Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1901-02-08
RELIGION A SOLACE.
DR.. Talmage Speaks Comforting
Words for the Righteous.
Discourse for Those Whose Lives
Have Many Anxieties-All Is Well
for the Believer Trust
Thoroughly I'm God.

Thoroughly I'm God.
Copyright. 1901. by Louis Klopsch. N. 70
Washington, Feb. 3.
There is a great solace in this dis
course of DR.. Talmage for those whose
lives have many anxieties; text.
Isaiah 3:1O: ''Say ye to the right
eous that it shall be well with him.
Here is promise for people who
are all right, but who will come and
get it? How many, or, rather, how
few, people do you know who are all
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 ago
that started the human race in the
wrong way, and we have not got over
1t. We know a 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
infelicities that would be astonishing.
Here, then, you say, is a Bible prom
I Use that goes a-begging: "Say ye to
1.-THE righteous that it shall be well
with him.
It is my delightful work to-day to
show you that all the sons and daugh-
tiers of Adam and Eve may appropri-
ate the benediction of my text if
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
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 Frustrated, 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 I 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 us
the clean robe of His Righteousness
and gives us a palace in the heavens
when we are ready to go up and take
it. Now, as to 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 is the way we
come to the righteousness spoken Of
in the text. It is contributed right.
eousness, a made-over Righteousness
an imputed righteousness. The mo-
ment you get into right relations with
Christ the Lord that moment you car
appreciate the magnificent comfort OF
the text, and I 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
higher and deeper and broader ant
longer comfort than that of the text
which is as deep as the Atlantic ocear
half way between the continents ant
high as the sun when the clock j.
striking IL at noon. But I shall bt
swamped with the oceanic tides O.
this subject unless the Lord help m,
to keep a foothold. "Say to the right
eous that it shall be we'll with him"
Bear in mind that but few peopl,
can stand worldly success. Water il
Q good thing, but too much of it will
drown. Fire is good thing. but to-
much of it will destroy. Lightning il
good thing. but too much of it daz
zles and blinds. Success is goo<
thing, but too much of it has over
whelmed many for this world and tn,
next. If it were best for us, we woult
all be millionaires, live in palaces Xix
the Alhambra and be as personally at
tractive as Cleopatra appeared to An
tony. But most of folks could no
endure such superabundance, and /
Is absolutely necessary in order t.
keep them right that nine hundre,
and ninety-nine men out of one thou
sand should find life struggle. I
keeps them out of mischief. Ate
Adam was elected from the premise
where by ten minutes of employment
day he could keep the garden an
dress it the best thing that could hap
pen to him was compulsion to wor
and fight. The ground that bloome
with spontaneous flowers and rustic
with harvests that owed nothing t
pillow or hoe became hostile, and BRAN
BILE was substituted for rose, and tn
panther growled where before b
fawned, and horn and fang and hoe
became belligerent. That Edenic eject
ment shows us as nothing else eve