
earth back to the God from whom it has
wandered It is that wooing and persua-
sive word that will lead men to give up
their sins. Was skepticism ever brought
into love of the truth by an ebul,ition of
the blasphemer stopped in his oaths by
denunciation of blasphemy? Was ever, a
drunkard weaned from his cups by the
temperance lecturers mimicry OF stag
gering step and hiccough? No. 1t was:
"Come with me to church to-day and
hear olr singing" "Come and let me in
troduce you to Christian man whom
you viii be sure to ADMIRE" "Come with
me into associations that are cheerful and
good and inspiring" Come with me into
joy syeh as you never before eApe-
With that word which has done, so
much for others I approach you to-day.
Are you all right with God? "No,"'. you
alarmed when I think of Him. I fear I
will not be ready to meet Him in the last
day. Ny heart is not right with God"
COME, then, and have it made right.
! Through the Christ who died to save YOU,
come! What is the use in waiting? The
longer you wait the farther off you are
and the deeper you are down. Strike out
for heaven! You remember that few
years ago steamer called the Princess
Alice, with a crowd of excursionists
aboard, sank in the Thames, and there
was an awful sacrifice Of life. A boatman
from the shore put out for the rescue, and
he had big boat, and he get it so full it
would not hold another person, and as he
laid hold of the oars to pull for the shore,
leaving hundreds heinless and drowning,
he cried out: ooh. that had bigger
boat" Thank God I am not thus lin:
tied. and that can promise room for all
in this gospel boat. Get in, get in! And
yet there is room. Room in the heart Of
a pardoning God. Room in heaven.
I also apply the word of my text to
| those who would lie practical comfort.