The age-herald., 1901-11-24
IDr. Talmage's Sermon.


 Washington. November 17.-In this dis rourse pr. Talmage would lift people out of despondency and bring something of future joy into earthly depre ssion. The text is Hebrews vi. 1e. which hope
 There is an Atlantic ocean of depth and fullness in the verse from which my text Is taken, and I only wade into the wave nt the beach and take two words. We all have favorite words expressive of delight or abhorrence, words that easily find their way from brain to lip, words that have in them mornings and midnights, laughter and tears, thunderbolts and aewdrops. In all the lexicons and vo- ,abn,aries there are few words that have tor me the attractions of the last word of my text. (Which hope"
 There have in the course of our life been many angels of God that have looked over our shoulders, or met us on the road, or chanted the darkness away, or lifted the curtains of the great future, or pulled us back from the preci- pices, or rolled down upon us the rap turous music of the heavens. but there IS one of these angels who has done so much for us that we wish throughout all gel of Hope St. Paul makes it the cen ter of a group of three, saying. Now abideth faith. hope. charity" And though he says that charity is the great est of the three, he does not take one plume from the wing, or one ray of lus- ter from the brow or one aurora from the cheek, or one melody from the voice of the angel of my text, (Which hope
 That was great night for our world when in a Bethlehem caravansary the Infant Royal was born, and that will be a. great night in the darkness of your soul when Christian hope is born. There will be chanting in the skies and a star pointins to the Nativity. I will not bother you with the husk of a definition and tell you what hope Is. When we sit down hungry at a table, we do not want an analytical discourse as to what bread Is. Hand it onl pass it round; give us a slice of it. John speaks of hope sRs pure hope;" Peter calls it a lively hope;'' Paul styles 1t good hope" a sure hope rejoicing hope" And all up and down the Bible it is spoken of as an anchor, as a barbor. as helmet as door.
 = Power of Hope.
 When we draw a check on a bank we must have reference to the am ount of money we have deposited. but Hope makes a draft on a bank In which for her benefit all heaven has been deposited Hopel May 1t light up every dungeon. stand by every sickbed, lend a helping hand to every orphanage. loosen every chain. caress every forlorn soul and turn the unpictured room of the almshouse into the vestibule of heaven; How sug- gestive that mythology declares that when all other deities fled the earth the goddess Hope remained
 It was hope that revived John Knox when on shipboard near the coast of Scotland he was fearfully i'll. and he was requested to look shoreward and asked If he knew the village near the coast, and he answered. "I know it well, for l see the steeple of that place where God first opened my mouth in public to
 His glory, and l am fully persuaded how weak that ever I now appear I shall not depart this life till my tongue shall glo- rify His holy name in the same place." His hope was rewarded. and for twenty nve more years he preached That Is the nope which sustained MT. Morrell of Nor wich when departing this life at 24 years or age he declared, T should like to un oerstaad the secrets of eternity before to morrow morning." That was the kind of nope that the corporal had in the battle when, after several standard bearers had ,anen' ,'' ne seized the flag and turned to heutenant colonel and said, If fall, tell my uear wife that die with good hope m christ and that I am glad to give my life for my country" That was tbe good hope that Dr. Goodwin had in his last hour when he said "Ah. is tbis death? How have I dreaded as an enan,,, this smiling friendr'
 No better medicine did a man a,,o,. fake than hope. It is a stimulant ieorfuge, a tonic catholcon. Tbou- sanos or people long ago departed this lire would have been living today hut for the reason they let hone slin tha;. grasp. have known people to live on nope a1ter one lung was gone and die ease had seemed to lay hold of every nerve and muscle and artery and hone
 Alexander tho Great. starting for the wars m Persia, divided his property nmohs the Facedonions. He gave a vii- iage 10 one. port to another, a field 70 another and all his estate to his friends. Then Perdiccas asked "What nave you kept for yourself?" He an swered triumphantly, Hope" And whatever else you and I give away. we must keep for ourselves hope-alI com forting, all cheering hope. In the heart or every man. woman and child that hears or reads this sermon may God fmplnnt this principle right now!
 Many have full assurances that all is rignt with the soul. They are as sure of heaven as If they had passed the pearlv panels of the gate; as though they were already seated in the temple of God un- rolling the libretto of the heavenly choris- ter. congratulate all such; wish I had it., too-full assurance. But with me it is hope. Which hope?' Sinful, 1t expects Forgiveness; troubled. 1t expects relief: bereft, 1t expects reunion; clear down. it expects wings to lift; shipwrecked, 1t ex- poets lifeboat; bankrupt. it expects eter- nal riches; prodigal. 1t expects the wide-open door of the fathers farm house. What is the use of giving so much time to the rehearsal of the past? Your mistakes are not corrected by a review. Your losses cannot by breeding over them. be turned into gains It is the fu ture that has the most for us, and hone cheers us on We have all com mitted blunders but does the call ing or the roll of them make them any the less blthders? Look ahead in all matters of usefulness How ever much you may have accomplished Tor God and the worlds betterment your greatest usefulness is to come. "No," says some one. my health is gone No says some one. my money is gone" No says some one the most or my years are gone and fherafora ,,,,.