The Iola register., 1901-10-25
A WORD OF NIGHT.
Great Meaning Contained in Text
of DR.. Talmage's Sermon.
Il Composed of hut Four Letters But
Is the Queen of MOrds-soInce
OF Christian Fnith--Two
Things TO believe.
copyright, 1901, by Louis Klopsch. N. "


the doors of expectancy; texts, Cen
esis vi, Is, Gomez" Revelations NXii.,
II, Come"
Imperial, tender and all persuasive
is the word Come" Six hundred and
seventy-eight times it is found in the
Scriptures. 1t stands at the front
gate of the Bible as in my first text,
inviting antediuvians into Noah's ark,
and it stands at the other gate of the
Bible as in my second text, inviting
the postdiluvians of all later ages
into the ark of a Saviour's mercy.
"Come" is only word of four let
ters, but it is the queen of words
and nearly the entire nation OF Eng
glish voca bulary bows to its scepter'
1t is an ocean into which empties 1O,-
900 rivers of meaning. Other words
drive, but this beckons. All moods OF
feeling hath that word Come
Some times it weeps and sometimes 1t
laughs. Sometimes it prays, some
times it tempts, and sometimes 1t de-
stroys. 1t sounds from the door of
the church and from the seraglios of
sin. from the gates of Heaven and
Aht RdNtS VI MN IL 10 NohiihNA'' ''''NA
accrescent of all power. 1t is the heir
ess of most of the past and the al
moner 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 all the woes
of time and eternity shall reverberate
in its one syllable. 1t is on the lip
of saint and profligate. 1t is the
mightiest of all solicitants either for
good or bad.
To-day l weigh anchor and haul in
the planks and set sail on that great
word, although l am sure l will not
be able to reach the farther shore.
l will let down the fathoming line
into this sea and try to measure its
depths, and, though l tie together all
the cables and cordage l have on
board, / will not be able to touch bot
tom. All the power of the Christian
religion is in that word, Come" The
dictatorial and commendatory in re-
igion are of no avail. The impera-
tive mood is not the appropriate
mood when we would have people saw
Ingly impressed. They may be
coaXed, but they cannot be driven.
Our hearts are like our homes; at
q friendly knock the door win be
opened, but an attempt to force open
our doors would land the assailant
I'm prison. Our theological seminaries,
which keep young men three years in
their curriculum before launching
them into the ministry, will do well
IL in ghnrt tir,n thaty tanpb
the candidates for the holy office how
to say with right emphasis and into
nation and power that one word,
"Come!" That man who has such
efficiency in Christian work and that
woman who has such power to per-
suade people to quit the wrong and
begin the right went through a series
of losses, bereavements, prosecutions
and the trials of 20 or 80 years be-
fore they could make il triumph of
grace every time they uttered the
word Come"
You must remember that in many
:ases our "Come" has mightier
Come" to conquer before il has any
affect at all. Just give me the accu-
cate census, the statistics of how
many are down in fraud, in drunken
iess, in gambling, in impurity or in
rice of any sort, and | will give YOU
che accurate census or 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 table" Come enter
with me this doubtful speculation!'
Come with me and read those in
iidel tracts on Christianity" Come
with me to a place of bad amuse-
ment.' Come with me in gay bout
through the underground life of the
city If in this city there are 10000
who are down in moral character,
then 10000 fell under the power of
the word Come" | was reading of
wife whose husband had been over
thrown by strong drink, and she went
to the saloon where he was ruined,
and She said Give me back my
husband And the bartender, point
ing to a maudlin and battered man
browsing in the corner of the bar
room, said There he is. Jim. wake
up; here's your wife come for YOU
And the woman said: "Do YOU call
that my husband? What have Won
been doing with him? Is that the
manly brow, is that the clear eve,
is that the noble heart, that | mar.
ried? What vile drug have you given
him that has turned him into a fend?
Take your tiger claws off of him
Uncoil those serpent folds of evil
habit that are crushing him. Give me
back my husband, the one with whom
i stood at the altar ten years ago
Give him back to me-" Victim was
he, as many millions of others have
been, of the word "Come!"
Now we want all the world over
to harness this word for good as
others have harnessed il for evil, anC
it will draw the five continents anC
the seas between them-yea, it viii
draw the whole earth back to Goo
from whom il has wandered. 1t is
that wooing and persuasive word that
will lead men to give up their sins
IL tntg