The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1901-04-26
RELIGION A SOLACE.
DR.. Talmage Speaks Comforting
Words for the Righteous.
Discourse for Those whose Lives
Have Many AnNieties-AIII l. WeII
for the Believer Trust
Thoroughly in God.

, aahlhBton, feb. s.
There Is a great solace in this dis
course Of DR.. Talmage for those who's
lives have many snxieties; text
Isaiah $40: Say We to the right
eous that it shall be well with him"
Here is a promise for people VIII,
are all right, but who will come anC
get It? How many, or, rather. how
few, people do you l.row who are al
right? If it were asked of any assem-
bly, that those who were sinless should
rise up, none would rise except imbe
Giles and religious cranks. An ac
cident happened near 60 centuries age
that started the human race in the
wrong way, and we have not got over
1t. We know great many splendid
men and splendid women. but they
will tell you that they have not al
ways done the right thing or thought
the right thought. If it were any of
your business. they could give you an
inventory OF frailties and mistakes and
infelioitiss that would be astonishing.
Here, then, you say, is a Bible prom
ise that goes a-begging: "say ye TO
the righteous that it shall be well
with him"
1t is my delightful work to-day 10
show you that all the sons and daugh-
ters Of Adam and Eve may appropri-
ate the benediction of my text II
they will first do the right thing. Over
here in the next street was man
who in great misfortune lost all he
had and was positively beggared. but
a letter comes from some European
city where the land records are kept
announcing to him that a great for
tune is his. Now he is as opulent as
he was pauperized. He doffs his rags
and puts on respectable attire and
moves into a home appropriate for a
man Of vast estate. His worldly cir
cumstances were all wrong last year:
they are all right this year. On the
next street is man who was from
perfect health prostrated. and he
seemed to be sick unto death, but a
skillful physician took correct dag
nosis OF his disease and by prompt
and vigorous treatment restored him
TO his former vigor. As TO his health
he was all wrong before; now he is
all right. In these two ways illus
trate my theme.
BY sin we have all been morally
bankrupted. Christ the Lord from
His infinite riches pays our debts and
emparadises us in His mercy. From
His richest wardrobe He puts on MS
the clean robe Of His righteousness
and gives us a palace In the heavens
when we are ready TO 60 up and take
It. Now, ne 10 our spiritual estate. we
are all right. We were morally dis
eased, but Christ the physician, by
a bath in the fountain Of grace, cures
us. Now, as to our spiritual health.
we are all right. That il the way we
come to the righteousness spoken OF
In the text. It is a contributed right
eousness. a made-over Righteousness.
On imputed righteousness. The mo-
msnt yoI get into right relations with
Christ the Lord that moment you can
appreciate the magnificent comfort Of
the text, and defy you. in all this
great book, from the first verse Of
the first chapter of Genesis TO the
last verse of the last chapter OF Rev
elation, to find me a passage with I
higher and deeper and broader and /
longer comfort than that of the text, f.
which is as deep as the Atlantic ocean /
~ - = I
high as the sun when the clock Is .
striking 70 az noon. But / shall be .
swamped with the oceanic tides OF F.
this subject unless the Lord help me .
TO keep a foothold Say to the right
eous that IL shall be well with him"
Bear in mind that but few people
can stand worldly success Water IS
a good thing. but too much Of IT will
drown. Fire Is a good thing. but too
much Of II will destroy. Lightning is
a good thing. but too much Of it daz-
zles and blinds. Success is good
thing, but too much of Il has over
whelmed many for this world and the
next. If Il were best for us. we would
ell be millionaires, live in palaces like
the Alhambra and be as personally at
tractive as Cleopatra appeared to An
tony. But most Of folks could not
endure such superabundance. and IL
Is absolutely necessary in order 10
keep them right that nine hundred
and ninety-nine men out Of one thou
sand should find life a struggle It
keeps them out of mischief. After
Adam was elected from the premises
where BY ten minutes Of employment
4 day he could keep the garden and
dress IL the best thing that could hap
pen TO him was compulsion to work
and fight. The ground that bloomed
with spontaneous flowers and rustled
with harvests that owed nothing TO
Dlow or hoe became hostile, and bram-
Bile was substituted for rose. and the
panther growled where before he
'awned. and horn and fang and hoof
became belligerent. That Edenic eject
nent shows us as nothing else ever
,ould that idIeness or only a few min
ites of employment a day are doom
md overthrow. Put IL down among
rour blessings instead Of your mis-
fortunes that you have to work hard
With brain or hand or foot or all three
" them.
How many men do you know worth
1850. 900 who are devout and conse-
,rated and humble and generous and
Employing their means FOR the worlds